Website review by Fayme Evenson, Common Sense Education | Updated November 2017
Bookopolis
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Bookopolis

Cute social network lets kids log books and connect with other readers

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Learning rating
Editorial review by Common Sense Education
Community rating
Based on 2 reviews
Privacy rating
Not yet rated Expert evaluation by Common Sense
Grades
1–8 This grade range is based on learning appropriateness and doesn't take into account privacy. It's determined by Common Sense Education, not the product's publisher.
Subjects & Skills
English Language Arts, Communication & Collaboration
Great for
Media Literacy, Digital Citizenship, Social Media
Price:  Free
Platforms:  Website
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Take a look inside

5 images
The home page offers recommendations and info about the site.
Users can browse built-in book lists, including Common Core-aligned texts.
A reading log lets students track their progress.
Teachers can create classes and assignments and monitor student progress.
Discover books with BookQuest, a great way for students to find new and interesting books.

Pros: Social networking features, badges, and recommended books will delight and engage young readers.

Cons: The design might feel a bit juvenile for the middle school set.

Bottom Line: Kids-only social network gives students a safe space to connect, allows students to showcase and share their reading progress.

How Can I Teach with This Tool?

Use Bookopolis to set up a safe, private social network for your students' free reading or in-class reading assignments. Have students browse for and discover books that interest them. For students who don't know where to start, teachers can provide recommendations. Bookopolis offers two nice models for this: Book Trailers and Book Talks. They also offer summer reading lists that could be a good place to start. After students are done reading, they can complete their review of the book as well as a book report. Teachers can then comment on the reading logs, reports, and reviews and also track student reading by group or by individual, including the number of minutes spent reading and the number of pages completed.

For an extension activity at the end of a semester or year, have students create a Book Trailer or Book Talk for the best book they've read. 

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Standards:

Editor's Note: Bookopolis has temporarily shut down all of their social networking features. The site now redirects to a site that offers book recommendations. For more, see this article.

Bookopolis is a social reading website (and Chrome app) that allows students to log, rate, and review books they’ve read. With a parent's help, students create an account, choose an avatar, and create lists of books they'd like to read, books they're currently reading, and books they've already read. Kids can browse built-in book lists, including curated lists by award winners, Common Core-aligned books, and read-alike ("if you liked this, try this") lists. These built-in lists are available for early readers (grades 1-3), older readers (grades 3-6), and middle school readers (grades 6-8). There's also a Fun & Games section where students can engage in word games, trivia, and puzzles. Students earn points and badges by logging their reading and recording their progress, and their friends, parents, and teachers can view their updates.

Teacher accounts have more extensive features that let teachers create classes, monitor reading progress, recommend books to kids, and create assignments linked to specific books. Kids can then submit book reports directly from the site. Keep in mind that users can link directly to vendor sites where books are for sale; there's an alert that lets kids know they're leaving the site, but it might not prevent purchases. 

Recent updates add a lot more features: Discover books with BookQuest or Bookopolis Reader Picks, make and share book lists, and make and share wish lists. Other features include Summer Reading HQ, Book Trailers & Talks, and weekly book giveaways. These features add a bit more dimension to a student's experience.

Bookopolis offers a great way for students to find new books to read and to reflect on their reading in a fun, safe environment. Kids must enter a parent's email address and get permission before creating an account. Bookopolis is like a Goodreads just for kids; it lets students create a record of what they've read, and the more they read, the more rewards they'll receive. Writing reviews lets students practice their communication and writing skills in a safe space where they can concentrate more on their words than on who'll read them. Badges and points may serve as good motivators for reluctant readers, and the charming animated design may keep kids coming back.

Bookopolis' social features would be even better if they let kids engage with their classmates in conversation rather than just in comments. For example, it would be great if kids could respond to their friends' reading progress and book ratings, allowing for a discussion. Teachers can respond, but it would be even better to have an option for students to dialogue about books in this online setting. It would also be great if the included games promoted learning more explicitly or linked more explicitly to certain books; as it is, they're neat, but they seem like more of an afterthought to keep kids on the site than a meaningful learning extension.

Overall Rating
Engagement Would it motivate students and hold their interest? Is it visually appealing? Would it inspire teachers to try something new or change their instruction?

The colorful design and motivating badges are terrific. Kids will love browsing their friends' reading lists and playing games in the visually impressive Fun & Games section.

Pedagogy Does the tool help teachers promote a more student-centered experience? Will students gain conceptual understanding or think critically? Does it deepen teachers’ pedagogical thinking?

Reading books and writing reviews can lead to discussion in the classroom, and transferrable learning; more robust collaboration features would solidify these skills.

Support Can students and teachers get assistance when they need it? Is it created with people of different abilities and backgrounds in mind? Is learning reinforced and extended beyond the digital experience?

The Mayor of Bookopolis' blog is useful if limited in coverage. Helpful videos launch upon login to get users started. A decent FAQ section enables users to find answers.

Common Sense reviewer
Fayme Evenson Other
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Key Standards Supported

Reading Literature

  • RL.4.1

    Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

  • RL.4.2

    Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text.

  • RL.4.10

    By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, in the grades 4–5 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

  • RL.5.2

    Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.

  • RL.5.10

    By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, at the high end of the grades 4–5 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

  • RL.6.2

    Determine a theme or central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.

  • RL.6.10

    By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 6–8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

  • RL.7.2

    Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text.

  • RL.7.10

    By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 6–8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

  • RL.8.2

    Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text.

  • RL.8.10

    By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of grades 6–8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

Writing

  • W.5.6

    With some guidance and support from adults, use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of two pages in a single sitting.

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Community Rating

(See all 2 reviews) (2 reviews) Write a review
Featured review by
Kristin L. , Technology coordinator
Technology coordinator
Bookopolis - like Facebook for books!
I think that this is a good web tool. Kids value other kids opinions and seek knowledge from their peers. Bookopolis is a great site for students to browse and it really gives them the opportunity to peruse books that they would not ordinarily pick up based on other students' recommendations. Unlike the library or bookstore, bookopolis is open 24/7 - no downtime.
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