Designed to improve students' discussion skills and to promote independent reading, the "Talking about Books" program stresses the improvement of oral language through peer group discussion of books. Like the Junior Great Books program, "Talking about Books" requires that students read selected books independently and then participate in group discussions about these books. The rules for discussion require that teachers ask carefully conceived reflective questions, that responses and contributions to the discussion be made only by students, and that students respond to each other as well as to the questions asked by the teacher or leader. The questions for each book contain two, three, or four main (basic) questions, which are followed by a series of subquestions. The approach used is inductive; that is, by thinking about and answering the subquestions, the students are guided to an understanding and appreciation of the main questions. (This manual presents rules for the discussion in grades two through nine, examples of student self-evaluation forms, criteria for self-evaluation, a discussion leader self-evaluation form, a discussion evaluation form, and a sampling of discussion questions for suggested books.) (HOD)