How to Write a Historical Fiction Book Report

Writing a book report on a work of historical fiction is best accomplished by dividing the task into two parts. The reader of the book report will need to be aware of both the fictional elements of the story (such as plot, character, voice and others) as well as some basic information about the time period in which the action of the book takes place. By first separating each of these and then pulling them together to show how the setting influenced the story, the reader will come away with a strong sense of what the book had to say.

Instructions

1. Give the reader an overview of the main characters of the story. Explain who they are, what their goals are as the story unfolds and how they are related to each other. Provide examples of how each of the main characters interacts with the other characters. Let the reader know if the characterization is round (develops as the story progresses) or flat (stays the same throughout the book). Use the characters' names so you can refer to them in the remainder of the book report.

2. Write a short summary of the plot of the historical fiction book; that is, tell what happens in chronological order. Since you have introduced your characters in the first part of your book report, explain what happens to each of the main characters.

3. Include in your book report other relevant fictional elements. For example, you will want to say something about voice: that is, whether the story uses a first-person narrator or an omniscient author. You will want to state, if you haven't already in your discussion of plot, the major and minor conflicts in the book.

4. Take some time in your book report to explain something about the historical time and place in which the book is set. If, for example, the book is set during World War II in France, it would be important for the reader to know those facts, as well as something about the relationship between the United States and France at that time. If the book takes place at the time of King Arthur, your book report should include specific information about the years during which the story takes place and an explanation of the English setting.

5. Discuss what ideas, opinions and attributes each of the characters has that can be directly attributed to the historical setting of the book. Explain why these characters might have been different had they lived in some other time period. For example, in "The Good Earth," Pearl Buck portrays the life of a family in a small Chinese village in the early 1900s. Each member of the family acted out of the expectations and traditions of that time and place.

6. Explain to the reader why this work of historical fiction could have happened only during this particular time period and in this particular place. For example, a novel set in the Civil War, such as Margaret Mitchell's "Gone with the Wind," relies on the events of the war and the home in the South of the major characters for the central conflict around which the story revolves. In the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird," also set in the South 75 years later, Harper Lee uses the attitudes of people in a small Alabama town to set the stage for the tragic events that unfold as a result of time and place in which the characters live.

Tips & Warnings

• If the work of historical fiction is based on real people or events, include that fact, with an explanation, in your book report.

References

• 50 Book Report Ideas; Jim Walters; 2005 50 Book Report Ideas; Jim Walters; 2005
• Book Report Beagle (Learning Works Creative Writing); Pamela Klawitter; 1987

Resources

• Book reports: National Council of Teachers of English