Random Acts of Reading

Random Acts of Reading

This is another blog type site that allows the student to navigate through book reviews.  The sites in divided into several categories including but not limited to audiobooks, baseball, books in the wild, classics, contests, editor's desk, holiday, inside the book, kid critics, links we love, middle grade novels, picture books and young adult novels.

The most interesting aspect of the site is the seasonal book previews.  They offer a short synopsis of books that will be "hot" in the upcoming season.  The best form of advertising remains word of mouth.  Consumer value to opinion of other consumers over paid advertisement because of the unbiased aspect of peer review.  I encourage my students to write a review (on Edmodo) of book that they have read so their classmates can read it.

At the beginning of this year a student challenged me to read Pretty Little Liars after I required them to read Leadership and Self Deception:Getting out of the box.  I was reluctant at first but I eventually read it and encouraged her to  post a review on our class site.  She did so and there was a waiting list for the book in the library.  I went to the library today and inquired about the book and there are still 2 people on the wait list.  I was able to fulfill two objectives with one assignment; show the power of social media and spark students interest in young adult literature.

Using this site for informational and marketing purposes can be very helpful for students.  Students love to explore the web and this resource will allow them to explore for hours.  It introduces students to book reviews and pertinent information about YA literature.  A great resource for teachers and students alike.