How To Write A Book Report

Remember back in grade school when you wrote your very first book report? It was probably some thin little text full of pictures, but lacking on details. These were the good old days. Back when book reports were easy and writing was simple. You may not have been sure how to write a book report, but your teacher was lenient since you were so young. While those effortless days flew by fast, soon came the more difficult assignments.

Suddenly you're in high school, and everyone expects you to know what you're doing. This is when you certainly need to know how to write a book report, and well. No more callow mistakes and grammatical errors. You have reached the big leagues and left the toddler years behind.

How did you do on your last book report? Was it up to par according to the teacher, or did you get one of those "See me after class" scribbles at the top of your paper? Let's face it, no one likes those. Well, I have certainly grappled with my fair share of book reports back in the day. In fact, it even got worse when I treaded off to college.

Then the whole book report concept is basically squelched, and the term "essay" comes into play. Countless professors had me write essays and papers regarding specific motifs or themes in stories. This is when you really have to delve. No more broad topics. It's all about elaborating on the small issues. I know, it sounds intriguing, right?

Anyway, if you're still at the book report stage in high school, then consider yourself lucky. Learning how to write a book report is rather simple. In fact, I can give you a general formula. First and foremost, read the book in its entirety. Don't stoop to cliff notes! This is a complete and utter cop-out. You need to read the book in order to construct a decent paper.

Now, once you've read the text, you can move on to an outline. Write up a quick frame of your book report. What do you want to explain or focus on? Is it going to be a general summary of the book, or were you asked to focus on a particular aspect? Once you've got your outline ready, it's time to go to town on this thing. Write from your heart, but keep in mind the book's major themes.

If you don't know how to write a book report, or are striving to improve your craft, hop online for some pointers. These days there are a number of great websites that can aid you in writing a great book report.