Writing a Book Report: A Newbie's Guide

[Gagan A]

Book report!

I am supposed to write a book report on any book of my choice, I am thinking of a sci-fi book (maybe I, Robot or The Robots of Dawn, but the second one I suppose is not a good choice. Suggestions are welcome though.). But I am facing a tiny little problem. I have never written a book report before and I have a lot of stupid questions.
What are we supposed to write in a book report? Is it just supposed to be cut down version of the original book or what? How much time would it take a amatuer like me to do so?

 

[Mk]

Ask your teacher what (s)he wants. Everyone is different. They all generally need a summary though. You have to say how awesome the book was, and recommend it for a certain type of person at the end. Make sure to include the title of the book, AND its author. Don't worry, I'm sure you can pull it off, don't give up yet! Pick a book you will like. Everybody hates reading a book for a book report that they don't like.

I personally suggest writing it about a book you have already read (oooh, how naughty!) and go on to keep reading normally as you do. I'm sure if you're here you read a whole lot, and aren't in need of the services of making you read a book. However, if you're not a compulsive reader like some of us, by golly read a new book! If you think you're teacher will read it, put how this book will change your life if it sounds ok.

 

[Gokul43201]

I once wrote a review of a book that I could not get more than a quarter of the way through (I was in middle school, and we were assigned books by a random lottery). It was just not my style at the time - I was at the age when virtually all my literary input came from spy books, and a slow, social drama set in rural 19th century England wasn't cutting it for me. I unabashedly ripped the book in my review and accused George Eliot of "writing like a woman"!

 

[Dawguard]

One of the best sci-fi books I've ever read is The Carpet Makers, and it'd be easy to write a report about it.

As to writing them, when I had to do them they were all summaries of the book, usually at least four paragraphs long, followed by a simple conclusion. If you really want to write them well, spend time and polish them, etc., the longest it should take is a week, maybe a few days longer. After some practice, you can get one done in a couple hours. Don't expect to get it done quickly though, if it's your first time then spend as long as you need to do it well.

 

[Gokul43201]

A book review/report is much more than a summary. It usually begins with a brief description of the time, place and scope of the story, followed by a summary of the plot. Then follows the real stuff - your analysis of how the author conveys the desired message, an evaluation of strengths and weaknesses and perhaps a comparison with other works.

The trick to writing a good review is in making detailed notes as you read the book. This can sometimes be a damper to the experience of reading the piece, so it might be clever to pick a book you've already read once.

 

[Dawguard]

A book review/report is much more than a summary. It usually begins with a brief description of the time, place and scope of the story, followed by a summary of the plot. Then follows the real stuff - your analysis of how the author conveys the desired message, an evaluation of strengths and weaknesses and perhaps a comparison with other works.

The trick to writing a good review is in making detailed notes as you read the book. This can sometimes be a damper to the experience of reading the piece, so it might be clever to pick a book you've already read once.

You had a far more stringent teacher then I did. My teacher seemed just to give us the simplest things to do, and didn't make us do any more then summaries.

 

[Danger]

If you truly can choose any book that you want, how about 'A Brief History of Time' or similar non-fiction. At the very least, it will eliminate the need for character and conflict analyses.

 

[BobG]

I once wrote a review of a book that I could not get more than a quarter of the way through (I was in middle school, and we were assigned books by a random lottery). It was just not my style at the time - I was at the age when virtually all my literary input came from spy books, and a slow, social drama set in rural 19th century England wasn't cutting it for me. I unabashedly ripped the book in my review and accused George Eliot of "writing like a woman"!

In a high school literature class I took, we had to read around a dozen short stories. There'd be a test consisting of true/false and multiple choice, plus you had to write an essay analyzing one of the short stories. I usually tended to skip one or two that seemed a little too much like chick stories (by chick stories, I mean something like the book "Little Women", although I'm probably ripping a classic). What are the odds of the teacher picking the one story I didn't read? What are the odds the teacher will eventually pick the one story I didn't read if I do that all year?

I wound up having to write my essay from three true/false questions and four multiple choice questions. Fortunately, all of the questions addressed things the teacher found important. I wound up getting a 'C', but with some really puzzled comments written all over my essay. ("Who? Who are you talking about? There was no one named "Claude" in this story!" to which I thought to myself, "Geez, don't blame me. It was your true/false question!"). She wound up with a long rambling, confused paragraph acknowledging that I had to have read the story since I understood the point the author was trying to make, but she was very confused on how I could get so many details wrong. Her comments were almost suggesting that if I had a drug problem, she might be able to help.

 

[Gokul43201]

I wound up having to write my essay from three true/false questions and four multiple choice questions.

That would be the moral and upstanding thing to do. Surely, you weren't expected to be a wimp and own up!

 

[BobG]

That would be the moral and upstanding thing to do. Surely, you weren't expected to be a wimp and own up!

Tell my female teacher I thought chick stories weren't worth reading? Ha! That would have been real smart!

 

[Math Is Hard]

I wound up having to write my essay from three true/false questions and four multiple choice questions. Fortunately, all of the questions addressed things the teacher found important. I wound up getting a 'C', but with some really puzzled comments written all over my essay. ("Who? Who are you talking about? There was no one named "Claude" in this story!" to which I thought to myself, "Geez, don't blame me. It was your true/false question!"). She wound up with a long rambling, confused paragraph acknowledging that I had to have read the story since I understood the point the author was trying to make, but she was very confused on how I could get so many details wrong. Her comments were almost suggesting that if I had a drug problem, she might be able to help.

That is hilarious!

All this talk of book reports reminds me of "How to Kill a Mockingbird"
http://www.stanford.edu/~scodary/tkam.htm

 

[BobG]

That is hilarious!

All this talk of book reports reminds me of "How to Kill a Mockingbird"
http://www.stanford.edu/~scodary/tkam.htm

I would have given him an F. He forgot to mention how Jem and Dill could pee so much further than Scout could. That happens pretty early in the book and the first time I read it, it took me a while to figure out Scout was a girl. I kept wondering what was wrong with him.

It also reminds me of a report on Napoleon one of my classmates gave (I'm not sure whether to be embarrassed or to brag about him being one of my best friends). He gave the best report on Napoleon that I've ever heard. He told us things about Napoleon that no one had ever heard before. I was in awe. Everyone was in awe. We believed every word and wondered where he'd picked up all of that cool information. Alas, it was total fantasy, but damned if he didn't tell it well!

 

[Math Is Hard]

It also reminds me of a report on Napoleon one of my classmates gave (I'm not sure whether to be embarrassed or to brag about him being one of my best friends). He gave the best report on Napoleon that I've ever heard. He told us things about Napoleon that no one had ever heard before. I was in awe. Everyone was in awe. We believed every word and wondered where he'd picked up all of that cool information. Alas, it was total fantasy, but damned if he didn't tell it well!

I think that's absolutely brilliant! How long before he was found out?

 

[Gagan A]

Apart from the book report, I also need to submit a general report. I think I will write it on Hitler, , as a dedication to your classmate. Seriously speaking, I am thinking about physics, since I have a lot of information, thanks to PF.