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Talking with kids about what they read helps strengthen their communication skills and gives teachers, librarians, and parents an opportunity to assess reading comprehension. Here are 25 open-ended questions to get kids talking about books at the dinner table, in book groups, in class discussions, and anywhere else you want to chat about reading.
- What do you think about the cover for this book?
- Why do you think this book has this title?
- What is the setting of this book?
- If you wanted to convince someone to read this book without giving away the ending, what would you say?
- What is one thing you learned from reading this book?
- How did you feel about the main character?
- How did the main character solve his/her problem?
- If you could be friends with any character from this book, who would you choose, and why?
- How did you picture the main character?
- Which of the characters in this book is most like you? Explain.
- Which of the characters in this book is least like you? Explain.
- Did the kids in this book seem realistic to you? Why or why not?
- What was the most exciting part of the story?
- What was the most surprising thing about this book?
- What do you think the author is trying to tell the reader in this story?
- What is one question you would want to ask the author?
- Did this book remind you of any others you have read? Which ones? Why?
- How did this book make you feel?
- What is one thing you really liked about this book?
- What is one thing you really disliked about this book?
- What did you think of the way this book ended?
- If you had written this story, what would you have done differently?
- If you had to recommend this book to someone you know, who would you choose, and why?
- What are some interesting words you saw in this book?
- Was there anything in this book you would like to learn more about? Why?
How do you spark book discussions with the kids in your life?
About Katie Fitzgerald
Thanks for posting this list, Katie, it’s really great and I am going to save it for future reference and use. I’m always looking for new ways to engage young readers.
All very good questions – it’s so great when you get to talk about books with your kids; or when they start to recommend books to you!
Great post! Sharing everywhere! I’m a children’s librarian and a blogger and this is wonderful, useful information.
Comprehensive list for a wide range of readers…I have used many of these in classroom discussions. Thanks for sharing!
Great post…thank you so much for sharing this list!