Many students dread a book report assignment because it requires discussing essential elements of the story, including the main themes, characters, and plot, from an objective standpoint. Nevertheless, do not get upset with it! This guide offers a detailed explanation of how to write an outstanding book report at a college level. We want to share with you our top tips that will make the process of writing a paper interesting and fun. Check out these tips to successfully cope with a reading assignment.
What Does a Book Report Imply?
A book report refers to an informative piece of writing that resembles a book review. However, there are significant differences between these types of paper. Let us compare them!
A book review implies a critical evaluation of either fiction or non-fiction book. It includes a summary of the content, assessment of the book’s value, and personal opinion on whether this book is worth reading or not. College students ordinarily receive book review assignments. Professionals also create such reviews, which are published in magazines, scientific journals, and newspapers.
A book report, on the other hand, focuses primarily on summarizing a literary work, rather than on evaluating it. Typically, teachers give book report assignments to students in middle and high school. This type of academic papers may differ in length. Thus, the word limits for this assignment vary from 250 to 500 words. Moreover, depending on the grade level, book reports may comprise different elements.
How Can Book Report Assignments Benefit Students?
Creating a book report is beneficial to students. It provides an excellent opportunity to develop communication and analytical skills. Students also practice expressing their opinions about the book.
Our outstanding writers are mostly educated to MA and PhD level
What Components Does a Book Report Consist Of?
Students in middle and high school ordinarily receive one of three common types of book reports, such as:
- theme analysis
- plot summary
- character analysis.
No matter what type of book report your teacher has assigned, you should include basic components that allow explaining why this book is worth attention. Here is the list of these components.
- Main details regarding a book, such as the author, title, publication date, and publisher.
- The actual time period when the story happens.
- The plot of the story.
- Names of the main characters and essential facts about their life, personality traits, and so on.
- Appropriate quotes and examples from the book to illustrate your opinion.
Remember that these elements provide a foundation for any type of book reports.
How Should Students Prepare for Writing a Book Report?
Are you still looking for a helpful pieces of advice on how to start writing an effective book report? We offer you a brief outline of what to consider at the pre-writing stage.
- Select a book that particularly interests you.
Your teacher often indicates what book you should read. However, in some cases, you are allowed to read the book of your own choice. Keep in mind that you will spend much time working with a selected book. That is why make sure you choose an interesting one. Pay attention to the genre and choose the one you prefer. If you feel confused about it, consider the types of movies that you like, and select a book in the same category. You may also ask your friends for advice.
- Always read an entire book.
Many students attempt to save their time, and therefore, they perform a quick online search for the summary of their book. However, this practice cannot substitute reading a whole book. Remember that the main purpose of the book report assignment is to develop strong reading comprehension skills. Importantly, your academic endeavors depend largely on these skills. So do not hesitate to devote your time to reading the book in its entirety.
Moreover, reading the summary of the book prevents you from noticing valuable details necessary to understand the story. You may use online summaries only if you want to clarify some obscure details. Keep in mind that these summaries should supplement reading but not replace it!
- Take effective notes while reading.
Try to read the book with a pencil in hand. Owing to this technique, you will be able to underline important details and make comments in the margins. Did you notice something significant in the plot? Did you find some interesting information? Just write it down in your notebook. Note taking will enable you to do less work when you start writing your report.
- Break your book report assignment into small pieces.
The best way to complete your assignment on time is to break it up into chunks. This technique facilitates the writing process. Start with reading the first few chapters of the book. Then stop and write about the main characters, the setting, and the important scenes in the beginning of the story. Go back and continue reading the next chapters. When you are reading the middle part of the book, stop and write about key events leading to the plot’s climax. Read the final chapters of the book, and then write about the resolution. Breaking your reading task into manageable pieces will allow you to complete the assignment easily.
- Ask an adult to proofread your book report thoroughly.
After you have completed your writing, it is helpful to ask someone to proofread your work for errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. This will help you receive a better grade.
- Do not postpone your task until the last minute and start writing in advance.
Remember that reading a whole book requires much time. So start performing your reading assignment early and do not wait until the last minute! It will help you avoid unnecessary stress. If you start working on your book report project when it is actually assigned, you will have several weeks to read your book. It is much easier to devote 20 minutes every day to complete a small chunk of assignment than spend hours on it during the last day.
How to Create a Great College Level Book Report
When summarizing a chosen book, it is critical to follow the author’s order. Highlight the main ideas that serve to support the author’s argument. Moreover, include the analysis of the book’s structure.
Both types of reading assignments, namely book reviews and book reports, enable students to analyze, summarize, pay attention to detail, and develop a logical argument. These skills will help you achieve academic and professional success. We hope that the above-listed tips on how to cope successfully with a book report assignment from experienced writers will allow you to receive high grades.
Are you feeling overwhelmed in college? Too many assignments on the same day? Have no idea how to start writing your book report? We offer you professional assistance online if you use our academic paper writing service. Your assignment will be written according to your specific instructions. It can also serve as a helpful template that will enable you to improve your writing skills.