GMBA -- Forum guidelines
In 2008/09 The Young Writers Project partnered with the Green Mountain Book Award Committee to create a live review/discussion group for the GMBA selections for 2008/09 and to assist in the selection of the GMBA winner.
GMBA has set up its own blogs for the 2009/10 finalists; click here to access that blog.
If you wish to read previous years' finalist books and revive the forums here, have at it. Those forums can be accessed through the YWP Book Forum links on the list of books or by clicking here: Green Mountain Book Award Forums.
We have several ways for you to learn more about each book. First, we have a thorough list of the 2007-08 GMBA books with summaries, links to authors, publishers, individual forums and more.
YWP has a simple set of suggestions for these forums:
- Use complete sentences -- these are not chat rooms but areas to express what you think about the books;
- be civil and respectful; and
- comment on each other's observations.
Here are some suggested guidelines from the GMBA committee for writing reviews in the forums:
- Book reviews can be between 200 and 1,000 words in length;
- Each review can include a brief descriptive summary but should outline why the book is appealing; and
- Since YWP is all about writing, students should talk about the author's style and effectiveness and plot and character development.
Reviews and discussion on the forums also should touch on the quality of the following features:
For Nonfiction:
- Authority and responsibility of the author
- Organization
- Writing style
- Illustrations
- Design
- Documentation of sources
For Fiction:
- Plot
- Integration of background material
- Pacing
- Mood
- Characterization
- Point of view
- Setting
- Writing style
- Theme
For Poetry:
- Sound (rhyme, meter)
- Imagery
- Ideas
