Book Review Blog

After an email chat with @pigsmightfly (twitter name) regarding the use of QR codes in a library an idea began to form, could we develop a book review blog and embed the posts into QR codes - then cut and paste(old style! yes using scissors and glue) the QR codes into the library books. This would enable the children to read childrens' book reviews of the book they had chosen from the library!

Further discussions with @idletim (Tim Bleazard Curriculum ICT team Bradford) over twitter further honed the idea and the blog was created by Tim. 

www.bradfordschools.net/blog/youreview

My vision was create as many book reviews as possible, then use the Digital Leaders to create the QR codes and then stick them in the library books in readiness to launch our new library on World Book Day. We didn't quite reach that timetable but we did manage to get every child in KS2 to write a book review during the week leading up to World Book Day and are now printing, cutting and sticking the QR codes.

How the reviews look on the blog

Further twitter discussions with @joolzconway who asked to steal the idea resulted in creating at first a city wide collaborative book review blog. The more book reviews written meant more QR codes for the library. We now have approximately 10 schools across Bradford sharing book reviews, over 100 reviews written, been visited by over 20 countries and had over 700 visitors.

Uses of the Site
1. Simply a review site on which children can read children's reviews
2. A reason for writing
3. identifies favourite authors and books through the tags
4. Another useful use of QR codes

QR code of multiple Gruffalo reviews

QR code of The Twits which would be stuck in
the library books

Recent additions include the addition of a slideshow of book covers from reviewed books to enable a visual search of the reviews

Some books you will find in the book review site on PhotoPeach