1. It's Time To Sell Your Book!
8th Grade Book Talks
It's Time To Sell Your Book! 

2. What is a Book Talk?
The purpose of a book talk is to "sell" the book. Think of it like a commercial for your book. You want to give enough of the plot to interest the listeners, but you are not just giving a summary of the book. You don't want to give away the important parts of the book. You certainly never want to give away the ending. You want to highlight the interesting points. The main purpose of a book talk is to grab the audience's interest and make them want to read the book. It's always a good idea to end the book talk with a cliffhanger. Book talks are not long – typically no more than 3-4 minutes.

3. Part 1 - Your Opening – Hook Your Audience
Introduction – Tell your audience the title of your book, author's name, and the genre. Make sure you have a physical copy of the book or at least a picture of the cover that you can show your audience. Why did you choose this book? Was it a peer recommendation? Because you like the author? Is it part of a series? Did the cover grab your attention? Read a quote or short passage from the book. Don't pick any old passage...choose carefully. You want to try to capture your classmates' attention. Then briefly explain why you chose this passage. Why is it significant? Why does it stand out? Why did it grab YOUR attention when YOU first read it?

4. Part 2 – Summary and Your Opinion
Give a SHORT summary of the book. Who is the main character? Where does it take place? What is the major conflict? Don't "give-away" the ending! Share your opinion! Why did you enjoy reading the book? Why would you recommend it to others?

5. Part 3 - Closing
Entice your audience to read this book by: -Telling them why the NEED to read it. -Telling them how reading the book made an impact on your life. -Telling them what other books or movies are similar to your book. -Telling them why YOUR book is the best book out of ALL THE OTHER books!

6. When Will You Present Your Book Talk?
September 27, 28, and 29
Requirements
You will present a 2-3 minute Book Talk to the class. You will lose points if it is shorter than 2 minutes or longer than 3 minutes. 
You need to be prepared – PRACTICE!  Don't just "Wing-it". 
All 3 parts must be included: 
             Part 1 – Opening-Hook Your Audience
             Part 2 – Summary and Your Opinion
             Part 3 – Closing
Visual – Digital collage of pictures that represent the theme, main character, and/or setting of your book OR a poster picture collage. Be prepared to answer this question about your visual: How do these pictures represent the theme, main character, conflict, and/or setting of your book? 

8. Flip The Bird 
by Kym Brunner

9. Counting Thyme by Melanie Conklin