How to Write a High School Book Review

Discuss the merits of the novel you have read in a book review.

Book reviews allow you to share your opinion of a literary text with the world. To compose an effective high school book report, you must carefully analyze your feelings about the novel and consider why you feel as you do about the text. Well-written book reports also contain accounts of the basic plot points and genre of the novel, allowing would-be readers to preview the text and determine, based on your appraisal, whether or not they are interested in picking up the book in question.

Instructions

1. Skim the book you are planning to feature in your review. Jot down the main theme and a short explanation of how this theme is expressed in the text.

2. List strengths and weaknesses of the book prior to beginning the composition of your report. Create a two-column chart, labeling one side "strengths" and the other "weaknesses," Review the novel and complete the chart accordingly. Only list points that can be proven. For example, don't write "boring" under weaknesses unless you can demonstrate how inadequacies in the plot or character development made the novel unenjoyable to read.

3. Include the title and author in the first paragraph. This identifying information makes it easy for readers to determine specifically which book you are reviewing, and as such should be at the forefront.

4. Compose two or three sentences that describe the basic plot and genre of the book. Do not expound on the intricacies of the plot, but instead write a concise summary that gives the readers a basic idea of what they could expect from the novel.

5. Integrate your list of strengths and weaknesses into the report, discussing the merits and downfalls of the book. Elaborate on each listed point so that your readers can better understand your assessment of the novel.

6. Provide information about the author's background, explaining how this background is relevant to the book. If the author is from the location in which the book is set or has experience in the field discussed in the novel, mention this near the conclusion of the report; discuss whether this background seemed to have a positive or negative impact on the novel.

7. Include quotations to back up your points. Surround your quotations with quotation marks, and lead into and out of the quotations instead of simply dropping them into the text. Use these quotations to justify your assessment of the novel.

8. Conclude with a clear thumbs-up or thumbs-down statement. Avoid a wishy-washy ending. A review should always stamp a book as good or bad. Take a stand and make it clear to your readers in the final paragraph whether or not you would recommend the novel.

References

• Scholastic: Writing with Writers--Write a Book Review with Rodman Philbrick
• Purdue Online Writing Lab: Writing a Book Review