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SRUTH COX CLARK
While brainstorming ways to present an
analysis of teen responses to booktalking
styles, a mental picture rose in my mind
of my first booktalking experience at a
high school library in Wasilla, Alaska, in
the mid-1980s. I offered to introduce
high-interest novels to a group of struggling sophomore English
students. These teens were quite different from the avid readers who
frequented the library and talked to me about their favorite titles.
These resistant readers were a challenge, and I was determined to
pique their interest in books. The titles shared were not exactly what
the English teacher had expected, but the predominantly male group
paid attention when I highlighted the gross parts in horror novels
and left them hanging with tidbits from mysteries. I was creating my
own booktalking style at the time, but I didn't know it. The desire
to hook this reluctant group of readers forced me to
discover the skills of the booktalker inside me. _____
STYLE AND SUBSTANCE
Many years later, I still write transcripts
of my booktalking sessions but
rarely use them while presenting.
Nevertheless there is something about
composing a booktalk that makes
it mine. Like many librarians, I ad-
lib booktalks to the teens and adults
with whom I informally interact,
but I prefer a structured focus when
I am presenting a series of booktalks
over a period of time. Perhaps because
of my K-12 education background, I
find that creating connections among the
books results in a cohesive series of talks and
helps to eliminate the disconnect that can happen
between booktalks. As a reader, I often segue from
the book I just finished-via genre, topic, character,
setting, or author-to the next book. It is natural
to use the same process while booktalking, even
when sharing a random group of titles. Transitions
between booktalks result in a presentation that
flows as a whole, with teens recognizing that one
book can lead to another and yet another as they create their
own connections while self- selecting books. These transitional
statements have become an integral part of my multiple-title
booktalking sessions.
After years of experience and discussions
with other booktalkers in relation to teen alldn
responses, I began to experiment with the
talks' length.
Not having a great deal of time
per session and wanting to introduce as frT
many books as possible to teens resulted in
shorter talks. It worked-teens respond more
positively and stay engaged longer while
listening to quick booktalks. The creation
of this short, "gotcha" style booktalk paved
the way for my first professional booktalking
title, Tantalizing Tidbits for Teens: Quick Booktalks for
the Busy High School Library Media Specialist.
Teen response to booktalks also led to
experimentation with style. Groups of teens
who know me are more likely to interact
during a discussion -style booktalk.
Perhaps it is because this booktalking
style resembles the standard classroom
Sexperience-the teacher introduces
Smaterial, and then the class discusses.
When presenting to groups of teens
who are not familiar with me, I limit
the audience interaction to quick,
attention-getting questions to which
teens can respond with a nod of the head
or gesture. I focus on an exciting event and
leave them hanging, rather than present a
mini plot summary that gives them no reason
to read the book. Today's teens live in a world
where information and entertainment are presented
in short bursts or sound bites. Booktalks are like
movie trailers-the booktalker has about the same
amount of time to grab the teens' attention so don't
"tell it all."
Because reading aloud is a comfort zone for most
booktalkers, excerpt-style booktalks are the most
effortless to present. The key is selecting the right
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excerpt and knowing when to stop. It is easy to lose today's teen
audience while reading, so I read excerpts less often now. As an
interactive booktalker, I also walk amongst the audience, gently
nudging the foot of a teen not paying attention or confiscating a
pen tapping against a desk. Teens need to know you are involved
with them and not talking at them.
At first, using excerpts written in the first person made it
easy to find a passage to introduce a character or event. With
experience, I questioned why text from the book was needed
to introduce a character. Why not create a monologue from a
character's perspective? My favorite style quickly became the
self-created first-person booktalk, with many written from a
supporting character's perspective. Becoming a character in the
story allows the booktalker to draw the listener into any scene
from an "insider's" perspective. Segue into this booktalking style
by telling your listeners who you have become. Most often, I
slide right into the new book's character, immediately grabbing
listeners' attention, especially when I take on the persona of a male
character. Novice booktalkers may be nervous about presenting a
first-person style booktalk, but they often find themselves enjoying
the teens' engaged reaction.
PROVING ASSUMPTIONS
Experience as a booktalker and informal input from other
booktalkers suggested that the first-person booktalk is teens'
favorite, with excerpt style second and discussion style third. But
could this informal conclusion be validated? I sought data to
prove or disprove these assumptions and created an anonymous
questionnaire to gather teen responses to booktalking sessions.
(This replicable form was published in the August/September
2008 issue of Library Media Connection.)
Three further queries were included. I wanted to know whether
teens had heard booktalks before, whether they enjoyed the
experience, and whether they would like to hear more booktalks.
From January 2006 through August 2008, 160 booktalkers
gathered teen input from a diverse group of 2,922 thirteen-
through eighteen -year-olds living in rural and urban areas. The
teens involved predominantly reside in North Carolina with
others from diverse states such as Colorado, Connecticut, and
Minnesota. The teens responded to theme-based booktalking
sessions on five books, which were presented by both experienced
and novice booktalkers. Most sessions took place in secondary
school classrooms but were also presented in non-school locations
such as public libraries and neighborhood youth centers.
HAVE YOU HEARD THIS ONE BEFORE?
Based on input from secondary school teachers and librarians,
the initial assumption was that fewer than half of the teens had
ever heard a booktalk. This theory proved largely correct, with
only 35 percent of teens responding that they had heard one.
(Data was not sought as to who presented those previously heard
booktalks, but previous presenters were most likely teachers
or librarians.) Some teens might not have included the more
informal booktalks they encountered in the past when comparing
their experience with the more structured booktalking session
they had just heard. Even factoring in the informal booktalk, the
percentage of teens in this study who had not previously listened
to a booktalk suggests that the activity is not regularly occurring
in the secondary schools.
OKAY, SO WHAT DID YOU THINK?
The majority of the booktalking sessions were presented in
classroom environments that ranged from the predictable English
and creative writing classrooms to atypical situations as varied as
biotechnology, art, accounting, math, and sociology. Nevertheless 92
percent stated that they enjoyed the booktalking session. More girls
than boys enjoyed the experience. Despite lower male percentages,
a sophomore boy in a character education class commented, "I
really enjoyed all the booktalks. It helped me hear about books I
wouldn't have chosen on my own." An examination of the hundreds
of different titles and the various genres that were presented to teens
in this study indicates that the books were predominantly young
adult fiction, which suggests that some male naysayers might have
responded positively had there been more "guy- friendly" fare such
as nonfiction and graphic novels.
502 1 VOYA February 2009
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GOTCHA! WANT MORE?
Despite the high number of teens stating that they enjoyed their
booktalking session, the percentage dropped when asked if they
would like to hear more booktalks. One might infer that the teens'
positive response to the booktalking session had as much-if not
more-to do with supporting the specific booktalker than with
the general booktalking experience itself. Although a majority
of the booktalkers presented to teens they did not know, some
encountered students in the school where they were employed.
Teens who enjoyed hearing their teacher or librarian present
booktalks might have considered this specific experience enjoyable
but still did not want to hear more booktalks.
To further support speculation that boys might have enjoyed the
experience more had additional male-friendly titles been included,
a majority of the negative responses to hearing more booktalks
were from males. The most common comment from the boys who
did not respond positively to the experience was, "I don't read."
Perhaps including more "guy fare" in the booktalks might have
resulted in male readers concluding that statement with "but, I
want to read... and a title from the booktalks.
THUMBS UP!
The booktalking sessions, which were limited to no more than
thirty minutes in length, included at least one first-person, one
discussion, and one excerpt-style booktalk in a series of five
booktalks. The booktalkers self-selected the styles of the other
two talks, with the excerpt being the most repeated method.
Many novice booktalkers were nervous about presenting a first-
person booktalk and did not choose to repeat this format. Others
discovered that they truly enjoyed presenting the first-person
booktalk based on the teens' highly engaged responses.
The overall data supports the initial assumption that the first-
person booktalk style is teens' favorite booktalking style, but it
is not a standout winner. A mere 15 percent spread separated
the favored booktalk styles. Gender breakdown of the responses
indicates the male favorites have only a 10 percent spread across
the three formats. The female favorites' 15 percentage- point
spread is a bit broader. Although there is not a marked difference
between the gender favorites, it should be kept in mind that
most of the booktalkers were female and a majority of the YA
novels booktalked in the first-person style were those with female
protagonists. Had there been more male booktalkers involved
and a wider variety of first-person booktalks on selections with
male protagonists as well as nonfiction and graphic novels, the
differences between the ranges of favorite styles between the
genders might have been even less.
THUMBS DOWN!
Survey results support the initial assumption that the discussion
style booktalk is the least favored by teen listeners. Overall 44
percent of teens rated the discussion style as their least favorite,
followed in order by excerpt and first person. A mere 2 percentage-
point difference separates the responses between males and females
for the discussion style as their least favorite. It should be noted
that some of the booktalkers involved in this study are novices and
could have lost the teens with a too long, plot-driven, discussion
style booktalk.
Stronger gender differences are found in the other two styles of
booktalks chosen as least favorite. The 8 percent gender difference
might be influenced by the fact that the booktalkers were mostly
female and several presented emotionally charged first-person
booktalks from the female perspective. Males nevertheless responded
positively to the first-person booktalk style and made comments
like the sophomore boy who wrote, "The first-person books were
best because she took their place. It was cool!" For both genders, the
excerpt-style booktalk was in the middle. Perhaps this booktalk style
is a comfort zone for the listener as well as the booktalker.
WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?
Responses gathered over the two-and-a-half-year period were
from a diverse group of teens comprised of 43 percent boys and
57 percent girls. The assumption prior to analyzing the data
that the first-person booktalk would be teens' favorite style was
supported by teen responses. The data analysis indicates, however,
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that combining male and female responses to a booktalking
experience can produce results different from data separated by
gender, indicating that there are discernable gender differences in
responses to booktalking styles.
Girls are quite clear as to their preference for the first-person
booktalk when choosing their favorite styles. This gender
difference indicates that first-person booktalks elicit a strong
response from teens, suggesting that a booktalker carefully chose
the books presented in first-person style based on the gender
balance of the audience.
The data analyzed represent teens' reactions to a diverse group
of booktalkers, from novices with no teen experience to secondary
English teachers or librarians who know the students well and are
seasoned booktalkers. Factors such as these certainly influence
the results. By removing the booktalker experience variable, the
results still suggest a stronger focus on including titles with male
protagonists and/or varied genres and formats, especially when
presenting booktalks in the first-person style. Perhaps doing so
would result in a higher rate of positive male response to this style.
Do these results that confirmed our prediction suggest that
we stop presenting discussion-style booktalks? I would not go
so far as to suggest eliminating this format from your repertoire,
but teens might tune you out when it goes too long and tells too
much.
Although the boys spread their opinions across the three styles
more so than the girls, responses from both genders put the excerpt
style in the middle-not their favorite nor least favorite-suggesting
that an excerpt style booktalk is a safe bet for both the experienced
and novice booktalker, especially if the excerpt is chosen wisely. Pre-
session practice and wise choices enable even the novice booktalker
to feel comfortable enough reading an excerpt to look up from the
book, make eye contact, and engage the audience.
It is impossible to ignore that an overwhelming majority of
the nearly 3,000 teens who listened to a variety of booktalkers
present 800 booktalks stated that they enjoyed the experience.
One can also not ignore comments like this one from an 1 th
grade girl that clearly indicates teens do not have nor take the time
to leisurely browse through the library or bookstore to self-select
books: "I enjoyed the booktalk. I find that I don't have a lot of
time to look for books to read, but after the booktalk, I can find
or hear about books that I'd like to read. It takes out the time in
looking for interesting books."
Unlike many other reading incentive programs in public and
school libraries, booktalking does not cost a penny. But it certainly
requires that the booktalker be an avid reader who is familiar with
all genres and formats, so that the booktalks shared offer reading
opportunities for a diverse group of teens. If you have not already,
please join the ranks of YA librarians and secondary teachers who
are enticing teens to read via booktalks. Give them a reason to
put down their cell phones and have a conversation with a book
character instead. m
PROFESSIONAL BOOKS BY RUTH COX CLARK
Cox Clark, Ruth. "Hands-on Handout: Booktalk Evaluation Form."
Library Media Connection, August/September 2008.
Cox Clark, Ruth E. Tantalizing Tidbits for Middle Schoolers:
Quick Booktalks for the Busy Middle School and Jr. High
Library Media Specialist. Linworth, 2005. 140p. $36.95 pb. 978-
1-58683-195-0. VOYA April 2006.
Cox Clark, Ruth E. Tantalizing Tidbits for Teens: More Quick
Booktalks for the Busy High School Library Media Specialist,
Vol. 2. Linworth, 2007. 140p. $36.95 pb. 978-1-58683-235-3.
VOYA February 2008.
Cox, Ruth E. Tantalizing Tidbits for Teens: Quick Booktalks for
the Busy High School Library Media Specialist. Linworth,
2002. 1
3
6p. $36.95 pb. 978-1-58683-017-5. VOYA October 2002.
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COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
TITLE: Listening to Teens Talk Back: Teen Responses to
BookTalking Styles
SOURCE: Voice Youth Advocates 31 no6 F 2009
The magazine publisher is the copyright holder of this article and it
is reproduced with permission. Further reproduction of this article in
violation of the copyright is prohibited. To contact the publisher:
http://www.scarecrowpress.com/