Write a book blurb that leaves a reason to read

A blurb does not have to prove that the writer remembers every event. Help children choose a premise, problem or intriguing detail that gives a prospective reader an entry point while leaving the ending available to discover.

Distinguish inviting a reader from recounting the entire plot. Select enough information to establish interest without automatically revealing the ending.

A blurb can ask whether a courier finds a new route, without describing the final delivery.

Offer interest without delivering the whole plot

Name the central character and situation. Mention the problem without solving it. Check what information remains withheld.

A blurb and a full summary have different jobs.

Does the blurb accidentally reveal the resolution? Dictate two sentences to a partner.

Resources

• Six-Panel Comic Challenge — Use the panels when a visual story sequence supports the task.

Further reading

• Literacy Hub — Teaching reading professional learning

Read next

• Fiction and information texts: look beyond the cover
• Two endings, two ways of answering the story problem
• The story jumps here: helping a reader find the gap

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