Book Talk

I volunteer at Greyley's school on Tuesdays, specifically for her 5th grade class. My job is to listen to the mini-teenagers talk about the books they've been reading. They usually range from reading 1-3 books per week.

Questions I am supposed to ask:

What is the name of the book?
Name of author?
Who is the protagonist?
Who are some other dynamic characters?
Who is the antagonist?
Give a brief summary of the beginning, middle and end of the book.
What is the conflict?
What genre?
What is the theme?

Notice I said supposed to ask...

Here is what ends up happening...

Me: Hi, Insert Name Here.

Inserted's Name: Hi.

Me: How many books did you read?

I. N.: 2

Me: OK. How about we start with your favorite of the two. What's the name of the book?

I.N.: (Insert Title Here.) It was my favorite, because, like, there's these guys that are spies and they're part of the drug cartel and the drug cartel is, like, trying to get these other bad guys that are trying to, like, smuggle drugs into the United States, and like, the guys from the drug cartel catch them and, like, have to shoot one of them because it's like, the only way they can, like, get away and keep, like...you know...the drugs from getting loose...

Blah blah de blah blah blah blah blah blah de blah blah blah

(This is where I space out.)

I.N.: (Takes a breath)

I jump and realize I must speak before I.N. launches into another 5 minutes.

Me: Wow. Sounds intense. What...

I.N.: It is. (Vigorous nodding of the head.) And at the very end, there's, like, this car chase and, like, everyone ends up, like, crashing into each other and it was really exciting.

Me: I'm assuming that was your favorite part.

I.N.: (Another vigorous nod.)

Me: Hmm. I need to read that one. OK, what is your next book?

I.N.: (Insert title here.) It's about this, like, boy who, like, LOVES chocolate and he eats it for, like, breakfast, lunch, and dinner until he develops these, like, chocolate SPOTS all over his body...so he has to go try to find, like, a cure and on his way, he gets kidnapped and the spots get, like, so bad that he escapes and, like, finds this person who gives him the cure for the spots, which is, like, vanilla...because vanilla is the opposite of chocolate, and he starts, like, evening it out with chocolate and vanilla...but at the end he starts thinking about cinnamon and what would it be in, like, pancakes and hotdogs and french fries...and...

Me: Sounds good! Can you, like, I mean, we're out of time. Can you get Next Insert Name on the List? Good work. Here, have 2 stars.

And then I get a little love who is all dreamy about the Little House on the Prairie series and proceeds to tell me what happens in the majority of two of them.

Each week at least 2 children have just read the Shadow Children Series where 3rd children are not allowed...boy! That's some good story telling right there! I feel goosebumps every time I hear about how they escape the Population Police.

I also like to hear about Clarice Bean's adventures...and about Palace of Mirrors...good books.

It is a delightful way to spend some time, let me tell you.