Create a Book Tasting Experience for the 40-Book Challenge

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One of my favorite things to do at the beginning of the school year is to create a book tasting experience for my students. You’ve probably heard about this, or seen examples on Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook. Today I’m going to answer some frequently asked questions about how I do this book tasting activity in my classroom.

How do you set up your classroom?

I want my students to really be hooked into this experience. To do that, I “transform” my room from a classroom to a quaint little café. I put the desks into groups to create tables, and then I will place a tablecloth over each table. (I got some really cute red and white checkered ones on Amazon-click here to see the ones I use!). I generally try to keep it to 4 desks at each table.

I also place a small vase with some fake flowers in the middle, along with a couple of fake tea lights to help create a fun ambiance. At each desk, I will place a paper plate with a book on it, and a pencil where the utensils would normally be placed. At the top of each plate, I place a little name card with each student’s name on it. I also make sure that my students’ reading trackers are at their place. (Want to see the reading trackers I use? Click here to check them out!) 

I will also dim my lights a little bit and open the windows, to create a softer light in our classroom. I like to play some simple piano music in the background. 

And of course, I need the books. Each table is assigned a different genre. I have a little sign posted that lists some of the characteristics of each genre in addition to giving some examples of books from that genre. I pull a stack of books from that genre and put it in the middle. 

(Note: My classroom library has over 600 books, so I don’t put all of my books on their desks. That would be overwhelming. I generally try to pull 15-20 books per genre that I think would be of interest to my students.)

I also like to have a recommendation list at each table. I got the cute (and cheap!) 4x6 picture frames from IKEA. I printed out some of the books that I recommend from each genre, and slid them in the frame. It stands up so nicely!

Finally, I display a sign on our whiteboard that says “Welcome to our Book Tasting Café.” These various elements really help to set the stage for this experience.

What genres do you introduce during your book tasting experience?

During this time, I want to introduce my students to the most common genres that we will be reading from during the school year. It also depends on how many students and tables I have. I want to make sure to have at least 5 genres for my students to explore.

The genres I usually stick with are:

• fantasy
• realistic fiction
• historical fiction
• non-fiction
• science fiction

If I have more students (and thereby more tables), I might also include 

• biography
• poetry
• fairytales & folklore.

Do you dress up at all to do this room transformation?

Absolutely! More invested I am in the experience, the more into this my students will be. This is a pretty simple costume. I dress up as a waitress. That means I am often in black slacks or a black skirt, a white shirt, and an apron. My hair will be up in a nice bun, and I will carry a pad of paper around with me. I create a name tag with a fake name on it, and introduce myself to my students as their waitress for this afternoon. Like any waitress, I am prepared with recommendations and ready to answer questions. And to really play this up, I will only respond to students when they call me by my fake name. (Who is this Mrs. Sanchez you keep asking for? I’m Jessica, the waitress!) 

When do you set this up and how long does it take?

I make sure to set this up while my students are not in the room. I plan to do this activity either first thing in the morning, after a specialty class (during my prep time), or after lunch/recess. I move the desks, set up the table cloths, and get everything that the students need in order to create this experience for them. If I’m doing this transformation by myself, it generally takes me about 45 minutes. If I have help, it goes by faster (I may or may not have recruited my assistant principal to help me a few years ago as she was walking by my room…). I do make sure to prep any materials I need beforehand. I’ll print off name cards and make sure I have their reading trackers before I set this up. This makes it easy for me to focus on the room transformation.

I love seeing my students when they walk into the room. They are often amazed at how quickly their classroom has been transformed and are eager to start the activity.

What does the experience look like?

When the students come in, they are instructed to find their name card, sit down, and wait for further instructions. Once everyone has found their place, I will announce to them that I am their waitress that will be serving them their books during this book tasting opportunity. I will have that one student that will inevitably put a book in his or her mouth, just to try and be smart, and I will inevitably have to explain that no, I don’t mean this literally. 

Once we’ve crossed that hurdle, I explain to them how to “taste“ a book. We look at the cover, and read the snippet on the back. If it is something that piques our interest, we can start reading the first chapter. After a few pages, we stop and ask ourselves “Is this something I would like to keep reading?” If the answer is “yes,” we write the title and author of the book in our reading tracker, and then place the book back in the center. We then grab a new book to “taste.”

When the activity starts, students are given 8-10 minutes at each genre. When they hear the signal, they clean up their table. They place books back and make sure there is a pencil next to each plate. Then they will get up and rotate to the next table, taking their reading tracker with them. 

Then, I set the timer and the book tasting begins again. During this time, I walk around and ask my students questions about what they have found, and ask if they have any questions. This continues until all of the students have had an opportunity to “taste“ each genre. Afterward, I like to give them a few minutes to chat with other people not in the groups about the books that they have “tasted.” 

To end the book tasting experience, I like to give them a small treat that they can actually eat. This is such a fun activity and it really gets students engaged and interested in reading. If you are doing the 40 book challenge, I highly suggest doing an activity like this so that your students know what type of books they can read from each genre. 

Want More Info on the Challenge?

This is Part 4 in a 6-part series about the 40 book challenge. Each week I'll post a new blog post that talks about one of the aspects of the challenge. Check out these blog posts to learn more!

Part 1: Why I Ditched Reading Logs and What I Do Instead

Part 2: How I Introduce the 40-Book Challenge to My Students

Part 3: How My Students Track the 40 Book Challenge

Part 5: FAQ about the 40-Book Challenge

How My Students Track What They Read for the 40 Book Challenge

Let's read about Amelia Earhart.

I’ll send you this free "Who was Amelia Earhart?" novel study that you can print off and use with your students today.
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Over the years, the way I’ve had students keep track of the 40 book challenge has evolved. During the first year of implementing the challenge, we started off with a composition book. The students opened to the first pages and wrote 1-40 down the left side. As they finished a book, they would write the title and genre, and that was about it. 

This worked okay. I didn’t have a place for them to write down what they wanted to read, or to really facilitate book conversations with me. It felt kind of clunky. This began the evolution of my 40 book challenge reading tracker.

The next year I did the same thing, however at the beginning of the year I handed my students a paper of books they wanted to read. They could use it to keep track of books they wanted to read while we did our Book Tasting activity (link). But then it was just a paper that was inevitably sacrificed to the desk monster at some point during the school year.

Each year I learned a little more, and did a little more, until I finally decided I needed to create a notebook specifically for the 40-book challenge, complete with everything I wanted my students to have. I sat down one summer and mapped out everything that I wanted in a reading tracker. Then I went to work creating it.

Sections in the 40 Book Challenge Tracker

1. Book Chart

At the beginning of their notebook I have a chart with 40 books on it. Each time my students finish a book, they pull out their tracker and color in one of the books. This makes it super easy to see how much progress they’ve made toward their goal.

2. Types of Book Genres

I have found that my students sometimes need a reminder about the different types of genres. This is a great section that my students love to reference throughout the year. Each genre includes a definition and 2-3 examples of books that could fit into that genre.

3. Yearly Goal

This section is important because it allows students to remember how many books they need to read from each genre.

4. List of Books I Want to Read

If you’re on Goodreads, you probably have a huge list of books you want to read. It’s important for students to have a list like this too. This helps them become more independent readers, as it takes away the excuse of “I don’t know what to read.”

5. List of Books I Have Read

After students finish a book, they will come to this section and write down the title, author, and genre of book they have read.

6. Monthly Reading Goals

Help your student complete the 40 book challenge by setting monthly goals with them. On this page, they can determine about how many books they want to read each month, and which genres they would like to explore. There is also a place for them to reflect at the end of the month on how they did in completing their goals. Breaking the challenge down into smaller chunks makes it easier for students to complete.

7. Monthly Book Letters

I love to have conversations about books with my students. To give my students the chance to practice their writing, I like to have them write me a letter each month about what they are reading. This is a great opportunity to teach students how to write a friendly letter. I encourage my students to ask me questions about what I’m reading too. I make sure to respond to each student’s letter. I want them to know that this is conversation! It is so fun to hear about what my students have been reading, and to “talk” about books with them.

8. Book Ratings

One of my favorite parts about Goodreads is the opportunity to rate and review the books I’ve finished reading. I love giving my students the same opportunity. This final section of the reading tracker allows students to give books up to 5 stars, and write a small book review. Having students share out reviews is a fun way to get kids involved in each other’s reading too.

Using a reading tracker will help your students be more successful when it comes to completing the 40 book challenge. Don’t want to spend your precious time creating a reading tracker for your students? I’ve got you covered! I’ve created one for you with all of these important elements included. 

It includes a printable and a digital version to best support all of your needs!

Want More Info on the Challenge?

This is Part 3 in a 5-part series about the 40 book challenge. Each week I'll post a new blog post that talks about one of the aspects of the challenge. Check out these blog posts to learn more!

Part 1: Why I Ditched Reading Logs and What I Do Instead

Part 2: How I Introduce the 40-Book Challenge to My Students

Part 4: Creating a Book Tasting Experience for the 40-Book Challenge

Part 5: FAQ about the 40-Book Challenge