"I want a book that will make me cry!"

When I get one on one time to help a student find the right book I always begin with the following:
1) Name two books you read that you liked.
2) What did you like about them?

To most, this would sound like a simple question of likes and dislikes. What I am listening for is commonalities between the stories. Sometimes, I can identify a genre, other times students are looking for a feeling they get when they read.

An example I use to help students or teachers understand is Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, because everyone has either read the book or seen the movie. Hunger Games has 5+ genres floating around: Dystopian - Adventure - Mystery - Romance - Drama - SciFi. When a student tells me "I liked Hunger Games and Matched" I know they like Dystopian & Romance. If they say "Maze Runner & The Hobbit" I know they lean more towards Fantasy and Adventure...and maybe even Mystery.

Matching students with the right book takes two things:
1) Reading A LOT of books, so that I have a working knowledge of numerous story lines
2) Listening to WHY someone liked a book

There is nothing as exciting as having someone come back to tell you how much they loved a book you recommended.

Happy Reading!