How to Write a Book Report

PART I

The name of the author, name of the book, place of publication, publisher, date of publication and number of pages.

Example: Smith, John. The Builders of America.** New York, New York: MacMillan, 1957. 350 pages.

**Titles can be italicized or underlined. Because underlining on the Internet represents a link to another site all titles here will be in italics.

PART II

Deals with the nature and scope of the book.

a) Type of book (e.g. biography, autobiography, historical novel, general history, etc.).

b) The time period covered and how it was covered (chronological order, flashbacks, etc.

c) The author's purpose in writing the book (entertain, persuade, inform). Usually found in the preface.

Example: Anthology of American history, from discovery through 1992; informative.

PART III

Should be a summarization of the contents. It is not a chapter by chapter synopsis, but should be a thorough account so that the readers grasp of the material is obvious. This section comprises the major part of your report.

a) A general synopsis.

b) Point out the outstanding section, and why you feel it is outstanding.

c) Point out the valuable material learned.

PART IV

Should be a well ordered critical evaluation of the book.

a) Include background information on the author. (If not included in the book, see Contemporary Authorsor Discovering Authors in the Library.)

b) Organization of the book (e.g., chronological order, topical, etc.).

c) Readability (in your opinion).

d) Bias (or lack of bias) of the author.

e) Use of historical material (sources, footnotes, etc.). Your honest opinion of the book (strengths, weaknesses, etc.).

PART V

 Include your name, date, class and period.