Book Report / ReviewWant to know a secret? You can write a book report / book review without having actually read the book. I'm not telling you this as a way to help you “fake” your way through an assignment, but maybe some people will use it that way. I'll give a two-step process for getting through the assignment in no time without reading the book. Use it responsibly. If you want to be a high achiever you can use this method to ensure that you get an "A" but you should also READ the book and go back over your whole paper to make it brilliant.
Book Report / Review - Step One
Read a few reviews that other people wrote, and write a paragraph about the book. Search Google for the title, author, and the word “review” so you can find a review someone else wrote. You can do this 2 or 3 times until you have a few browser tabs open and 3 reviews to look at. Read these reviews to get a sense of what the book is all about, and then EXPLAIN what the book is all about by writing a paragraph about the book. It's easy to write about the book, because you've just finished reading these reviews by other people.
Can you do that? I think you can! It's so easy to write about a book after you read some reviews written by other people.
Book Report / Review - Step Two
Use the teacher's instructions as a check-list for completing the assignment.
Everyone has a different opinion about what makes a “good” book report / review. The only person whose opinion matters is your teacher. So let's keep the goal in mind and use the teacher's instructions as a check-list for completing the assignment. Read your assignment instructions and write a paragraph based on each requirement. Here is an example.
You have already completed Step One by writing a paragraph about the book based on reviews other people wrote. Now you refer back to your assignment instructions:
Your book review should be at least 1500 words and no more than 1800 words. It begins with an introduction that gives the title, author, and main theme of the book. Be sure to include a thesis statement that tells the main idea of the paper. The main idea of the paper is NOT the same as the main idea of the book. In the body of the paper, summarize the book and give the main ideas. After summarizing, you should tell how you reacted to the book and what you learned from it. Tell what you liked and did not like, and whether you would recommend it to a friend. The paper should end with a conclusion paragraph that summarizes the main points you made in the paper and restates the thesis in different words.
If these are the assignment instructions, you should paste them into a template and then do a few line breaks after every sentence.
- Pasting into a template? Yes, if you really want to save time you should search Google for a template. For example, if you need to write a book report in MLA style you can search Google for: MLA book report template.
- Do a few line breaks after every sentence? Yes, if you want to get an “A” you should make it very easy for the teacher to see that you followed all instructions.
Below, look at how the instructions will appear with you paste them and do some line breaks:
Your book review should be at least 1500 words and no more than 1800 words.
[No need to write a paragraph based on this requirement, obviously]
It begins with an introduction that gives the title, author, and main theme of the book.
[Write a paragraph based on this requirement.]
Be sure to include a thesis statement that tells the main idea of the paper. The main idea of the paper is NOT the same as the main idea of the book.
[Write a paragraph based on this requirement.]
In the body of the paper, summarize the book and give the main ideas.
[Write a paragraph based on this requirement.]
After summarizing, you should tell how you reacted to the book and what you learned from it.
[Write a paragraph based on this requirement.]
Tell what you liked and did not like, and whether you would recommend it to a friend.
[Write a paragraph based on this requirement.]
The paper should end with a conclusion paragraph that summarizes the main points you made in the paper and restates the thesis in different words.
[Write a paragraph based on this requirement.]
Below each requirement from the assignment instructions, you can type a sentence that explicitly responds to it.
Explicit means “obvious” and the way to make it obvious that you are following instructions is to use some of the same words the teacher used in the instructions. Here is an example:
After summarizing, you should tell how you reacted to the book and what you learned from it.
My reaction to this book was to feel frustrated because I wanted Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway to have the American Dream, but in the end the dream turned out to be more like a nightmare. I learned that an author can use fiction and fantasy to make a reader form a strong opinion about a real social issue. If Fitzgerald had just written a nonfiction book about the notion that people's ambitions can lead to suffering, I would not have reacted so strongly. By telling a story, Fitzgerald invokes real emotions in readers and inspires them to take the theme/lesson to heart.
The example above uses the words “reaction” and “learned” (i.e. "...tell how you reacted to the book and what you learned from it") so the teacher can see that the instructions were followed and award you an “A” for the assignment. If the teacher gave everyone an “A” s/he would look like an “easy” teacher, so the students who do not clearly follow all instructions/requirements might get a lower grade. You can write an “A” paper even if you have not read the book – as long as you follow all the instructions.
After you write a paragraph beneath each sentence from the assignment instructions, delete that sentence from the assignment instructions and pull your paragraphs together to form a brilliant paper.
Remember, even though it is possible to write a book review / book report without reading the book, you should read the book for your own pleasure. If you think the book is boring, it probably means YOU are boring. If it takes too long to read, it means YOU take too long to read. Literature teaches us about life and human nature, so the people who complete their assigned readings when they are students will have more wisdom when they enter their professional fields.