How to Design Book Reports
In middle school and high school, you will write several book reports. The book report is intended to give the reader an idea of what the book was about. The reader is generally the teacher who will grade you on your work. A good book report follows a few simple steps.
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Things You'll Need
- - Printer paper
- - Printer ink
- - Printer
- - Computer
- - Hole puncher
- - Book report cover
Instructions
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1
Use a computer with Microsoft Word for your book report. Perform a spell check before printing out your final copy of the book report. Prior to printing your paper, check to make sure your printer has ink and you have paper for printing your report on.
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2
Create a title page. Include the title of the book (italicized), your name, the date, and what class you are writing the book report for. Center the words on the page. Print out this page separate from the rest of your report.
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3
Write an Introduction. The Introduction will appear on the next page in your report. In the Introduction, include the title of the book (italicized) and the author's name, publication information for the book, such as the name of the publisher, the year it was published, and the number of pages. Include the genre, such as fiction, nonfiction, autobiography, or biography. Include a short writeup that summarizes what the book is about. Your summary should only be one or two sentences long.
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4
Compose the body of the book report. If the book is fiction, write about the main characters, the good guys and bad guys, and where and when the story took place. Include life-changing events that took place and affected the characters' decisions or affected specific choices or decisions that were made. If the book is nonfiction, summarize the author's topic and point out what arguments the author had on the subject. Discuss the conclusion of the book. Point out the sections or chapters of the book that were the highlights of the story. Include your opinion of the book and tell the reader if you liked or disliked the book. Discuss the specific parts of the book that you liked or disliked and how they affected you or why you liked them or disliked them.
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Write a conclusion. In the conclusion, you want the reader to know what your overall thoughts on the book were. Is it a book you would recommend to others? Is there anything you would have liked to be different in the story? Include any additional information you'd like your reader to have from your book report.
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Print out the report, using regular printer paper. Use a 3-ring hole puncher to punch holes in the left margins, and place the report in a plastic folder or paper folder (depending on your instructor's preference).
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Tips & Warnings
To help you write down your thoughts for the body of the report, outline the main points you want to talk about in your report. Use the outline as a guide when writing the report.
Do not print your book report using multicolored ink or colored paper. Keep it neat (not wadded up and no food trails on the report).
