Read Me! Blurb Bubbles for Kids

When I started a Kids Advisory Board this spring, I decided that part of every monthly meeting would be dedicated to some sort of service project that would give back to the branch. Last month, the kids helped create the memory game cards for our summer reading kick-off event. This month, our service project focused on readers' advisory--namely, kids making book recommendations for their peers.

The idea for these Read Me! Blurb Bubbles came from a picture on a post on the RIF Blog earlier this year. I loved the idea of having brief descriptors hanging off of books on the shelves, catching browsers' attention and giving them a nudge toward great reads.

I modified the concept for our KAB. Using Publisher, I created a one-page template that, when folded, results in a two-sided blurb bubble. Each bubble is printed with the words "Read me! I'm [...] This recommendation is brought to you by the Kids Advisory Board." KAB members filled in the blank portion of the blurb bubbles with a word (or two) describing their favorite reads, then we attached the blurbs on the respective books. Some of the blurbed books in this first go-round include Clementine ("funny"), Bridge to Terabithia ("fascinating"), and The Graveyard Book ("spooky").

My hope is that these blurb bubbles will do two things: a) encourage young readers to try a book recommended by their peers, and b) pique curiosity about the Kids Advisory Board, which is still in its early stages. I'd love to have more regular KAB members, and I'd love to have more kids involved in making the stacks more exciting to browse.

Do you get kids involved in passive readers' advisory? What are you strategies for facilitating peer recommendations?