Some kids will happily take book recommendations from adults.
And some . . . will absolutely not.
For those kids, the only recommendations that matter are the ones coming from other kids. Enter Bookstagram!
Why It Works
For some kids, a recommendation from a peer carries more weight than one from an adult.
Program Basics
For every Bookstagram review a student turned in, they earned:
- One free bookmark
- A chance to be featured on the Bookstagram bulletin board
For added incentive, the student from each grade who turned in the most reviews by the end of the year would receive a “special reading-related prize”
(which, at the time, I hadn’t actually figured out, but trusted I would by the end of the year; see the final prizes here!).
Display Setup
I wanted the display to be eye-catching for students and easy to update throughout the year so students would keep coming back.
I used:
- Printable review sheets, lettering, and icons from Leaders and Literacy on TPT
- Black butcher paper for a clean backdrop that made the reviews pop
- Scrapbook paper to frame each review and as “pockets” for sheets
- Clips with pin backs to easily rotate in new reviews
How Reviews Were Collected
On giveaway days, I set out:
- A bin with blank review sheets
- A bin for students to leave completed reviews
- An explanatory sheet
- A spread of bookmarks (which helped draw students to the table)
Faces blurred for student privacy
What Worked Best
- Kids loved seeing their recommendations displayed in the hallway
- Drawings were especially fun
- Participation felt low-pressure, with an instant reward through the bookmarks
Lessons Learned
- While I made three levels of forms available and encouraged upper elementary grades to use the more complex forms, most students chose the simplest form
- The drawing section was hit-or-miss and may have discouraged students who shy away from art
- The “Anything else you’d like to share” prompt was almost always skipped
If I were doing it again, I’d use a single, simplified form and make it clear that drawings are optional.
Final Thought
If you want kids to care about books, don’t just tell them what to read.
Give them a way to share what they love with their peers!
The Bold Bookmark 
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