Booktalking Nonfiction: 200 Surefire Winners for Middle and High School Readers

by Jennifer Bromann-Bender

Overview

Booktalking Nonfiction: 200 Sure-Fire Winners for Middle and High School Readers will provide an introduction to selecting and writing booktalks for nonfiction books with a focus on unique informational texts and biographies and autobiographies. A booktalk is a summary of a book presented in a way that would interest someone in reading the book described.

Why non-fiction? Because the Common Core Standards Initiative, which most states have adopted, requires that 70% of the materials students read be from the category of informational texts it is especially important to focus on nonfiction when sharing books with students. Here’s everything you need to do just that.

Chapters cover selecting, writing, preparing, and presenting booktalks, special tips for high-interest, low-level books, and using non-fiction in the library and the classroom. Two hundred ready-to-present booktalks arranged by genre are also included. Genres include animals, famous people, sports, crime and serial killers, movies and television, religion, war, history, and the supernatural.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780810888081
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	12/20/2013
Pages:	168
Product dimensions:	10.90(w) x 7.40(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Jennifer Bromann-Bender is a librarian at Lincoln-Way West High School in New Lenox, IL. She also worked as a children’s librarian for seven years at Prairie Trails Public Library in Burbank, IL and has taught courses in multicultural children’s literature, college reading, children’s library services, and reference services for school librarians at Northern Illinois University, Joliet Junior College, and Illinois State University. She is active in the Illinois School Library Media Association, presents workshops at library conferences, and writes articles for School Library Journal and Library Media Connection. Jennifer is also the author of Booktalking that Works, More Booktalking that Works, Storytime Action: Ideas for Making 500 Picture Books Interactive, and More Storytime Action!: 2,000+ Ideas for Making 500 Picture Books Interactive.

Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1: Selecting, Writing, Preparing, and Presenting Nonfiction Booktalks
Selecting Nonfiction Books
Locating Nonfiction
Writing Nonfiction Booktalks
Read, Skim, Select
Ending a Booktalk
Presenting Booktalks
Themes and Categories
Lower Levels
Chapter 2: Quick Talks
Chapter 3: Using Nonfiction in the Library or Classroom
Book Uses
History and Social Science
Science and Math
English, Art and Music
Collaboration with Booktalks
Bookmarks and Booktalks
Group Choices
Fun Reads
Classroom Projects
Students Presenting Booktalks
Ideas for Contests, Displays, and Alternative Methods of Booktalking
Fast Facts
Stump the Librarian
Book Match
Speed Dating
Blind Books
Scavenger Hunt
QR Codes
Book Trailers and Subject Matter Videos
Pictures
Book Reviews
Book Box
eBooks
Museum
Book Blasts
Summer Reading
Top 10
Bingo
Chapter 4: Booktalking by Genre
Sad Stores
Animals
Crime and Serial Killers
Illness
Overcoming the Odds
History, World Issues, and War
Science, Health and Inventions
The Unknown
Sports
The Arts
Other Topics of Interest
People
Math
Genre Index
Author Index
Title Index

Editorial Reviews

In Booktalking Nonfiction: 200 Sure-Fire Winners for Middle and High School, author Jennifer Bromann-Bender guides the librarian reader in selecting from the myriad of nonfiction published each year; offers super-quick fun book talks, tells how to collaborate with teachers to help them tie books to the curriculum, provides lessons and activities to use in the classroom or library, and delivers numerous booktalks by genre to fit into any lesson plan. A perfect fit for the librarian helping teachers and students meet Common Core standards.

RoseMary Honnold

According to her biography in Booktalking Nonfiction, Bromann-Bender is a librarian at Lincoln-Way West High School in Illinois and has authored several other books on booktalking. From reading this book one can see that she is also a thoughtful, experienced professional. This book contains everything the reader needs in order to begin booktalking nonfiction titles for teens. Nonfiction is the focus on the volume mainly because the Common Core Standards Initiative requires that 70 percent of the materials students read be information texts. Broken into four chapters, the book outlines all the skills and steps necessary to booktalk. The author begins by giving instruction on how to select, write, prepare, and present booktalks. She then goes on to discuss incorporating quick talks into library services. Using nonfiction in the library and classroom is the focus of chapter 3. The final chapter presents booktalks by theme, including animals, crime and serial killers, overcoming the odds, history and war, science and inventions, and sports, just to name a few. The author provides the user with ready-made booktalks; however, the librarian can expand on them by using tips provided at the beginning of the book. This book is recommended for young adult librarians in school and public libraries.

American Reference Books Annual

Jennifer Bromann-Bender provides another fun, practical guide for engaging readers with this well written title. In this realistic resource from an active media specialist, teachers and library staff can pull together unusual but high interest titles at a variety of reading levels to quickly gain teen attention. Titles and booktalks arranged by appealing and curriculum connecting topics make this especially useful. Many ways of providing booktalks other than formal presentations are helpful with packed school days and busy public school library schedules. Staff can use Stump the Librarian or QR codes and much more to connect books to readers with this excellent guide.

Amy Alessio