How to Write a Book Report

Writing a book report means having a lot of fun. It means you are given the chance to read and analyze your favorite author’s book and share it with your professor or classmates. If you are assigned with a specific book to tackle, then you can learn new things out of your comfort zone. Aside from the content, all you have to do is to objectively present the structure of the book. It means there’s no need for you to do a comparison but just to present some information to the readers about the book. So, to begin with, check out a few tips below on how to write a book report.

Book Report Writing Guidelines

1. When writing a book report, you have to describe what happens in the book. You have to tackle the main idea, the plot, the setting, and the characters. You also have to include whether you like the book or not. Usually, book reports range from 250 to 500 words.

2. Begin your book report by stating the bibliographical information in the introduction. This includes the title, the author, the publisher’s information such as name and location, the year published, as well as the number of pages. You can also give a brief overview of what the book is all about and why you chose it.

3. Book report comes in different forms. When you choose to focus on the plot summary in the body, do not just retell the story. You also have to present your opinion regarding the story and explain why you think and feel that way. When analyzing the plot, also cite examples from the book to support your opinion.

4. When you analyze the characters, explore not just the personality traits but the physical characteristics as well. You can discuss how each of the different character’s actions have affected the story. You can cite examples by getting dialogues from the story and analyze both their positive traits as well as flaws.

5. When you focus on the theme, you will be discussing the main idea in which the story evolves. Express your feelings and thoughts on the theme. Make sure to discuss what the theme is all about first, and how it is being presented in the book. You can then tackle on how the theme has affected the whole story. You can also use quotations when in providing examples.

6. Conclude your book report by briefly pulling your thoughts together or by giving your overall opinion. Then stress what you want the readers to know about the book.

Although a book report objectively discusses a book in summary, you shouldn’t simply summarize the whole content. You also have to inform the readers by analyzing its structure. However, compared to a book review, a book report is more focused on the summary of the material. If you are still a bit confused, reread the information outlined above on how to write a book report and you will definitely succeed.