Tips for Writing a Good Book Report
May 3, 2017| Category: Freelance Writing, Writing Tips
Are you new to freelance writing? Want to broaden your academic writing experience by getting acquainted with different types of papers? Surely, it is a good way to become a professional freelance writer and boost your income at the same time. Having read this article, you will learn how a good book report should be written.
A book report is a good way for a professor to check how well a student understood some certain book, to make him/her think more deeply about the book, and to find out learner’s opinion on it. Many professors have their own criteria for writing a book report, but there are some certain elements that are always requested. Another important thing that should be kept in mind is that book reports and book reviews are very similar. While both of them are mainly focused on the summary, book reviews tend to be more convincing, like why someone should read the book; and book reports usually describe what the book is about, its plot, main characters, and thesis.
Introduction Part. Before you start reading the book itself, pay special attention to the things listed below since you will need to collect some basic information from the book, which includes:
- Author. (Who is the author of the book and have you already been familiar with some of his works?)
- Title. (Did the title spark your interest and influenced your decision to read the book? Does it harmonize with the plot?)
- Genre. (What kind of story is it? A fantasy? An adventure? A true-life story?)
- Cover. (Does the book cover include any pictures? What thoughts come to your mind when you look at it?)
- A brief introduction to the book. (1-2 sentences)
Body. While reading, keep track of the plot, main characters, and theme. As a rule, the body includes two sections. The first is your explanation of what is the main idea of the work of fiction you have chosen, its principal characters, plot, and setting. Having described this, move to the second section and give your opinion of the book; tell how engaging and capturing the story was.
- The main idea of the story. The examples of some basic themes are the everlasting love, the power of words, good versus bad or the importance of friendship. What is the main idea of the book you’ve just read? What parts of the text made you think so?
- The setting. In other words, it’s the time and place of the story. Do the events occur in a real place? How much time passes in the story? A year? A month? A day?
- The plot. What are the key events or major conflict of the work? What has provoked it? What happens in the end? (At times, a professional freelance writer holds back the story’s end in order to catch the reader’s attention and make his book report, even more, catching and successful). Tip: When writing a book report, avoid retelling the whole story and giving too many details.
- The characters. Who are the main characters, and what happens to them? Do other characters help or hinder the main hero?
Once you have given a quick summary of the story, tell about your opinion of it. What elements did you like most? Is there anything you would like to change? Would you recommend it to others and why.
Conclusion. A good book report ends in a sentence or two summing up all the things written above. What’s the overall impression the book left you with? What’s the most significant thing you would like other people to learn?
This short guide will help you make freelance writing as easy as pie. Having written your report, do not forget to have a quick look at it. Check the spelling of the author’s name, paper’s grammar and the summary of the book slowly. Add a quote to make your report even more enjoyable!