The Toughest Audience on Earth

Besides feeling jittery, I was also feeling a little rusty. I hadn't given a teen booktalk since graduate school, as part of a young adult literature course. And even though that presentation had gone well, the audience had been adults--not 14- and 15-year-olds who hated to read. As I pulled up to the school, I couldn't help thinking: "What am I doing here?"

The idea for a booktalk began when the chair of the high school's English department approached our library, seeking help for "Readers Are Leaders," a program that encourages students to read nonassigned books, one day a week, during homeroom. As a youth services librarian who loves turning teens on to books, I volunteered to visit the freshmen English classes. But to be perfectly honest, I was skeptical. I knew that most teachers let students read textbooks or assigned novels during homeroom. So, why would students bother reading anything I recommended? Why would they read books that they didn't have to read?

Well, I was surprised. Out of the hundreds of teenagers I met with over the course of two days, only one decided to take a siesta; somehow, I managed to hold everyone else's attention during each of my -minute booktalks.

Okay, my success probably has something to do with the fact that I can still pass for 18. (I had thought I was starting to look my age, but while standing in the hall waiting for a class to end, I was mistaken for a student.) More likely, my success with teens has a lot to do with my delivery, and how I relate books to what students already know. Also, when it comes to talking up young adult books, I'm not above stretching the truth a little--and maybe even throwing in a lie or two.

Delivering the Goods

As for the delivery, never walk into a classroom and read from note cards. Students spend their days listening to teachers and classmates read directly from the printed page. Even if you read the most interesting passage from the world's greatest YA book, teens will drift off. You have to convince students that you are not talking about a book. No, you're sharing a true story about a real person (preferably about somebody they know). You also need to convince students that you are not a librarian, pitching some book that they should read. Instead, you're a friend, sharing a book that they should read, too.

Use a sarcastic and playful tone with students. Hold up the book you're discussing, but only for a few seconds. Use hand gestures, walk around, and look at someone who might be similar to the character you are talking about. Don't make the book the focus. Make the class the focus.

The words you use are important, too. Use phrases such as "If you read this bookâ?¦," rather than the more off-putting "Read this book." Go ahead and tell students to watch the movie rather than read the book. Or tell students that a book like Sisters/Hermanas (Harcourt, 1993) by Gary Paulsen is only 63 pages long, and they might impress their teacher if they read a book that is written in both English and Spanish. Relate to students on their level. Communicate that you're on their side, and you understand that they don't have enough time to do homework, let alone read. I usually open by saying something like "I've come today to tell you about some books you might want to read if you have to do a book report or if your teacher wants you to read something in homeroom." Don't tell students that you've brought along some "good books." Don't explain to them how wonderful reading is. If students like what you have to say, and need--or want--a book to read, they will remember the titles that grabbed them.

Don't be afraid to tease. Single out a particular student, or select the entire crowd. Make them look cool. Most students like the attention. I like to use the novel Like Water for Chocolate (Doubleday, 1992) by Laura Esquivel because it's easy to tease kids (especially males) about the story. It is an adult book, but the theme of parents not wanting their child to date a certain someone is something many young people can relate to. I begin with, "Okay, I need the guys in the room to help me out with this one. Let's say you really like this girl, and you've been dating her for awhile, like a month. You decide it's time to meet the parents. You pick up your girlfriend at her house. You ring the doorbell, and when the parents open the door they practically scream. There is no way they are letting their daughter go out with someone like you. They look out and see your car. It's missing a door--on the passenger's side. The mirrors are taped on. They will not let their daughter in that car with you. You're not allowed to talk to their daughter on the phone or at school. And you certainly can't go out with her anymore." I ask the students, "What would you do?" If none of them responds, I pick someone, or the teacher usually does. If I still don't get any answers, I give the typical responses offered in other classes: kill the parents, give up on the relationship, fix the car, talk to the parents, and sneak around them. Then I say, "But that's not what Pedro and Tita did in Like Water for Chocolate. Instead, Pedro decides to go and marry her sister so he can be near Tita. A pretty stupid thing to do, but men aren't always that smart." Everyone in the room always laughs--except for the male teachers. It's important to remember to involve the students, make them laugh by teasing them (in this case, by singling out the males), and give them an opportunity to give you "cool" answers.

Love Is Not All You Need

The most important part of a booktalk is the books you choose. You may really love a book, but if it doesn't grab teens, skip it. (For example, I love both Amy Tan and Margaret Atwood, both of whom are often listed on recommended reading lists for high school students. But I've found that most students aren't interested in reading about middle-aged characters and their relationships.) Instead, get students into the library first. Don't try to change their lives with quality literature. On the other hand, if a book has just one small, insignificant scene, but you know that teens can relate to it, use that book. Give students what they want--sex, drugs, dating, danger, and murder.

Of course, you'll be kicked out of the school if you make this too obvious or if you talk about sexually explicit books. Just hint a little. A perfect example of the type of book I have in mind is Whirligig (Holt, 1998) by Paul Fleischman. Whirligig (which happens to be beautifully written) offers both "hints" and a great scene. "Imagine you are at a party," I tell the students. "You are the only one not wearing black and white. In fact, you have on a brightly colored shirt. It's a chess party. You were supposed to have worn black or white like the pieces of a chess set. And if that's not embarrassing enough, the girl you like comes up to you. You think she's going to start hitting on you until she announces to everyone that you are a leech and to stop following her around. You are humiliated. You leave. You get in your car. You're drunk. Well, I'm sure none of you in this room would be drunk, but let's just say you are." (The students comment or nod knowingly.) "You start driving on an expressway and decide you just can't take it anymore. You close your eyes, let go of the steering wheel, and get ready to die. Instead, you wake up in a hospital. You didn't succeed in killing yourself. But you did manage to kill someone else."

This scene, of course, comes from the first chapter of Whirligig. Admittedly, it doesn't tip off where the novel is going. But if I told students what the book is about--a guy who goes around the U.S. putting up garden decorations--I would have lost my audience. You may hate me for suggesting that librarians use the topic of alcohol to get students' attention and make them laugh and feel cool. But that sort of thing appeals to students. So, if there is a book you really want to tell teens about, make sure it contains at least one paragraph or subject that they will want to talk about on the phone or at the lunch table.

The Ends Justify the Means

Lying is perfectly acceptable when it comes to booktalks. Stretch the truth a little. It is just fiction you are talking about, after all. Students won't know until after they've begun the book that you've bent the truth, and, hopefully, by that point, they will be interested enough in the story not to care. When I described the characters in Slave Day (S & S, 1997) by Rob Thomas, I said, "The book describes a school's 'Slave Day' from the point-of-view of an activist, a football player, a hated teacher, a sensitive guy, a cheerleader, the most popular girl in school, and a computer nerd. One will fall in love. One will find out he's not as washed up as he thought he was. One will find out that he's a little smarter than he thought he was. And one will get a little lucky." Oohs and aahs followed the last description. I had stretched the truth a bit. But I never defined what I meant by "lucky." What I did do was hint at one of teenagers' favorite topics: sex. Slave Day is a great book. I don't think anyone will be disappointed when they discover that one little word that I used wasn't exactly true.

And another important thing, when you give a booktalk, don't try to do too much. I usually limit my presentation to eight books; and I don't talk for more than 15 or so minutes. I'm mindful that some students may resent that they are losing their computer or study time. And some students may not pay attention to a single word I say.

Here's a brief sampling of some popular young adult books and examples of scripts I use to get teens' attention.

Burgess, Melvin. Smack (Holt, 1998)

"The title is exactly what you think it is. Heroin. A group of teenagers who are living in some abandoned houses use what is left of their minds and bodies to get it."

Cooney, Caroline. Driver's Ed (Delacorte, 1994) "A few years ago, there was a story in the news about some teenagers who took down a stop sign just for the rush. Because of that, someone died at that intersection. This is a true story. But years before that happened, Caroline Cooney wrote Driver's Ed, which tells a similar story--only the consequences aren't as tough as in real life. The students who took down the sign should have read the book."

Cormier, Robert. Tenderness (Delacorte, 1997) "Who are your favorite actors, sports stars, or singers? Maybe you have some of their pictures in your locker or hanging in your room. Maybe you have all of their songs or stats memorized. But you're probably not going to run away and track them down and follow them. In Tenderness by Robert Cormier, Lori does just that. Only her idol is a serial killer."

Fleischman, Paul. A Fate Totally Worse Than Death (Candlewick, 1995) "Think of someone who is so popular and perfect that sometimes you just wish something bad would happen to them. In A Fate Totally Worst Than Death, the students get their wish. Something starts happening to the popular crowd. They start aging. They get wrinkles. Their hair falls out. They can hardly walk. Now they have to find out who is behind this." (I tell the students that this book is a parody of the Sweet Valley High and Fear Street series and is similar to the book Gorgeous by Michael Bates.)

Marsden, John. Tomorrow, When the War Began (Houghton, 1995) (I stretched the following comparison a lot, but it got students' attention.) "You know how the kids in the movie Halloween H2O all go off camping and when they return they find their school was terrorized by Michael Myers? Well, in Tomorrow, When the War Began, the kids all go off camping, and when they return to town everyone is gone. They have to find out what happened and what to do about it--while surviving on their own."

Napoli, Donna Jo. Sirena (Scholastic, 1998) "Okay, here's a question for the women in the room. If there's a guy you really like, what do you do to get his attention? (Answers often include dressing sexy, hanging out where he does, or just asking him out). Well, in Sirena, the women sing. Guys, do you think that would work for you? A nice sweet voice? It impressed the guy in the movie American Pie. Anyway, the women in this book are mermaids and in order to become immortal they must "get together" with a mortal man. And since their fins kind of turn off most men, the mermaids have to resort to wrecking ships and singing to attract guys. Maybe you girls should give that a try."

Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. Sang Spell (Atheneum, 1998)

"You're out hitchhiking. I know you would never do anything like that; you've seen the movies. But let's say your parents are gone. You're on your way to start a new life with your aunt in Texas, and you're not ready to get on that plane. Only you pick the wrong driver. He beats you up, takes your money, and kicks you out into the road. You end up in a town you can't get out of. No matter how far you walk or swim or paddle, no matter how high you climb or hike, you end up in the same place, just like Josh in Sang Spell."

Soto, Gary. Buried Onions (Harcourt, 1997) "What are some of the things your parents ask you to do for them? (Common answers include cleaning your room, mowing the lawn, watching your brothers and sisters.) Well, I bet they never asked you to avenge the death of someone in the community by murdering the victim's killer? In Buried Onions by Gary Soto, Eddie's aunt wants him to do just that. But Eddie has different plans for his life, even though everything and everyone seems to get in his way."