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What’s a Book Review? Let’s get one thing clear right off the bat: a book review is not a book report. A book review is a real form of writing real writers use to write real things about real books that really matter to them. A book report is a made up form of writing, used only in school, that some teachers ask kids to write in order to prove that they have read a particular book. A book report most often involves reciting information from a text and answering someone else’s questions about it. A book review most often involves creating new and original information about a text and answering one’s own questions about it. Book reviews can contain just about any type of information related to the text, to the reader, or to the world of books and readers in general. Here are some typical things book reviews include: An interesting lead. Reviewers will often start out their reviews with some kind of catchy phrase that glosses something interesting from the book. A brief plot summary. Reviewers don’t retell the story. They just give you a quick summary of the plot, rarely more than a paragraph or two. The reviewer’s favorite part. Assuming the book was enjoyable to the reviewer, it’s always fun to talk about one’s favorite part and what makes it special. The reviewer’s interpretation of the main idea. This is the one most important thing the writer wants the reader to know. Most reviewers will address this directly because it is often the key to understanding what the book is really all about. An evaluation. In most book reviews, reviewers will come right out and say whether they think the books is good or not, or what parts were better than others. A recommendation. Since one of the purposes of writing book reviews is to get other readers to read certain books, book reviewers often end their reviews with a recommendation. A Model Review Here’s a terrific book review of, from a talented 3rd grade writer, of "Ramona Quimby, Age 8" by Beverly Cleary:
Getting Started The site I go to most frequently for book reviews is Amazon. Make a list of several books that you have read recently, ones that you liked. Then, head over to www.amazon.com, pull those titles up, and check out all the book reviews. Some of the most popular books have been reviewed hundreds of times by readers just like you. |
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