Today we are excited to reveal Enliven Lit’s brand new YouTube channel, Enliven Lit: BookTalks. The purpose of this channel is to provide content relevant to parents or educators who are trying to engage kids in meaningful ways using high-interest books.

The BookTalks channel will explore a variety of books, generally those aimed at the middle grades aged 8-12 range, though we may later expand to include literature for older or younger kids as well. Each book will have its own playlist of videos including introductory guides, pre-reading material, lesson ideas, activity suggestions, discussion questions, and close-reading examples.

The idea is to help parents who want to have meaningful discussions with their kids about what they’re reading, or to help homeschool families or traditional classroom teachers approach these texts in ways that emphasize reading comprehension, critical thinking, and deep engagement.

The first book we’re looking at is The Wild Robot by Peter Brown. As of today only the Intro Guide is posted, designed to help people decide if this book is a good fit for their goals (spoiler alert – I think this book is fantastic and I recommend it to pretty much anyone). But check back each week as more videos will be posted, enabling deeper dives into different aspects of the themes and content in the book.

This YouTube channel can benefit parents and educators anywhere. But it may be especially helpful for local parents who are curious about how I approach reading and what I could bring to their child. These videos may help someone decide to reach out to book a facilitated book club, individual novel study, private tutoring, or book-themed birthday party.

Let me know which book(s) you want to see me cover next!