Talking About Books

Some basic questions to get you started talking about books (with your kids!):

1. What did you like about the book?
2. What did you not like about the book?
3. Who is your favorite character and why?
4. Do you like the ending? Does it "work"?
5. What's the main point of the book? (this is really the "theme" but you don't have to call it that)
   
6. Is there anything in the book (characters, plot, theme) that you think demonstrates Biblical truth? (this can be VERY broad: kindness, beautiful creation, dignity/worth of human life, justice, mercy, consequences for sin, drugs/alcohol seen as less than exemplary, positive portrayals of marriage and/or gender, actual discussions in the book of such concepts as forgiveness/redemption/heart condition, ....).
7. Is there anything in the book (characters, plot, theme) that you think violates Biblical truth? (again, VERY broad: injustice, setting up of self as absolute truth/standard, extra marital sex glorified, lack of redemption outside of self, no positive portrayal of marriage, gender called into question, unnecessary language/profanity, violence for the sake of violence, characters denigrated who exhibit such things as the Fruit of the Spirit, ....)
8. Is there anything in the book that troubles you? (very broad again)
9. Do you want to read more books like this (or by this author)? Why or why not?
10. Anything else you can think of?

You don't have to ask all of these, of course. But it's worth noting that sometimes pointing out what a book does well can be just as, if not more, instructive than what a book portrays that's "wrong." I'll try to offer some discussion points for the books I review. And, as I mentioned earlier, I'll try to provide some more tools for teaching discernment.