How to write a book report: a simple guideline

At first, it may seem that book reports are rather simple: you take a book and write about it. However, many students fail or get a low grade. Do you want to follow their path or prefer getting an A?

Today we will talk about this common assignment and will try to give you as many tips as possible to make the writing process easy and fun!

So what is a book report? It is a written assignment or a presentation, which summarizes, describes and sometimes evaluates a book of any genre.

In the majority of cases, it is assigned at school for the teacher to see whether a student has read the book or not.

How to do a book report with ease

Book report format high school is rather common, so when writing this sort of assignment you don’t need to invent anything new and just stick to general rules. Here are the elements your report should consist of:

• Book’s title and publication year;
• Author’s name;
• The genre of the book (its category or type);
• Main subject, theme, and plot;
• Summary of the main points that are discussed in the book;
• Your own opinion on the book, which concerns its strong and weak sides;
• Quotations to back your point of view.

How to start a book report

We have written a book report template for those, who are not sure where to get started. Here is how your introduction should look like:

– The first sentence, which includes information on the class and instructor, for whom the report is completed;

– The second sentence contains the book’s title and author’s name;

– The third sentence gives information on the number of pages and the publisher’s name;

– The fourth sentence contains bibliographic data on the book. It concerns not only a title and author but publishing house, year of publication and other important details (for example, edition, translation and so on);

– The fifth sentence should include reasons why you decided to write a report in this particular book. Here are some of the reasons that you may have:

1. It was written by your favorite author;
2. You like this genre;
3. It was a recommendation;
4. It was on a reading list;
5. The cover looked appealing.

– Another additional sentence can be included if there is relevant information on the cover. For example, did the book become a best seller? How many copies were sold? Did it get any awards?

Book report outline and book report template

By now you know how a book format and introduction should look like, so it is the right time to discuss the rest of the paragraphs.

• Paragraph with main characters

The first sentence should include information about key characters and their importance to the story. You can refer to them as Main Character(s). This paragraph will require you more than a single sentence, usually a few sentences for every character.

• Paragraph with the rest of the characters

Once you are done with the main characters, you need to describe those, who are also important for the book but are not crucial. Devote at least one sentence to every one of them, providing their names, key features, and roles that they are playing in the book.

In the majority of cases, there are around five important characters apart from the main ones, so even if you just list them and tell about their key roles, you will have a ready paragraph.

• Paragraph for plot’s summary

This one is the most difficult and long paragraph, which should be around five-six sentences. In case you don’t fit in this format, don’t worry! The points, which you need to cover here should include:

• Book’s type (novel, mystery, detective, etc.);
• Where the story in the book takes place (country or a certain place);
• It’s period (18th century, ancient Greece, present or future);
• Other locations, which are important to render the writer’s ideas. For example, houses, buildings or vehicles;
• Any remarkable details;
• What the main characters are trying to achieve?
• What is the end of the book?

You need to cover all aspects of the book, so it is highly advisable to read it attentively and apply critical reading. Don’t forget to make notes, because they will save lots of your time and you won’t have to get back to the book if you forget something.

– Conclusion and your impressions

Here is where you can give freedom to your imagination and describe what you liked or didn’t like about the chosen book. You can make this paragraph a conclusion, where you will summarize impressions and finish it with a few ideas.

Start this section by stating that you are writing a conclusion. Then you need to restate what you enjoyed about the book and what parts seemed boring/weak/inappropriate.

You can also write about the lessons you have learned from the story. Finish your conclusion with the final sentence, which tells whether you recommend it to others or not.

Book report format for college

Very often we are asked how a book report format college looks like. Actually, it is the same as the one for school, so you just need to get familiar with the format that we have provided above.

However, the college has more demands on the size and structure of your paper, so make sure that you find out all the instructor’s requirements well in advance.

Organize your paper in a clear manner: devote separate paragraphs for every argument, stick to active voice and remain descriptive.

Make sure that there are topic and closing sentences in every paragraph, so the readers can easily track your thoughts and key points you want to render.