Book Review Guideline.
While there is not one single “right” way to write a review, you’re going to be writing something a little more sophisticated than what you wrote in elementary school. This is NOT just you telling us what your book was about. The following format is what we would like you to follow for your assignment. Remember each paragraph should be 5-7 sentences long. Hereis a summary of what you should have in each paragraph:
PARAGRAPH 1
state the name of your book and the author. You would not believe how many students leave this out!!
Like a formal paper, you want an introductory paragraph that grabs the reader’s attention so that they keep on reading. You should give a BRIEF description of the book, the author’s purpose or theme of the book, and your reaction to the book. This should all be brief; you will describe everything in more detail later.
PARAGRAPH 2
This is where you write a summary of the book. Do NOT tell every little detail so the reader doesn’t have to bother reading the actual book because you spoiled it all, but do not be so vague that the reader doesn’t get a good idea.
Be sure to describe the setting of the book
PARAGRAPH 3
Describe the characters of the book – who the protagonist is, the antagonist, foil characters, other minor characters. Do the characters change in the story? What are the relationships like? Stories are usually about people, so be sure to emphasize the characters. Be sure to describe the conflicts. That’s the gossip of the story!
PARAGRAPH 4
Be sure to address the literary elements such as examples of foreshadowing, flashbacks, the author’s tone, the author’s point of view, etc.
PARAGRAPH 5 (Depending on how many paragraphs you used for the plot summary)
Theme. Write a paragraph on the “moral” of the story. Why did the author write the book? What was he/she trying to do or get across? Use examples or quotations from the book.
PARAGRAPH 6
Your opinion. Try to address at least some of the following questions: Did you like the book? Could you relate to it? Did the book achieve its goal? Did the book leave something out? Were there parts you didn’t understand or didn’t like? Would you recommend the book?
