C h a p t e r 1 9
Book Report
A
book report briefly summarizes and offers a reaction to a book. While it always
includes certain details, a book report is usually tailored to its reader. Thus, a
book report written for an English class has very different content from one written
for a social science or technical class. As opposed to a book review [see Chapter 36,
Review], the book report strives only to report what the book includes, reflecting only
briefly, perhaps indirectly, the reader’s reaction to it. Emphasis usually falls on those
aspects of the book directly related to the subject matter of the class for which the
report is prepared. In fact, a book report is often used to prove that the writer has
gained knowledge from outside reading in the subject area.
cHaracteristics
Book reports usually follow a rather simple format that includes
-^ the title of the book,
-^ the author’s name,
-^ the characters, setting, and point of view in a work of fiction [see
characterization, setting, and point of view in the Glossary],
-^ a one-paragraph synopsis of the book [see Chapter 39, Synopsis, and synopsis in
the Glossary],
-^ the topic or theme of the book as it relates to the subject matter of the class for
which the report is being written [see theme in the Glossary],
-^ the writer’s reaction to the book, particularly as related to anything he or she
may have learned from reading it, and
-^ direct quotations from the book to support general statements.
Process
Realistically, a book report cannot deal with every aspect of a book. Use the follow-
ing steps to plan, organize, write, and revise a successfully focused book report.