Book Review Project

Write a book review on our novel,

My Side of the Mountain.

By completing this project with a passage grade you will get

Composition Unit 8 marked complete by your Homeroom
Teacher

Due Wednesday, December 13th by 5:00 PM

No exceptions or extensions!
 What is a book review?
A book review helps people decide whether or not
to read a book.

Readers of book reviews look for particular kinds of

information.

They want to know the reviewers opinion,

information about the content of the book, and
what the characters, plot, and setting are and do
in the story.

Why write a book review?

Its because readers turn to book reviews to help

them make decisions about which book to read.

Your purpose is to write a review of informing the

readers giving them specific information they
need to make their decisions.

Its important to use humor, sarcasm, or seriousness

depending on the type of book you are reviewing.
Components to keep in mind
Plot: The plot is what happens in a story. It is the
sequence of events that occur. Most plots follow a
specific order. First characters are introduced, and the
reader finds out what the conflict is. As the story moves
along, the conflict is solved, and the story reaches
its resolution.

Character: A character is a person or animal in a story.

Main characters play important roles in the events of the
story. Minor characters appear only now and then to
support the actions of the main characters.

Setting: The setting is where and when a literary work

takes place. The setting is usually described toward the
beginning of the work.

Theme: The theme is the main message that an author

wants to communicate to a reader. It is not the same as
the subject, which can often be described with just one
word, such as friendship or childhood. The theme is a
statement about the subject. A story about friendship, for
example, might have this theme: A true friend sees you
through thick and thin.

Main idea: A nonfiction selection has a main idea. The

main idea of a book about tornadoes might be this:
Tornadoes are unpredictable and extremely destructive
storms.
 Summary of story

It may seem impossible to summarize all that

information into one or two paragraphs.

Keep in mind, though, that you do not want to

tell everything about your book in your book
review.

For a summary of a fiction work, you want to

briefly retell the story.

However, you do not want to give away the

ending.

You want to give the reader a general idea of

what the book is about.

You want your reader to have enough

information to make a decision on whether or
not to read the book.
 Organizing a book review
Use this page to make notes about what you intend to
include in each section of your book review.

Introduction (with hook and thesis statement)

___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

Author Information
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

Summary
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

Opinions
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________

Conclusion (with recommendation)

___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
 Summarizing Fiction
Use this page to write out information to include in your
summary. Remember you dont want to give away the ending!

Setting:
________________________________________________________

Main Characters:
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________

Theme:
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________

PLOT
Conflict: (what is the problem)
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________

Resolution: (what happens DONT give away the ending)

________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
 Checklist for Revising
Your Book Review
Read the questions in the first column of the checklist. In the
second column, make notes about your book review.
Questions for Revising
Did I begin with a hook to draw the
reader into my review?
Did I clearly identify the title and
author of my book in the first
paragraph?
Did I include a thesis statement?
Did I tell whether the book was
fiction or nonfiction?
Did I present information in this order:
Introduction, Summary, Opinion,
Recommendation?
Did I tell about the plot, character(s),
and setting without giving away the
ending?
Did I include interesting information
about the author?
Did I use accurate quotations (if
applicable)?
Did I clearly state my opinion of the
book and tell what I liked and did
not like?
Did I make a clear
recommendation?
Notes About My Book Review
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
 Checklist for Proofreading
Your Book Review
Read the questions in the first column of the checklist. In the
second column, make notes about your book review.

Questions for Proofreading Notes About My Book Review

Did I begin all sentences with a ______________________________

capital letter and end with a mark of ______________________________
punctuation?

Did I capitalize the book title and the

______________________________
names of people and places? ______________________________

Did I show the title of the book ______________________________

correctly, either by underlining it or ______________________________
by putting it in italics?

Did I check the spelling of any words ______________________________

about which I was unsure? ______________________________

Did I indent each new paragraph of ______________________________

my book review? Each paragraph is ______________________________
5 to 6 sentences each.

Are all of my sentences complete? ______________________________

Did I use run-on sentences or ______________________________
fragments?

______________________________
Have I used correct verb forms? ______________________________
 Example book review
Below is an example Book Review taken from your Composition course.
 Example book review
Below is an example Book Review taken from your Composition course.
Writing your book review

You can use the next several pages to

write out your book review.

To submit either scan these documents

in or write them in a word document.

Remember to use your organization list,

summary sheet and checklists before
submitting your final copy to your
Homeroom Teacher.

Deadline is Wednesday, December 13th

by 5:00 PM!
Name: __________________________
Title of book: ____________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________