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Book report
form and some advice about writing a book report.
Writing
About Writing – this is a book report after all. Below we offer some advice
about writing book reports and offer a basic book report form.
It may seem strange at first to
write about something someone else has already written. But it’s more natural
than you think. Consider this: asyou read a book, you have many different
thoughts about it. If you’re reading a story, most of those thoughts have to do
with following the plot, thinking about the characters, wondering what’s going
to happen next, and so on. Why couldn’t those thoughts be written down?
There’s also another line of
thinking you’re probably involved in, though you might not be as conscious of
it. This kind of thinking has to do with things like whether or not you’re
enjoying the quality of the writing, what your favorite part might be, or how
the book compares to others you’ve read on the same subject, in the same genre,
or by the same author. These thoughts are interesting, too, and are just as
worthy of being recorded and shared.
The following list of essential
book report elements is taken from
Be a Writer: Your Guide to the Writing
Life!
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Book Report Form
An original title.
It is
possible to get away with titling a book review like this: “A Review of…[put the
book title here]” but it isn’t very entertaining and it isn’t likely to draw
readers in unless they’ve already read the book themselves or are considering
it. It’s much better to do what this writer did and come up with an original
title. In this case, the writer has chosen to use a phrase that refers to why
she liked the book so much.
An interesting lead.
Having
a good lead is just as important in a book review as it is in any other piece of
writing. I think this lead is clever. It’s only ten words long and yet it gives
us a sense that the book is about someone’s life and all the things that happen
to her.
A brief summary of
the plot.
For readers who
have not read the book, it’s nice to offer a brief plot summary. A single
paragraph, as the author has used here, is often all you need. Just don’t spoil
the ending. Readers hate that.
The reviewer’s
favorite part.
In a favorable
review, one of the reviewer’s jobs is to tell other readers why the book is
worth reading. This is just one person’s opinion, so we’d like to know as much
about that one person’s tastes as we can. One good way to discover this is when
reviewers share the parts they like best.
The author’s
message.
Most stories you
read will have a message, one important thing the writer wants you to know. This
is what the book is all about—at least as far as the reviewer is concerned. The
interesting thing about this is that different reviewers can read the same book
and come up with completely different messages.
The quality of the
writing.
In addition to
talking about the story, we can also talk about the way it’s written. Sometimes
books have great plots but aren’t well-written. On the other hand, I’ve read
books where almost nothing happens at all, but the quality of the writing is so
good I remain fascinated with it from cover to cover.
How the book
compares with other books.
Sometimes, in
addition to knowing if a book is any good, it’s helpful to know
how it is like or
unlike other books in the same genre or by the same author. Even if we haven’t
read the book being reviewed, we might know one or more of the books the
reviewer is using for comparison.
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A recommendation.
In a
way, the entire review is one big recommendation. But sometimes, right at the
end, reviewers will say something more specific to define the kind of reader
they feel will most appreciate the book.
Download complete chapters from
Be a Writer:
Your Guide to the Writing Life!
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Be a Writer: Your
Guide to the Writing Life!
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