Writing a book report is one of the assignments that are almost unavoidable in school, especially if you are a student of literature-related courses. Here, it won't be enough just to read a certain novel. This assignment raises a range of challenges students are to deal with:
To succeed with a college book report writing, you have to understand the primary purpose of this assignment, its major requirements, and writing standards. Here, we offer you to recall all the features of this particular paper to deal with it well.
To start with the basics, it would be better to recall a proper definition for this writing. Book report implies a student's understanding of a literary work's main ideas and competency in the author's perspective. It may also include some description of the characters, settings, and the story's motif. Another aim is to provide a potential reader with enough information to decide whether the book is worth their attention. Basically, while preparing such a report, a student creates a kind of objective retelling.
Preparing a good book report may take 3-4 days, and that is because there are several things you'd better do before the actual writing.
That is a point you will prove or challenge throughout your writing. It can be assigned by your professor as well.
Don't neglect this stage by watching screenings or reading summaries - you can miss various details that play an important role in the plot (and your report).
Keep your supplies close while reading - use highlighters, stickers, notes, etc. It will help you navigate through the book easily and not miss any important points you would like to emphasize.
Pay attention to various details that may be the author's hidden clues. Literature is impossible without symbolism, and in the majority of books, it plays the most important role in the perception of the author's ideas. Recall the principle of Chekhov's gun - elements in the story don't appear "just because." Even a seemingly random character or object can eventually come into play.
In books, a certain storyline may highlight a particular theme (social issue, moral questions, etc.) or be related to your main objective. Your task is to note all the appropriate topics emphasized in the novel.
To organize all the point of your report logically, create an outline for your writing. That is where all the notes you made may come in handy. Consider backing your ideas with examples from the original text.
If nothing is omitted, it's time to write a perfect report!
To set a certain tone and mood, the first thing you have to mention is the title of the book you have read. Then go the author's name, date, and place of the publication, the publisher itself, and the number of pages. You can mention the editor and the edition and add any specific fact about the book. Choose an appropriate format for writing your paper to meet the basic requirements.
Research and include more in-depth information about the author and their background - it may help to understand better what has inspired them to create this particular work or how certain historical events affected their point of view.
Proceed to the analysis of an author's main intention. Since it depends on the subject, your task is to determine the audience for which the work was written. Is it focused on something specific or difficult to perceive or covers a matter understandable for an average reader? To answer this question, you can refer to the introduction or prefaces. This information will be useful for you later to analyze whether the author successfully managed to influence you as a reader.
Here, it's time to describe what the book is about and provide the author's main statement more thoroughly. Expound on what is the main problem the author highlights. If you understand that a central idea is quite blurry, you may draw it by yourself, but don't forget that it should be well-reasoned and backed with examples from the original text.
Look through the notes you made while reading a book. Organize them coherently and retell the work's content, mentioning the major plot twists worth attention. Is it a story of one day or all the events are spread over several years? What is the main setting of the unfolding occurrences, and does it have any influence on the way the plot develops and moves along? To make a narration more interesting, you may include those parts of the content that impressed you the most.
When you draw a conclusion, focus on your impression of the book. For example, what was a scene from the book that made an unforgettable impression or which one of the characters of the story is resonating with you in the best way? Express your emotions concerning the ending and consider whether you would recommend this work to other possible readers.
And that is pretty much it! We assure you that by following our detailed guide, you'll cope with an original book report writing in two shakes!
