BookBreak’s virtual author talk program for middle school is designed to keep students in grades 6-8 engaged in reading and writing. At a time when it’s common for regular reading to drop off as middle grade students gain more independence in their academics, our program helps connect students on a deeper level to reading and writing. BookBreak’s bestselling authors share rich stories of history and personal growth that resonate with this age cohort, when sometimes a teacher can’t. A fresh voice can have a big impact, and our author events are fun! This helps break down barriers when challenging them to tackle more difficult content.
With high school on the horizon, elevating their vocabulary and gleaning main ideas with more difficult themes encourages them to think critically, express themselves, and engage with literature in more meaningful ways. For example, authors discuss their research process and how to find credible primary sources while working on a writing project. These experiences inspire students to be stronger readers AND writers!
Our middle school program offers 12 virtual author talks per year, accompanied by lesson plans, and pre and post-talk activities that effortlessly integrate with teacher curricula. Each live event is 30 minutes long, and includes an opportunity for the students to ask the author questions. These are interactive events with rapid fire trivia games with the author, read alouds, glimpses into the author's writing process, writing advice, behind the scenes artifacts from the book and more. These elements keep students engaged while supporting their learning in a fun way.
Authors share relatable stories about their middle school experiences, and talk about what it’s like to be a writer. Developing this rapport with the students helps establish connections, which helps keep their attention on the lessons about the story.
BookBreak Middle School also offers writing workshops, and book teaser videos recorded by our authors as part of the Would You Read It program. Check out all the detailed features of a BookBreak subscription below.
Take a look at some of the superstar authors in BookBreaks middle school program!
In addition to our live-streamed events, the middle school program offers multiple monthly pre-recorded author videos with book teaser summaries, called Would You Read It. In these short videos, the goal is to get students excited about the book and perhaps try something they may not otherwise decide to read. After all, you can’t always judge a book by its cover! The author chooses a portion of the book they think will resonate with the students and reads aloud and will even share some “behind the scenes” tidbits about writing their book.
Sharon Draper, Author of Out Of My Mind is one of our Would You Read It Authors!
Middle school program subscribers also have access to 3 writing workshops per year, as part of BookBreak’s Author in Residence Program. For 2024-2025, Barbara Dee, author of Unstuck will help students conquer writer’s block across various writing forms, including essays, research papers, science lab reports, and more! Students will leave with new tools and strategies to enhance their future writing experiences.
As an educator, you know that motivation is a key component to learning and that during the middle school years, this is a challenge many teachers face and find difficult to overcome. In fact, according to Keys To Literacy, a common question asked by teachers about their adolescent students in their trainings is “How can I motivate students to read and stay engaged while they are reading?”
The teachers in these trainings are not alone. This challenge is documented in a study by The Institute of Educational Sciences which reported that:
“Correlational evidence suggests that motivation to read school-related texts declines as students progress from elementary to middle school. The strongest decline is observed among struggling students. To promote students’ motivation to engage in literacy activities, teachers should use instructional strategies that spark students’ interest. Initial curiosity (or “situational interest”) can then serve as a hook to create long-term, personal interest”.
BookBreak’s interactive experiences are more than just talks-they’re a catalyst for transforming student motivation! Our virtual author talk program is a classroom tool that engages students in literacy activities, sparking interest in stories that resonate with them, while building skills they will need as they transition to high school. Each event is crafted to ignite a passion for reading and writing in all students, so they do it more! When a middle school student can rekindle an interest in reading and writing, it’s a game changer. Not only does this increase their engagement in these activities, it builds their confidence in them, because they get better at it the more they do it.
