Choose Your Own Book!

Here are a few suggestions for deciding what book to read:

1. Ask for Recommendations
What are your friends' favorite books? What about your teachers? Word of mouth about a good book always spreads quickly. Also check award lists and book reviews.

2. Pick a book by one of your favorite Authors.
If you liked a book by a particular author, you may want to try another by that person. Some examples include JK Rowling (Harry Potter), Marc Brown (Arthur books), or Eric Carle (The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Brown Bear Brown Bear, Mister Seahorse...)

3. Choose by Genre or Subject.
What kinds of books do you like? It may help to select by...

Suject: History, Mystery, Adventure, Travel, Animal Stories, Fairy Tales....

Genre: Fiction-Mystery, Fantasy, Folklore, Mythology, Historical, Adventure
NonFiction-Pets, Wildlife, Astronomy, Technology, Cooking, Science, Biographies

4. Cover
Some people say that "You can't judge a book by its cover," but we do it all the time. A catchy title and good illustrations may draw our attention, but we can also learn a lot of information by inspecting a book's cover:
--Read what is written on the back of the book, as well as the inside book flap.
--What else did the author write?
--Did this book receive an award?
--When was this book written? This may or may not be important, but sometimes finding the most current edition can be helpful.

5. Check the Reading Level
Open your book to the middle and begin reading:

--The book is too EASY if...
You can read it very fast.
There are no challenging words.
You finish quickly.

--The book is too HARD if...
You find lots of challenging words...several you cannot figure out.
You have to read and reread keep up with the story.
Some parts do not make sense to you.

--The book is JUST RIGHT if...
You read a little slowly at times.
You can figure out even the most challenging words.
You can think about the story while reading.
You are enjoy what you read and want to continue.


The most important thing to remember when selecting a book is to KEEP LOOKING. You may need to read a few books before you find that special one just for you. Finding a good book is like finding a best friend.