Writing Book Reports

If you are a student, writing a book report is something you will probably have to do at some time whether you want to or not.It has never been a favorite activity for most but it is always valuable. It is valuable because it allows you to think about the book you have read, in terms of the setting, characters, plot and finally examine your feelings and thoughts about what you have read. You learn how to give an analysis and develop your own point of view. Is it any wonder that teachers continue to give students book report assignments? With this in mind let's examine the components that will allow you to write good book reports.

Writing a Book Report is in some ways similar to writing a review. You don't want to give away the entire plot. However you do want to give an effective summary and give a firm analysis of the story.

The first thing you should do is to tell the title of the book and the author, the year the book was published and state whether the work is fiction or non-fiction. A book report should tell your readers about the setting of the story, that is, the country, state or city in which it takes place. You should also mention the time frame in which the story takes place. Is the story set in our time, the past or the future? You need to report on the main character or protagonist. Who is this person? Describe their character but never give away too much detail. You can report on other characters as well, discuss their role in the story but remember not to give away too much here either.

When writing a book report your feelings and point of view become very important. Which part of the story did you enjoy the most? Why did you enjoy it? Who was your favorite character? Why was this person your favorite character? A book report requires that you examine the impact that a story has had on you personally. Some other questions you should ask yourself are: What did you learn from the story? Did it teach you anything that you think would be valuable to your daily life? If it did don't hesitate to mention it. What were the strong points and what were the weaknesses that you found?

Every story thrives on conflict. Conflict is necessary for good drama. In writing your book report you must speak about the conflict or conflicts in the story. Again you want to summarize and not go into unnecessary details. Conflict in a story is usually resolved in some way by the end of the story. Here you can also summarize the resolution and give your opinion on why you think the conflict was resolved satisfactorily or unsatisfactorily. If you don't like the way the conflict was resolved you may suggest other ways it could have been resolved.

Book reports can sometimes seem like a chore but if you use the steps outlined above it should make the whole process a lot easier.