Parents' Guide to BookTube

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Common Sense Media Review

Melissa Camacho By Melissa Camacho , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 14+

Insightful, mature book club series interviews star authors.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 14+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

What's the Story?

BOOKTUBE is a YouTube Original series that that features authors discussing their book with a group of active, well-known YouTube book loving vloggers. From former first lady Michelle Obama, to best-selling fiction writer James Patterson and renown novelist, poet, and activist Margaret Atwood, popular BookTubers (vlogging book influencers) ask the authors questions, and discovery more about what went into the stories and how they are told. Archive footage of the authors and related media are also briefly shown.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say : Not yet rated
Kids say : Not yet rated

This insightful series, the name of which comes from the growing vlogging community of book lovers on YouTube, features influencers talking to authors about what inspires them, and how they approach their literary work. From book club-style casual conversations and one-on-one interviews, to fun lightning rounds of question and answer sessions, viewers get the chance to learn more about the authors and their work.

It's interesting, but each of the installments, which are vary between 11-25 minutes in length, are so short and edited that they don't allow for truly in-depth conversations. As a result, each episode leaves you wanting more. But the fact that BookTube is inspired by a young generation of writers and readers is encouraging. If you love reading and writing, it's worth tuning into.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about BookTube and the growing community of book influencers on YouTube. Why is vlogging about books and writers popular? Will their work inspire people to read more?

  • The authors featured on this series offer a range of life experiences that have inspired their writing over the years. Can you relate to any of those experiences? How might they inspire you to write?

TV Details

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