What is a Book Report & How to Write a Perfect One

Writing a book report is a terrifying experience for many students. The terror begins with reading and understanding what you're reading but then continues as your thoughts become paper in front of you.

Have you ever been assigned a book report and thought, ‘Ugh! This is going to be terrible?’ Well, we're here to help.

Below you can find a helpful guide to understand how to write a perfect report. Here we have also provided some sample book reports and a free book report template for your help.

What is a Book Report?

A book report is an informative piece of writing that summarizes the novel and presents some brief analysis on its main elements like plot, setting, characters.

This could either be a work of fiction or nonfiction with a tone covering everything from serious to humorous.

A book review is not the same as a book report. Although they may look similar, one requires in-depth analysis and an objective point of view while the other is more descriptive and subjective.

Some course instructors may ask students to add relevant themes of the book and plot elements into their book reports. But, on a very basic level, a book report is an extremely simple form of review for any given text - no matter what its genre or author.

How does book report writing benefit you? Writing a good report will help students to improve their analytical and communication skills. They also get the opportunity to practice expressing themselves through creative or critical thought about the different aspects of books they read.

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How to Start a Book Report?

Let your audience know that something exciting is coming up using a creative and engaging tone of voice. One way to do this is through creating mystery or suspense, which can be done with the following tips:

• Hook the Reader’s Attention

  Think about what you experience in your daily life that captures your attention. You may choose to begin by asking the reader a question or hinting at the topic of their report with drama and intrigue.

• Provide Summary and Initial Details

  Your introductory paragraph should give a little overview. This isn't the place to delve into details, but draw off your hook and share more information crucial to understanding what happens in the storyline of this report.

• Make a Strong Thesis Statement

  When writing a paper, you might also include your own interpretations of the subject matter. Make sure to ask your teacher how much personal interpretation he or she wants first, though!

  If they want some opinion from you, introduce it with an introduction that includes a thesis statement - this is where you present the reader with your argument about what you think about the work.

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How to Write a Book Report?

Here are the steps that you need to follow for writing a great book report.

• 1. Read the Book

  Writing a good report requires that you have read the material. Many students think they can summarize or borrow from other sources online, but this is not the correct methodology.

  Reading the text will help you learn from the book, understand what's happening in detail, and write about it more effectively; otherwise, one would be forced into summarizing, leading to inaccuracies.

• 2. Note Down Important Points

  When reading the book, be sure to keep a notebook with you for quick reference. No other method is as useful and helpful as having your pen ready.

• 3. Gather Relevant Quotes

  You should take relevant and strong quotes from the book to write a better report on your theme. The quote will also help when you write an evaluation, for example, if it relates to what you're saying in your paper.

• 4. Create the Outline

  The outline is the backbone of a good and strong report. It's important to make an organized, detailed list with all points that need attention. This way, you can stay focused on what needs to be included in your writing.

• 5. Write Your Book Report

  After you have finished reading the book, start writing your report. Follow closely to what points and quotes you've gathered to stay focused on finishing up this project.

  Usually, including both basic information about a certain topic or text and an analysis of it, make sure that there is enough detail provided for readers so they can come away with more knowledge than when they started reading.

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Book Report Outline

When you finish the book, you'll have all of these notes written down. These will be very helpful when it comes time to do your outline. The book report outline includes the following three elements.

• 1. Introduction

  The opening paragraph is your chance to quickly build some interest by mentioning any unusual facts or circumstances about the writing of the book. You should also mention why you chose to read through this specific work, so the reader can really understand where you were coming from and how much effort went into picking one thing over another as if life depended on which direction our thumb would move across those pages next.

• 2. Body Paragraphs

  In the first paragraph of your essay, you should briefly introduce a key theme or plot point without giving away too much detail. In the second paragraph, try to provide an example from that part of the book and explore how it relates back to what is happening in other chapters or throughout. You could also compare two characters while exploring their similarities and differences.

  In the third body paragraph, you can add some quotes from the book to provide authenticity. At the middle school and high school level, they have a three-paragraph format for their reports. Begin with a statement that supports your thesis in one sentence, followed by five or six examples drawn from the text, which also consolidate your position further on this particular point of argumentation before concluding decisively and showing how it fulfills what is asked at first.

• 3. Conclusion

  This report summarizes the points discussed in the book. It is for an audience that needs to be more informed about this topic, and it can help them become better at what they do if read carefully.

Book Report Template

Here is a sample book report format template that you can go through for a better understanding.

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Book Report Examples

Before you head into the writing process of your book report, it's a great idea to take some time and look at examples of other people's book reports. In this way, you'll see how others have written their own work in an engaging manner that will inspire creativity on your part as well.

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Book Report Ideas

Picking a book for your report can be an intimidating task. You don't have any idea which books to read or what the professor will prefer, but there are some ideas of different subjects you could write about:

• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
• The Fault in Our Stars book report
• Animal Farm by George Orwell
• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
• Hunger games book report
• A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
• Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
• Charlotte's webbook report

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are the main parts of a book report?

The main parts of a book report are the bibliography, characters, setting, themes, and plot. These four elements form a descriptive book report. However, most reports that you will read in high school or college are expository-based, meaning they explore an idea rather than discuss it.

Are book reports essays?

A book report is, quite simply, an essay about a book. A book report is a type of essay that students are asked to write by their teachers. Different formats for this writing assignment may be used, but the most common one is expository style (i.e., telling about something).

How long should a book report be?

Your book report should not exceed two double-spaced pages, and it should be somewhere between 600 and 800 words in length.

What is a thesis in a book report?

After a brief introduction of your topic, you state your point of view on the topic. This sentence is the thesis statement and serves as an overview of what will be discussed in this paper.

Caleb S.

Literature, Marketing

Caleb S. has extensive experience in writing and holds a Masters from Oxford University. He takes great satisfaction in helping students exceed their academic goals. Caleb always puts the needs of his clients first and is dedicated to providing quality service.