Do I Have That Other Book Challenge? The 34 New Answer

The 100 Book Challenge is a reading program designed to encourage our students to read. In addition, your child comes home every evening with one or more books and a reading diary in a folder. We want your child to read every night and enjoy what they read. The books should be “fun, quick and easy” for your child to read. We don’t want reading to be a struggle or hard. For more information about this program, visit the American Reading.Com/100 Book Challenge website.

Children read books at their reading achievement level. At these levels, children feel comfortable and can read all the words. Don’t worry if the books seem too easy for you. The most important thing is that your child enjoys reading! Research shows that the more a student reads, the more successful he or she will be in school! For more parenting resources, visit American Reading at Home.Com.

Avid readers, friendly contestants, and book lovers of all stripes are invited to enter the 50 Book Challenge at the Twinsburg Public Library!

What is the 50 Book Challenge?

The 50 Book Challenge is an annual program hosted by Twinsburg Public Library in which we ask you to challenge yourself to read 50 books in one year. That means reading about one book a week (or more!). To celebrate your reading achievements, we hold two big parties a year where we offer prizes to everyone who has achieved their goals.

How do I log on?

There is no formal signup process, but we encourage you to join our group on Goodreads.com. Our Twinsburg Library 50 Book Challenge group page is a place where you can keep up to date with Challenge news and events, engage in book-related discussions, and share books you’ve read with the group. If you have a Goodreads account, you can also automatically track your challenge progress by setting your reading challenge to 50 and adding each book you read to the site.

NEW! For 2019 and beyond, you can also track your reading via our Beanstack page. You don’t have to use this tool – you can still use Goodreads or a paper log – but it’s another option!

How do I use Goodreads?

For instructions on how to get started with Goodreads and join our group, please click HERE.

What if I don’t want to use Goodreads? Can I still participate?

Of course! If you don’t want to join Goodreads, you can use another read log website like Shelfari or whatever method you prefer to track all your reads. We also have pen and paper logs available at the library information desk. Whichever method you choose, we hope you continue to participate in the challenge!

What are the challengers reading on Goodreads?

What are book tags and how do you use them?

If you’re familiar with the book blogosphere, you might have stumbled across a few posts labeled “book tags.”

These posts give book bloggers a chance to share more about themselves, the books they like (or dislike), and more, leading to greater interaction with their followers and fellow bloggers. They’re really fun too!

In this post, we explain what book tags are, how to use them, and see examples of popular tags and questions book bloggers answer.

What are book tags?

Book tags are popular with book bloggers. There isn’t really an official definition, but basically, book tags are a set of questions that bloggers can answer based on a book, genre, or anything else related to a book.

They serve as a way for book bloggers to connect with their followers and other bloggers in the community. They also lead to more engagement and interaction since you can “tag” other bloggers and encourage them to share their own responses.

How to use book tags

Book tags provide a fun and easy way to find inspiration and ideas for new blog content. Some prompts may contain specific “rules” or guidelines. For example, you might be asked to use only books you’ve read this year to answer the questions, or instructed not to repeat the same answer more than once.

You can also tag other bloggers to challenge them or invite them to participate in a day; However, this is not required to participate. When you find a tag to reply to, you don’t have to wait for someone to tag you. Just do it!

However, if you’re tagged, it’s considered customary to link back to the blogger who tagged you (which also makes book tags a great way to build backlinks!).

Examples of popular book tags and questions

Below are some popular book tags and examples of blogs that have used them.

Life in Books: This tag features fun, book-related questions to help readers learn more about the blogger, his life, and his tastes. Questions include, “Count your age along your bookshelf – what book is that?” and “Name a book set in your city/country.”

Fall Books: This tag contains fall-themed prompts. Bloggers are asked to list books that “blew their minds”, felt “fresh and new” or made them “warm and fluffy”.

Shelfie by Shelfie: Bloggers use this tag to share images of their shelves to showcase their organization (or lack thereof), collections, or shelf aesthetic.

Reading habits: This tag asks readers to share their reading habits and preferences, e.g. B. where they like to read at home and what they like to eat or drink at dinner.

Spring Cleaning: This tag asks cleaning-related questions, e.g. B. which audio book the blogger would listen to while doing housework.

Writer’s Tag: This tag focuses on writers and asks questions like “What novel inspired you to write?”

Other meanings of “book tags”

“Book tags” is the term given to these book-related questions answered and shared by bloggers. However, it can also refer to several other tagging systems.

For example, any book on Amazon can be “tagged” with keywords that help readers who have never heard of that book find it when they search.

If you’re an author with a book available on Amazon, you should be familiar with Amazon keyword research so you can be sure your book will be found by the right readers.

Other sites, like book swapping site PaperBackSwap and LibraryThing, also use tags to help readers quickly see a list of all books in a specific category. Check out PaperBackSwap’s most popular tags for more examples of how these tags work.

Interaction with readers

In addition to book tags, you can also use book memes and book club discussion questions to engage your blog readers and followers.

For more great book bloggers, check out our list of indie book review blogs to find new recommendations and meet other like-minded readers!

Was this review helpful? Let us know in the comments below!

If you liked this post, then you might also like:

introduction

A tag question is a small question that is appended or “tagged” to the end of a sentence. Instead of repeating the main verb, a form of “be” or another auxiliary verb or modal is used in the tag. Below are some examples.

You came by train, right?

It’s very windy today, isn’t it?

You can meet me at the train station, right?

You couldn’t take me with you, could you?

sentence pattern

When the sentence is negative, the tag is usually positive, as in the example below. You didn’t tell him, did you? Note: Sentences with negative words are considered negative. So they require positive tag questioners, like these examples: He never drinks, does he?

Nobody left a message, right? If the sentence is positive, the tag is usually negative, as in the next example. You told him, didn’t you?

Twelve Rules for Tag Questions

Rule example 1. After “let’s” the tag begins with “shall”. Let’s invite the neighbors to dinner at the weekend, shall we? 2. Use “am not” in tags to mean “I’m not”. I’m on time, aren’t I? (Correctly)

I’m on time, aren’t I? (incorrect) 3. Use “won’t” for polite request tags. You bring the other things with you, right? 4. Use “will” or “would” with imperative clauses (commands). Wait here until I come back, okay?

Wait here until I come back, would you? 5. Use “mustn’t” with the modal “must”. That has to be the address, right? 6. Two endings are possible when “have” is the main verb of the sentence. You have enough money, don’t you? (British English)

You have enough money, don’t you? (North American English) 7. Use pronouns for people, not proper names, in question tags. Paul is a good tennis player, isn’t he?

Betty has a good job, doesn’t she? 8. Use “it” in a question tag when the sentence contains the words “this” or “that”. That’s your pen, isn’t it? 9. Use “she” in a question tag when the sentence contains “these” or “those”. Those are your sandals, aren’t they? 10. Use “there” in a question tag when the sentence contains “there + a form of be”. Lots to do today, isn’t there? 11. Use “she” in a question tag when the sentence contains indefinite pronouns

(nobody, nobody, anybody, anybody, everybody, everybody). Everyone is here now, aren’t they?

Nobody has eaten yet, right? 12. Use “didn’t” in a question tag when the sentence contains the verb “used to”. You used to skate a lot, didn’t you?”

Using tag questions

Tag questions are used to ask for approval or to ask for things, favors, or new information. To determine which, listen to the sound of the speaker. A rising tone at the end of a tag question indicates it is a real question. The speaker wants to know something or wants someone to do something. However, a falling tone means the speaker is seeking approval. Rising tone –

ask a favor You couldn’t lend me money, could you? Rising tone –

ask for information You don’t happen to know if the number 50 bus has already passed here, do you? falling tone –

asking for approval The boss wasn’t in a good mood today, was he?

The dress looks great on her, doesn’t it? Note: We usually use a negative sentence with a positive tag to request things or information, like in the previous examples.

When you are sure you have understood the lesson, you can continue with the exercises.

feature

Facebook 101

Using Facebook to promote your book

We all know that social media can be an incredible (and cheap) tool when it comes to promoting and selling your book. But if you don’t have a strong online presence before publication and your book doesn’t make the bestseller lists, it can be difficult to get the results you want.

Personal Pages vs. Fan Pages

If you’re like most people, your personal Facebook page is where you find your photos, status, and occasionally your score. You are connected to friends, family and acquaintances with a colleague or two in the mix. While this type of site is a great way to keep in touch and keep your friends in the loop, it’s not a viable business platform. Your friends get tired of seeing post after post about your book(s), and you don’t want your readers (aka strangers) to get such an intimate glimpse into your life.

Enter the author’s Facebook page. As an author, if you create a separate page for yourself, you can devote that space to promoting your book(s). You can schedule events – giveaways, book tours, release dates – connect with your readers in a professional space and use the page to link to your website and/or blog. If you get enough “likes” you can also use Facebook ads and their business page metrics.

How to get likes

Any writer can count on a handful of likes to get started – family, friends, co-workers, and maybe a few fellow writers. But to get your like count into the hundreds or thousands, follow these simple steps.

1. Write a good book. (But that is a given.)

2. Create your book or author page before publishing it. Include your new Facebook address in the About the Author section of your book. E.g. “To learn more, visit so-and-so’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/YourNameorBook.”

3. Post your link to your website, blog, LinkedIn, Twitter and personal Facebook page. Include it in your email signature as well. If you make business cards, you can put them there too.

4. After your page is up and running, invite your personal Facebook friends to like your new page.

5. Send an email to selected groups of people from your contacts. (Try not to email your entire address book — you should make choices to ensure you don’t accidentally email your ex or an estranged client.)

6. Once you start getting some traction, you can offer promos like book giveaways, freebie chapters of your next book, merchandise, and more.

7. Stay active. The more time and effort you put into your site, the better your results will be. Make sure you engage with your fans to keep them coming back and encourage them to spread the word. In the book business, word of mouth is the biggest key to success.

Using Facebook Ads – Q&A style

Q. How do I create an ad?

A. Start here: Facebook for Business. Read the information, then click Create Ad at the top or bottom of the page. Spend some time designing the title and text of the ad – you want something punchy and eye-catching to get people clicking on your information. You can link your ad to your Facebook author/book page, website, blog or just about anywhere you like. Try to make sure readers have the easiest way to find out about your book and then buy it. Linking to a product page on a website is often successful.

Q. How much does it cost?

A. The more you spend, the more often your ad will appear. Most people start small, spend about $10 and run an ad for a couple of weeks. That way, you can track your results and see if your book and social media ad is doing well. If you’re struggling to get likes and sell books, you can work with tech marketing companies like Qwaya to get the most out of your Facebook advertising experience.

Q. How many people will I reach?

A. Again, this depends a bit on your budget. Facebook charges per click, called CPM (cost per impression). You’ll never have to pay more than you’ve budgeted, and when you create your ad, you can enter demographic information to ensure you’re reaching your target audience.

Check out resources on Facebook to learn more about how to use ads to your advantage.

Final Advice

Everyone’s Facebook experience is different, and that’s especially true for new writers. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t get a million likes overnight. Plan your time and money appropriately and be realistic about your goals. You might need to get a book or two under your belt before you really start seeing the fans pour in.

Also remember that some books do very well on social media, especially those that have interactive qualities or build community (think relationship guides – see our sidebar). If your book is about a more serious or academic topic, think about how to make your Facebook page exciting and engaging. Make sure your page is updated regularly and that you communicate with your readers and fans as often as possible.

Last but not least, remember that there are countless people, websites, and articles that can help you get the most out of Facebook and other social media sites. A quick Amazon search for “social media marketing” books returns nearly 7,000 results. This makes it easy to do your research and create the best possible Facebook page.

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Jillian Bergsma Manning is a contributing editor for Independent Publishers. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in English. She welcomes questions or comments on her articles at jbergsma (at) bookpublishing.com. Follow her at @LillianJaine.

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Facebook was once again named the most popular social media platform in 2022. Authors act accordingly, leveraging the platform’s large audience to get books into the hands of new readers.

If you already use Facebook for their author pages, great. If not, it’s time to take advantage of this place for readership! Facebook has made it easier than ever to create these pages with ready-to-use templates. With these templates, authors can tailor content to the exact needs of their target audience.

Navigating these features can be confusing, but don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Take 15 minutes, grab a cup of coffee, and check out these tips to help your author page get more engagement and get your books into the hands of more readers! Don’t have a Facebook author page yet? Check out our post on how to create one.

Change your Facebook author page template

There are several templates to choose from that change the information available on your Facebook author page.

Available templates for your Facebook page are:

Standard (You select this)

business

Venues

nonprofit

Politician

Services

Restaurants & Cafes

Shopping

video page

You’ll notice that none of these say “For Authors,” but we’ve found that the default template is best for authors to promote their books in the most direct way. Previously, Facebook allowed Pages to list products for sale on other websites using the Shopping template. Unfortunately, this feature has been removed.

Change your template

You’ve probably selected the default template, but if you don’t, here’s how to change it.

On the left side of the screen (under “Manage Page”), click Settings when viewing your author page. You may have to scroll to the bottom of this list to find them. Select Templates and Tabs on the left side of the screen. In all template options, click the Default button. Click the Apply Template button.

Set up your tabs

Once you’ve selected your template, you’ll see a system of default tabs underneath. You need to activate the “Offers” tab, which shows the books you have for sale. Enabling the Offers tab is easy. Here are the steps:

On the Templates and Tabs page, scroll to the bottom of the list that says Tabs. Next to Offers, turn on the switch.

You should now rearrange all your tabs to put Offers first and then list the Events tab second. Rearranging the tabs is easy, just click and drag. Here are the steps:

Stay on the Templates and Tabs page. All tabs are listed in the order they appear on your page. Click and drag the six black dots next to the word “Offers” to move it to the first position. Click the Events tab and drag it to the second position.

Set up your offers

The best way for authors to get their books listed on Facebook is to bid on each title on their author page. To start creating offers, go back to your author page, click on the Offers tab and select Create Offer.

On the left side of the screen under “Create a new offer”, change the discount type to Custom.

You can then enter your book title under “Product or service” and your book description under “Description (optional)”.

Next, click Add Photo on the left side of the screen and upload an image containing your book cover. This image must be at least 500 pixels wide and 262 pixels tall for your cover art to work alone. We recommend using a program like Canva to compose something with a nice wide background.

Then set the offer to expire as far in the future as possible. Generally, this is one year from the day you create the listing (you can always create a new listing for the book after the first one expires, so we recommend setting a reminder or calendar event for next year).

Under “Where is this offer available?” select Online and enter a URL of a page where readers can purchase your book. For most authors, this will be an Amazon link.

Make sure “Shop Now” is selected under “Button” and provide information on any relevant terms and conditions or promotional codes.

Click “Publish”!

Customize your offer button

Below your author page cover photo on the right side of the screen, you have the option to add a custom button for your listings. Here you can direct readers to your Amazon page or website with just one click.

Click on the blue button that says “+ Add button”. At the bottom of the list, select Shop on website. Include a link to your author page on Amazon or another general place where readers can find all of your work. Click on “Save”.

Now readers can click your Shop Now button to see all of your work.

Create an event

Are you at a conference or local event and want to let your readers know about it? Set up a Facebook event to let your followers know when and where you’ll be. To create an event, go back to your author page, click the Events tab, then click Create New Event in the top right.

Complete all of the information for an online or face-to-face event in the form that appears. Then publish or schedule the event for the desired time.

That’s it!

Once you’ve followed these steps, you’ll have a Facebook author page optimized for book sales and event engagement. With almost two billion daily Facebook users, taking some time to optimize your author page is a great way to reach more readers. The easier it is to buy a book, the more likely readers are to buy it. With an easy-to-access store, event listings, and advanced publishing tools, Facebook is a great platform for converting potential readers into fans.

A hundred books in a year may seem like an impossible feat. Where do you find the time? If you examine your daily life and schedule closely, you’ll likely find that you actually spend quite a bit of time on activities that can easily be converted into reading time. If you are really passionate about reading and want to reach the goal of at least 100 books in a year, you can definitely do it.

FinanceBuzz is reader driven. We may receive compensation for the products and services mentioned in this story, but the opinions are those of the author. Compensation may affect where offers appear. We have not included all available products or offers. Learn more about how we make money and our editorial policies.

Ever thought of turning over books from your closet or grandma’s attic? Here’s everything you need to know to get started.

Do you have stacks of books lying around? How about college textbooks? Some people make thousands of dollars a month turning the pages of all sorts of books. Even if you don’t have dozens of books lying around, that’s fine. Most book flippers started small.

Used books are big business. In 2020, the estimated net revenue of the US book publishing industry was $25.71 billion. This is a small decrease compared to last year, but sales remain stable.

In this article, we’ll show you how you can make money turning books, including the types of books you can turn, how much it costs to turn books, where to sell them, and how much extra money you can expect to make .

What is book mirroring?

Book flipping is a type of online arbitrage where you take advantage of a price difference between two markets – in this case, the book buyer’s and the bookseller’s market. In this case, you buy a book at a lower price from one market and resell it in another market. If it sells at a higher price, your profit is the difference in price between the two.

What types of books can you turn the pages?

textbooks

Although digital textbooks are on the rise, a 2018 Library Journal survey found that 75% of college students find printed books easier to read than e-books. Textbooks are also readily available and are often sold because students don’t hold them for long. You can find textbooks at college campus sales and from individual students.

First edition books

First edition books go for a lot of money if you can find them. For example, a first edition of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” costs about $500,000 – not too shabby if you happen to dig one up. Just don’t expect to find one for $10 and flip it for half a million.

You might want to consider selling modern first edition books from around 30 to 50 years ago at flea markets, thrift stores, and antique stores. You can then sell them to collectors and book lovers at a higher price. The older your first edition books are, the more money you are likely to make from selling them.

Rare Books

You can make good money on rare books, including books that are out of print. Look for them in old antique and thrift stores. Be sure to check the price range and competing sellers, and look for signs of wear such as torn pages, loose binding, and stains. The cleaner the copy, the more you can get out of the book.

How much does it cost to browse books?

It usually doesn’t cost much to start book flipping, especially if you know what to look for. If you don’t already have a ready-to-sell collection, you can buy books cheaply at thrift stores like Goodwill, or pick up old books at flea markets. If you can get a book for 10 cents and turn it over and sell it, you could make a hefty profit. College students can also sell fairly new books on Craigslist.

You can also find cheap books on eBay, especially when avid book readers decide to sell their collections. If it’s in good condition, you can probably resell the book for a profit.

The chances of getting a good resale deal on Amazon are pretty slim. However, it is an excellent platform where you can search for quality, unique books that bring good profit.

Where books sell

bookseller sites

One of the most common ways to sell your books is through bookseller websites like BookScouter.com or AbeBooks. Research the fees for each website before deciding on one. Some bookseller websites won’t charge you a dime and make all their money through affiliate marketing or by sending your sale or purchase to the website that offers the best price.

Amazon

You may be drawn to selling on Amazon because it’s fast, available, and easy to use. You can choose between an individual seller plan or the professional plan.

The individual seller plan offers somewhat limited functionality, but allows you to create new product pages in the Amazon catalog and use the shipping rates set by Amazon.

With the Professional Seller Plan‌, you can create new Amazon catalog pages, manage inventory and orders, get reports, set your shipping costs, and offer promotions and gift services.

You can either pay a $39.99 subscription fee for a professional Amazon seller plan or opt for the retail plan with a fee of 99 cents per item when an item is sold. An individual seller plan might work for you if you don’t need access to volume selling tools.

You can also choose the Amazon FBA option. This allows you to ship your inventory to Amazon, set your prices, and let Amazon do all the hard work of shipping your books directly to the customer when they sell. However, you have to pay extra for this service.

What is best for book flippers? This depends on the number of books sold and the size of your business. If you’re selling one book a month, it might not make sense to pay the subscription fee for a professional plan. However, if you sell hundreds of books a month, you might opt ​​for the professional plan as it will cost you less in the long run.

You can also look at Amazon’s listing tool to help you determine your selling margin. Note that you must pay a 15% Category Referral Fee plus a $1.80 closing fee per book sold. If you choose an individual seller plan, you pay an additional 99 cents per book sold. You can choose another marketplace that may not charge referral fees.

eBay

eBay has thousands of collectible and vintage items for you to resell, including books. After you list your items, you only pay a terminal value fee if they sell. eBay can also recommend a price based on past sales of similar items, and you can see how others rate similar items. After the sale, you can ship your book with an eBay delivery label. Just make sure you are as transparent as possible about the condition of your book.

Other sides

You may also want to consider sites like Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace to sell your items, but keep in mind that these sites may not be far enough for your books as many of them sell directly to your area.

stationary bookstores

You can’t ignore the bookstore right in your town, especially when you find a kindred spirit in the bookstore owner. However, bookstores often buy used books at 50% of the retail price for which they resell them. If the store sells a book for $6, they buy it for less than $3. You probably won’t make much money going this route, but if you need to make some space for other more profitable books, you could go this route.

How to turn the pages of books

Even if you’re feeling ambitious, you should seriously consider starting your newfound side job slowly. You can start book turning with just one book. Even Warren Buffett started buying just one stock at the age of 11.

Maybe you’re a medical student and want to make some money off your latest anatomy textbook or have a book you bought at a flea market. Once you start making money, you can start building an inventory that you can turn over.

Step 1: Check the ISBN

Every book has an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) that permanently identifies a title or edition. You can use a tool like AbeBooks, ScoutIQ or BookScouter’s book scanning app to tell you the value of the book in seconds. You may want to compare each site to see how much you can earn from each.

Step 2: Choose the right marketplace

Create an account and list your book on the marketplace that gives you the best bang for your buck – it’s a matter of researching where you can sell your book for the most money. Sites like AbeBooks, Amazon, Textbooks.com, Chegg, and eBay are among the best places to sell. Compare sites and check fees before deciding to list.

The disadvantage of listing your item on a site like eBay or Amazon is that you have to wait for your books to sell and you also have to factor in shipping costs depending on the option you choose.

Step 3: Send the book

Unless you choose Amazon FBA, you are responsible for shipping the book yourself. Pack the book properly to avoid damage, paste the packing slip inside and affix the shipping label to the outside of the box. You may want to provide your customer with the tracking number so they know the book is on its way.

Consider adding rare book insurance as you will want to cover your losses if the book is damaged or lost in the mail. Don’t forget to take photos or video of the book before sending it so you can document its condition.

Step 4: Get paid

All online platforms differ in how you receive the money. Many marketplace platforms require the customer to pay upfront, so you usually get your money pretty quickly. Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace may require additional effort to get paid, including a possible face-to-face meeting with the buyer.

How Much Can You Make Turning Books?

As with anything, the amount of money you can make varies. This depends on your inventory, the method you choose to sell your books, and shipping costs.

Let’s go through an example using the Amazon tool to list your selling margin. Say you buy a book for $3. You list it for $53 (it’s a good buy!) and choose Fulfilled by Seller. Let’s also say shipping is $3.

Here’s the breakdown with Amazon. Note that if you sell your book through a different company or website, your profit per sale can be very different.

Item Selling Price: $53.00 Commodity Cost: – $3.00 Category Referral Fee: – $10.20 (15% + $1.80 closing fee)* Individual Plan Fee (per item sold) – $0.99 Total Profit: $38.81

* 15% will be charged on the selling price of the item plus shipping costs

frequently asked Questions

How do you turn the pages of a book? Start by choosing the right type of book to turn your pages, whether you choose a first edition, textbook, or other option. Then do some research by condition and ISBN and find the right type of site or retailer. If you know you have a special book on hand, you may want to take more time to consider your options. Next, sell and package your book and collect payment. Is book turning profitable? You could make money flipping books, depending on the type of books you sell, the outlet you choose to sell them to, and whether you pay close attention to your profit margins. You should also make sure you’re not spending more money on shipping than you’re taking in. What are the best flipping books? Textbooks such as B. scientific books or medical textbooks are an excellent choice due to their high new prices. The College Board found that students at a private college paid an average of $1,240 for books and supplies in the 2019-2020 school year. This number might be higher for majors like science. Modern first editions might net you less than a first edition of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, but they add up, especially if you focus on picking them up at thrift stores or flea markets for 10 cents.

bottom line

Turning the pages of books could be one of the best ways to make extra money you can find. It’s also entirely possible to learn how to start a business by growing your side job into a full-time flipping business. You don’t have to invest a lot of money up front. As with most things, it depends on how hard you work to be successful.

You may need to spend some time learning how to turn pages as books have their own distinctive prices, especially if you are looking for books to sell at high prices. Even if you’re content turning the pages of textbooks and staying away from first editions, you could still make some extra cash.

Welcome, book lover!

The 52 Book Club is part of an annual challenge: read 52 books in 52 weeks. Each year the challenge consists of (you guessed it!) 52 different categories. Find a book that fits the category, read it and check it off the list!

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What is the Tower of Books Challenge?

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Michael, there are so many options. Can you walk me through the choices I need to make to get this thing working?

Choose a 20, 30 or 40 book challenge. How many books do you want your students to read? Think about the ages of your students and the time frame you have in mind.

Choose a category list. Students read books that fit into each category on the list you select. There are nine different lists, each varying in genre, book type, and whimsicality, and each comes in all three sets (20, 30, and 40 books). And there’s also an editable category list in case you want to customize a list even further.

Choose a format for how students keep track of the books they read. You can do the two-dimensional version or the three-dimensional version, or there’s even a “paper saver” version where everything is plotted on a piece of paper.

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Michael, I love the idea of ​​the Tower of Books Challenge, but I don’t think I have the space to show everything. What suggestions do you have?

For 2D towers kept at school, if there is not enough display space, a simple solution is to simply not display the towers. Instead, have students roll up their tower mats like a scroll. When students need to add another spine to their tower, they simply unroll their scroll. However, if you are looking for space to display the tower mats, consider utilizing the hallway, which often offers miles of unused space. Still, I’m not sure if it’s better to hang the tower mat on the fridge at home.

, a simple solution to not having enough display space is simply not displaying the towers. Instead, have students roll up their tower mats like a scroll. When students need to add another spine to their tower, they simply unroll their scroll. However, if you are looking for space to display the tower mats, consider utilizing the hallway, which often offers miles of unused space. Still, I’m not sure if it’s better to hang the tower mat on the fridge at home. For school-themed 3D towers, consider using window sills, bookshelves, or the often unused floor space beneath your whiteboard. It can’t be long before the towers fall down. So consider having the students put a bubble of tape between each book prism. You might also consider asking your media specialist if you can stack towers on top of bookshelves in the school library.

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Michael, does Tower of Books need to be a standalone challenge?

Whole Class Recording: Many teachers have used Tower of Books to keep track of all the books read in class. Whether it’s novels, mentor text picture books, or even basic stories, using Tower of Books in this way is a fun way to see everything the class has read together, as well as the wide range of genres!

Many teachers have used Tower of Books to keep track of all the books read in class. Whether it’s novels, mentor text picture books, or even basic stories, using Tower of Books in this way is a fun way to see all that the class has read together, as well as the wide range of genres! Class vs. Class: If multiple classes are licensed for the Tower of Books, try a friendly class vs. class competition, or even a challenge between grade levels!

If multiple classes have Tower of Books licenses, try a friendly class versus class competition, or even an entire class level challenge! Small Group Teams: My favorite Tower of Books spinoff is the formation of small group teams with around 2-4 students per team, where each team works together to complete the challenge. It’s a great way to incorporate some interpersonal skills, hold each other accountable, AND it really reduces the materials needed.

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Michael, I’m concerned about accountability. How can I make sure the students are actually reading?

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Over the past few years, thousands of teachers have used my Tower of Books Challenge with their students as an engaging independent reading challenge, often replacing a stuck reading log. (You know that one…that chart with good intentions to ensure students read consistently, but eventually becomes an eye-rolling chore without any student motivation. Yes, that.) I recently did a major overhaul up the challenge, with better, brighter color schemes (now two fun options!), updated fonts, and better organization overall. And just recently I’ve added several pages of accountability and extension ideas to give you even more options and flexibility. I’ve never actually blogged about Tower of Books, but with recent updates I thought it would be a good time to create a post that explains them and answers some of the most common questions I get regarding the resource. The Tower of Books Challenge is based on two core ideas: to expand students’ reading choices and to provide a fresh and motivating way to keep track of what they’re reading. Students are given a reading list of numerous genres and categories of books they must read to complete the challenge. For each book the students read, they create a book clipping from the printable files, fill out their book information, and begin to form their… tower of books! Towers can be built with 2D book spines, each representing a book read Category List:Or towers can be built with 3D book look-a-likes, each representing a book read from Category List:Many different category lists Included to help you customize the challenge for your students are letters to parents, a reader promise and other activities that help with accountability, and even “Master Stacker” award certificates. Options are good as long as you know what they are and how to use them, right? Tower of Books has grown to offer many choices designed to (1) help you meet your needs for your specific group of students and (2) allow you to master future challenges that will be different than your first . But if you’re just starting out, it might be helpful to check out this “Quick Start Guide” video I made to get The Tower of Books Challenge up and running: So, to get the key points in the To summarize video… Whether you make the 2-D or 3-D version, you can choose whichever color scheme you prefer: a retro chevron theme or a bright color theme, or save some ink and use the blackline Version. Space to display the long two-dimensional tower mats or the three-dimensional stacks of paper prisms might be limited. Many teachers find it helpful for students to keep their towers at home, even though most of the challenge will be completed in class. But keeping everything in school might still be doable! Consider some of these ideas: If none of these options work for you, consider using the Paper Saver version of the challenge, which compresses the 2D tower mat onto a sheet of paper. It’s obviously not such a dramatic way of tracking student reading flow, but the practical compromise might be necessary. One strategy that makes a lot of sense is to use one of the original tower methods for the first Tower of Books challenge you’re taking on with your class, but then with future challenges, use the Paper Saver version of tracking. Changing the category list for these future challenges keeps them fresh and student engagement high. Although Tower of Books’ original intent was to be an independent challenge, it has the flexibility to be used in other ways as well. Here are three of the coolest ideas teachers have come up with: It can be difficult to blame students for reading the challenge books. As with anything, the more accountability measures you take, the greater the risk of reducing student enthusiasm and increasing your own workload. So try to strike a balance so students are still motivated to read and complete the challenge, but do it with integrity. I’ve added several pages to the Tower of Books resource to give you ideas for more accountability. One of the simplest is a “reader pledge” that students can sign before the challenge begins. I like how the promise makes it clear that “an honest short tower is better than a dishonest high tower”. Of course, that shouldn’t suddenly make someone honest. As Taylor Swift says, “But at least that promise lays the foundation for what’s important. Once the challenge has started, try picking a few of the new activity sheets to keep students responsible for reading the entire book. These pages contain overview sheets, book reviews and book recommendations. Well, if it’s me, I don’t want to require students to write a full synopsis for the book they read for the challenge. The motivation factor can really disappear after about a week. Plus, who wants to review all those summaries? Not me. I know what you’re thinking… Here’s the trick: you need a certain number of summaries (or reviews, or recommendations, or some combination) for the books read in the challenge, BUT you don’t tell them which books they have summaries for create them until they add them to their towers. For example, tell students, “Boys and girls, after you have five books in your tower, I’ll tell you which of those five books you need to write a synopsis for. So make sure you’ve actually read all five books so you’re prepared.” One way to do this is to roll the die after every five books to determine which of the five books the students will summarize If a 2 is rolled, students collect the second book in their tower, and so on.Or, for every ten books, flip a coin: Heads, you write book reviews for all the even-numbered books in your tower; Tails, you do them Opportunities Another method of accountability is to make students aware from the start that throughout the challenge you will be asking them to complete activities with the books they are reading and adding to their towers.(Not the actual physical though book. That would be inconvenient to have them all handy. But that’s fine, because the students keep a record of their books in their towers!) The key here is not to show all the cards at the beginning. Informing students that they really need to read their books from cover to cover in order to complete these activities is all you really want to tell students at the beginning. It’s important to save the details for later to prevent certain students from finding the loopholes. An engaging and not very time consuming activity that you can throw in once or twice at any point in the challenge is book sorting. Maybe in the middle when you know that all students have completed a certain number of books, ten for example, have a book sort. (Some students may have well over ten books—that’s okay!) You randomly select five numbers from the minimum number of completed books, and the students use those books for the sorting. For example: “Boys and gals, I want you guys to check your towers and use the books with the following numbers for sorting: #3, #5, #6, #9, and #10.” Leave Then have the students sort these five books into two groups. You can let students choose how they sort them, or use the built-in Books I Would Read Again and Books I Wouldn’t Read Again sort. Students then explain why they sorted each book the way they did. If you have already purchased The Tower of Books Challenge, make sure you have received the latest updates with the Accountability and Extension pages. You can do this by simply re-downloading the resource from your My Purchases tab on TeachersPayTeachers. For details on how to purchase The Tower of Books Challenge click HERE or on the image above. Now you can stack them all!

Mark questions

Tag questions (or question tags) turn a statement into a question. They are often used to verify information that we believe to be true.

Tag questions consist of an auxiliary verb (eg: be or have) and a subject pronoun (eg: I, you, she). Negative question marks are usually contracted: It’s warm today, isn’t it (not ‘it’s not’)

Usually, when the main clause is positive, the question tag is negative, and when the main clause is negative, it is positive. For example: It’s cold (positive), isn’t it (negative)? And: It’s not cold (negative), or is it (positive)?

If the main clause contains an auxiliary verb, use the same verb in the tag question. If there is no auxiliary verb (in the present simple and past simple), use do / does / did (just like a normal question).

There is one weird exception: the question tag after I am is I’m not.

For example: I’m responsible for the food, right?

Positive sentences with negative tags

Negative sentences with positive tags

Try an exercise on tag questions using Simple Present here

Need more practice? Get more perfect English grammar with our courses.

Do you know how to use question tags, how about is he and didn’t you?

Check out these examples to see how question tags are used.

You haven’t seen this movie yet, have you?

Your sister lives in Spain, doesn’t she?

He can’t drive, can he?

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

Grammar Test 1 Question Tags: Grammar Test 1

Read the statement to learn more.

grammar explanation

We can add question tags, like, can’t we? or not? to make a statement to make a question out of it. Question tags are more common in speaking than in writing.

We often use question tags when we expect the listener to agree with what we’re saying. In this case, if the statement is positive, we use a negative question tag.

She’s a doctor, isn’t she?

Yesterday was so much fun, wasn’t it?

If the statement is negative, we use a positive question tag.

He’s not here, is he?

The trains are never on time, are they?

Nobody called me, did they?

When we are certain or almost certain that the listener will confirm that our statement is correct, we say the question tag with falling emphasis. If we’re unsure about something, we say the question tag with increasing emphasis.

formation

If the statement contains an auxiliary verb, we use it to form the question tag.

I don’t have to end this today, do I?

James is working on it, isn’t he?

Your parents retired, right?

The phone didn’t ring, did it?

It rained that day, didn’t it?

Your mum had never met him before, had she?

Sometimes there is no auxiliary verb already in the statement. For example when:

… the verb in the statement is present simple or past simple and is positive. Here we use don’t, does’t or did’t:

Jenni eats cheese, right?

I already said that, didn’t I?

… the verb in the statement must be in the present simple or past simple. In this case we use to be to create the question tag:

The bus stop is over there, right?

None of these customers were happy, were they?

… the verb in the statement is a modal verb. Here we use the modal verb to create the question tag:

You could hear me, couldn’t you?

You won’t tell anyone, will you?

If the main verb or auxiliary verb in the statement is am, the positive question tag is am I? but the negative question tag usually isn’t it?:

I’m never on time, am I?

I get an email with the details, right?

Do this exercise to test your grammar again.