Virtual+Bookshelves

Reading teachers need kids to keep track of the books they read and to demonstrate that they understood what they read. Yet, do "real" readers write book reports, take AR tests, or keep daily logs of what they read? No. Thus, many of us struggle to find a happy medium--a strategy to enable kids to enjoy their books with no (or at least few) strings attached, just like we adult readers do, that still allows teachers to keep tabs on students' reading. And what about a reading log that kids complete willingly, even happily?! Year after year as a reading teacher I have tried a range of approaches from daily, weekly, month, or quarterly reading logs to Nancie Atwell-style reading response letters. Yet, I believe I have finally found a better way!
 * PROBLEM **

**Virtual bookshelves! I have been using shelfari.com with my sixth graders for about a year now and am still experimenting. The kids love it! Shelfari does not solve all of my reading-teacher related problem, yet it serves as a place for kids to keep track of what they read, rate and review the books they read, and discuss their books.
 * SOLUTION

I can't begin to tell you how cool virtual bookshelves are. First of all, my shelfari bookshelf looks like a bookshelf with all the book covers beautifully lined up for easy and enjoyable browsing, visually very pleasing! Also, this is said to be the new wave of social networking sites...if you're sick of facebook, try shelfari!

Shelfari does allow me to easily see //when// students have read or completed a book, which makes it a bit difficult to use in place of a reading log. I believe some of the other sites listed below display dates in a more useful format.
 * Possible Downside **

Some of the virtual bookshelves, bookrabbit in particular, make book recommendations, or somehow other community members make book recommendations, based on books you've read and liked. This could be very helpful to our young readers!
 * Possible Upside **

So now, sit back and take a look at shelfari and a few other virtual bookshelves. Enjoy!

=[|shelfari.com]= //"Shelfari lets you build a shelf to display the books you’ve read, want to read or are reading now. Then you get to be the critic by rating and reviewing your books so your friends can see what you think."//

=[|librarything.com]= //"LibraryThing is a site for book lovers.// //LibraryThing helps you create a library-quality catalog of your books. You can do all of them or just what you're reading now.// //And because everyone catalogs online, they also catalog together. LibraryThing connects people based on the books they share."//

=[|bookrabbit.com]= //"BookRabbit is the place to meet people who own the same books as you do, look at the other books they own, share opinions about books, listen to authors and make recommendations to one another."//

=[|goodreads.com]=

//" Have you ever wanted a better way to://
 * //See what your friends are reading.//
 * //Keep track of what you've read and what you'd like to read.//
 * //Get great book recommendations from people you know.//
 * //Form a book club, answer book trivia, collect your favorite quotes."//

If you want to further explore the concept of virtual bookshelves, read: [|"The rise of the virtual bookshelf"]

--Jen Kovar 