To generate a lot of excitement around the Bookbuzz Secondary books, I run a quick and simple activity called Hello Dragons.
I ask students to imagine they’ve got one minute to convince their friend to read the Bookbuzz Secondary book they’ve chosen. I then ask the students what are the top things someone should include in a 60-second book pitch, and write the main elements on a whiteboard.
Things that inevitably come up are author, title, setting, main characters, plot and similar books. I then give the students a few minutes to get more familiar with their Bookbuzz Secondary books.
I ask for volunteers, and anyone who is feeling brave enough is invited to come and stand with their back to the whiteboard, so they can’t see the things we wrote down. They will then have one minute to “sell” their book to the class trying to hit all of the things that were mentioned. I ask for a volunteer to check off the items on the list as they do this.
All students who are brave enough to come up get a small prize like a bookmark or something similar.
It’s a great way to get students excited about reading and gets them thinking about the books they’ve chosen to read.
Bookbuzz Secondary will reopen in March 2026. See more or sign up below to receive a reminder when it reopens.
