Hook Your Reader!

Part of becoming a strong writer is being able to use descriptive writing to engage your reader and "paint a picture" with your words. As we have been working on creating fictional and personal narratives, we were wondering what some of the best ways to "hook" our readers are. A "hook" is the very beginning of a story, which is meant to grab the reader's attention and encourage them to want to read the rest of the story. A good story always starts with an interesting hook. 

We did a bit of research to find out what makes a good hook, and to find some examples of good hooks in our classroom library. Here are some examples that really grabbed our attention and made us want to read on! 

We then wondered, what is it about these hooks (and many others!) that grabbed our attention? With some critical thinking, we realized they all started in similar ways. Some started with a question, some with a sound effect (onomatopoeia), an exciting moment, a detailed description of a setting, character or feeling, or maybe even with some dialogue between characters. 

As we continue developing as writers, we will pay extra close attention to our hooks. For now, we'll keep an eye out for some interesting beginnings when we are reading. Do you have any books that have an interesting hook? Maybe you can even explore the books you have at home!