"Tell Me About a Book That You Liked."

My title quotes the super librarian that is Nancy Pearl. (If you don't know who that is, the librarian action figure with "super shushing action and OPAC accessories" was inspired by her.) (also, if you want to get me a present, this is a great idea. *hint*hint*)



Anyway, this is one of the many things I learned during my YA Materials course this summer.

"Tell me about a book you liked" is a way to get a patron talking about a book that they actually enjoyed, and allows you as the listener to discover what types of stories this person will most likely enjoy the most. Do they focus on character? Plot? Language? Setting? These are what Ms. Pearl calls the "doorways" into literature. And asking this question (well, more like, speaking this phrase) is one of the best ways to aid a patron while doing readers advisory. It is a way to best connect a reader to a new book, and to help a reader discover a book that they will enjoy because by asking this question, you ask the reader to describe the characteristics of the book that they liked, not just the plot.

We don't want to read the same story over and over, which will happen if we do book recommendations on plot summary alone. We need to get down to the meat of the book, how the book is written and uses words, what the characters are like, where the stories take place, any many other factors other than basic storyline. If we discover what aspect of the book the reader enjoyed, we are more capable of connecting them with a book that has similar characteristics, and will be a book that the reader will enjoy because of those characteristics.

I know that readers advisory is going to be one of the portions of my job that I will really enjoy. I love the puzzle of connecting the patron with that perfect book. I love the looks on patrons' faces when they come in and say, "I'm looking for this book... I don't remember what it's called or who wrote it, but I know the cover had a ______ and was [insert color here]... and is about _____..." and I actually know what book they are talking about. It doesn't happen all the time, but when it does, I love the look of astonishment.

By connecting readers with books through this simple phrase, we are able to open doorways to literature for them that they may not have found otherwise, and we may even open doorways for ourselves in the process.

I'm always looking for new reading suggestions. So, can you tell me about a book that you liked?