A book report is an oral presentation or a composed composition that depicts, sums up, and (regularly, however not generally) assesses a work of non-fiction or fiction. Though in general writing book reports are college assignments, yet nowadays it has made its appearance in some professional works like newspapers, magazines, and academic journals.
Writing a book report can be a pretty interesting task for some of the students as it provides them with a chance to go through an entire book and research on its work as well as author. In a book report, you need to present the entire summary of the text in a straightforward and concise manner. However, completing this assignment seems to be a daunting task as it becomes quite difficult for them to describe a whole book in just a short summary.
Well, if you want to know how to write a top-notch book report, then go through this blog precisely. Before you proceed, it is important for you to know what is a book report.
What is Book Report?
If described from a general and objective point of view, then a book report is actually a short description of the text. It is an informational essay that summarizes the events as well as all-important facts and themes of either fictional or non-fictional texts. While writing a book report, one must be sure that here the writer doesn’t need to describe any personal opinion on the book.
Book reports discuss a book from an objective stance. Thus, there is no such difference between a book report and a book review; but the only difference lies in that a book report is more focused upon the summarization of the literary work than that of its evaluation. In short, it gives its readers an account of the plot, main characters, main idea, or thesis involved in the work.
As Sharon Kingen openly discusses that a book report is essentially a way of deciding if a student has read a book or not. (Teaching Language Arts in Middle Schools, 2000).
Characteristic Elements of a Book Report
Book reports are usually written following a specific format that incorporates the accompanying data and information:
- The title of the book and its publication year
- The name of the author
- The genre of the book, i.e., its type or classification (for instance, autobiography, fiction, or biography)
- The plot, main subject or theme of the book
- A concise summary of the central thoughts or key points treated in the book
- Brief citations from the book to support usual perceptions
- The reader’s reaction to the book, by recognizing it’s obvious strengths and shortcomings
Different Forms of Book Reports
When a student writes a book report, he/she actually analyzes the book after reading it thoroughly and conveys the different aspects of it using dialogues and descriptions. Here are three effective types of book reports:
- A Plot Summary: While writing a plot summary, you need not simply retell the story; rather you need to focus on why the plot seems compelling and also use plenty of examples to support your opinions.
- A Character Analysis: Here the different characters are analyzed based on their physical as well as their personality traits. Also, you need to observe how their actions and words have affected the plot of the story; and what impression it leaves upon the readers.
- Themes: Make sure to explore the themes that have been discussed in the book. Establish a direct connection between the themes and examples stated in the book.
No matter which form of book report you choose to write, your writing should be expressive, creative, and clear.
How to Write an Excellent Book Report?
When you are attempting to write a good book report, then you must provide the readers with enough information on the book so that they can get a good and balanced understanding of the text, without reading too much at a stretch and getting bored.
To get complete step-by-step instructions on how to create a good book report, read on this section suggested by our pool of experts at EduHelpHub.
Go Through the Entire Book: If you wish to write a book report, then the primary thing that you need to do is read the entire book at first; and there is no shortcut to it. Though there are some resources and notes that might prove helpful to you, however, you cannot substitute it for reading a book. Also, while reading, you must attempt to take notes as this might help in writing reports.
Methods to Annotate in the Book:
- Circle the main arguments or central ideas
- Underline all important events
- Highlight the introduction of a new character
- Draw a star where you find moments of conflict.
If you cannot annotate the notes in the book itself, then you can prefer to take notes in a separate notebook or you can also use sticky notes. While using this method, make sure to keep a track of the page numbers from where you have jotted down the notes.
Create a Proper Outline of your Book Report: Before diving straight into writing a book report, you must prepare an outline. This will help you in restricting from missing out any significant details. The outline must be totally dependent upon the type of book upon which you are writing the report.
Like if you are writing a report on a non-fiction book then you need to focus more on the important arguments and facts included in the text. However, if you are writing a book report on a fictional novel or adventurous book, then it is important to put your focus on important characters, plot summary as well as the theme of the book.
Your book report outline also sometimes depends upon the assignment. Some are short, while some are long. Also, make sure that you must back up every part of the outline with a specific citation or an example from the book.
Write your Final Book Report: Once you have completed writing the outline of your book report, you must proceed to write the final copy of your book report. Just like other informational essays, in writing your book report also, you must demonstrate the things from an objective point of view and use declarative sentences to do so. That is to say, the ideas that you will be discussing in the book report must be backed up with appropriate citations, quotations as well as examples from the book.
However, avoid using too many quotes in the book report and whenever you are citing the book; always remember to use quotation marks. You can also include some transitional phrases or words into your writing to maintain a proper linking in paragraphs and sentences.
Well, as here your main objective will be just to present the facts, you must not include your own opinion about the book. Also, your goal of writing a book report should be impartial.
Proofread and Edit your Book Report: Like any other informational writings, your first draft cannot be a perfect one. So, it is recommended to go through it several times and proofread it carefully. Make sure to look out for any grammatical or spelling mistakes; also ensure whether it maintains a logical flow in the writing that helps the reader. Consider backing up every specific detail and fact with illustrations from the book.
Once you have verified and edited your book report, now it is ready to be presented before the readers and instructors. But even after following these steps, you fail to customize a book report, then ask EduHelpHub for reliable assignment help. We have qualified experts who have been writing these reports and reviews on books for years and thus have gained enough experience in it.
An Interesting Example of a Book Report
While writing a book report, it is important to jot down all important details so that you did not miss out on anything important and immerse yourself fully while writing one. After reading the book carefully, it will be wise to analyze it based on the following categories. Like, for example, we have seen E.B. White’s “Stuart Little.”
Title: Stuart Little
Author: E.B. White
Date of Publication: 1945
Setting (Time and Spot): The timeframe is the 1930s or 1940s. Since no exact date has been provided, the story is fairly ageless. The story occurs in different areas. These incorporate Stuart’s home, New York (counting Central Park), and also it includes a little town called Ames’ Crossing. The story continuously moves from one city into the countryside.
Plot: When Mrs. Little brings forth Stuart Little, he looks surprisingly like a mouse. Because of his size, Stuart needs to endeavor to beat the difficulty. During the time of his growing up, he goes on different undertakings. He becomes friends with a bird named Margalo, and when she vanishes all of a sudden he leaves his home in an attempt to discover her. His companion Dr. Carey provides him a little vehicle, thus he drives off looking for Margalo. On the outing, he spends some time and energy as a substitute educator and stops quickly in a little town called Ames’ Crossing. There he becomes hopelessly enamored with a small young lady called Harriet Ames. Moreover, the relationship is a catastrophe, and Stuart chooses to proceed onward. At long last, Stuart has not found Margalo, however, he has found that the excursion itself can be an excellent thing.
Main Characters: Stuart Little; Stuart’s family (father, mother, George); Margalo (the bird); Snowbell (the cat); Harriet Ames (the love interest of Stuart’s) and Dr. Carey ( the dentist).
Lessons: The story comes up with many morals that you can learn from it:
- Never be afraid of going on an adventure
- In spite of being small, always strive for the great things
- The world is beautiful and mesmerizing, and here even the smallest things matter
- Though it’s hard to search for love and friendship, one must not give up
- When you grow up, it often means saying goodbye to your home and family
- Failing should not stop you; you must try again and again.
Concepts: The story deals with subjects such as heroism, friendship, nature, and government.
Comparison with Other Books: The story of the book reminds of the books such as “The Littles”, where the world is seen from the perspective of quite small people. The story is not based on a happy context, like Charlotte’s Web. This is another one by E.B. White.
Issues Associated With Book Reports
According to Sharon Kingen’s “Teaching Language Arts in Middle Schools: Connecting and Communicating”, a book report is a typical method for deciding whether a student has actually read a book or not. A few instructors likewise consider these reports as a significant aspect of their program. Notwithstanding, there are a few issues related to book reports. To begin with, students will be able to discover enough about a book while composing a book report without really understanding it.
Second, book reports will in general be exhausting to compose as well as read. The composing is generally uninspired on the grounds that students have no responsibility for tasks and no pledge to it. Besides, book reports are not real-world composing undertakings. It is only students who compose book reports.
Conclusion
Hope that this information is sufficient enough to structure your book report. But if writing a book report still looks challenging for you then it’s good to opt for professional assistance from EduHelpHub. We have a team of professionals who work day and night to assist customers with reputed assignment writing services. You can ask them to write a book report or a book review for you and they will surely provide you with quality writings within the specified deadline.
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