Book Report Guide

A Short Overview Book reports are due every three weeks unless your teacher tells you otherwise. The choice of books is up to you, but whenever you are in doubt, ask your teacher before doing the report. Here are two situations that come up often. In one instance, you might have seen a movie about a book youve read, and you might ask yourself whether you can do a report on that particular book. The answer to that question is simple: Dont do a report about a movie book. In another instance, you might have chosen a very long book that you know you cant possibly read in less than three weeks. In this case, ask your teacher about doing your book report in two parts. The smart thing to do is to choose books that you know you can get through in two weeks. That way, youll have a week to think about and write the book report. In the end, youll have read a lot of good books! Books are filled with messages, or themes, about life. If you learn to enjoy books, youll think about them and learn a lot about how the characters in books handle challenges and conflicts. Youll see how this works below. The Format The introductory paragraph of a book report should start with a topic sentence that states the title, author, main character(s) and the main idea. After the topic sentence, give a brief summary of the main story, or plot. End your first paragraph with a thesis statement thats a sentence about the authors message. Below is an example of a first paragraph. The book, Where the Red Fern Grows, by Wilson Rawls, tells the story of a boy named Billy and his adventures with two hounds, Old Dan and Little Anne. It is a sad story based around raccoon hunting and the relationship Billy develops with his dogs as he trains them to be prizewinning hunting animals. Billy and his hounds form a relationship that ends as Old Dan is mortally wounded after saving Billy from a mountain lion. Little Ann seems to grieve for Old Dan and loses her will to live. She dies soon after. An important theme in this story tells us about the importance of relationships.

Your second paragraph will give a specific instance of how the theme is supported through the text of the story. Add supporting details by using transition words and phrases. In the following example of a second paragraph, note the use of transitions in boldface text. Billy builds a solid relationship with his hounds. One way the author shows this is in the way Billy teaches Old Dan and Little Ann to hunt raccoons. He spends time with the dogs. For example, he takes them with him every night so they can learn about the forest and how to react to raccoons when they find one. In this way, Old Dan and Little Ann not only form a strong bond with Billy, but they learn to rely on each other, too. Your third paragraph is similar to your second one. You will give another instance of how the author supports the theme through the story. Your fourth paragraph makes a personal connection to the story or theme. Make a claim in your own words by responding to the authors main points. Support your claim with details using one of the following: personal experience (In my own life, ); prior knowledge (I knew this because ); connections to other stories (This story reminds me of ); how the story made you think (I was surprised, curious, confused, wondering, etc.). Here is an example of a fourth paragraph. Relationships are an important part of my life. This story makes me think about people even though the plot is mainly about a boys relationship with his animals. Although the ending upset me, I was reminded of all the warm times Ive spent with important people in my life. I think people (and animals, too) form relationships when they do things together. They experience warmth, sadness, joy, and trials, and they support one another during difficult times. Your fifth paragraph is your conclusion. You restate your opinion of the authors message in a topic sentence. Use a transition word or phrase: Therefore; As you can see; In conclusion. Below is an example of a concluding paragraph. As you can see, Where the Red Fern Grows, is about relationships. The author shows how the three, Billy, Old Dan, and Little Ann, become inseparable as they experience life together. Even though the hounds die in the end, the feeling lives on as Billy will forever respect what he learned from his two best friends.

Book Report Rubric

High Papers 6 Mechanics (punctuation, capitalization, spelling, grammar and sentence structure) are nearly flawless. The book report begins with a paragraph about the theme or message of the author. A well-developed discussion of the theme follows in the second and third paragraphs. The fourth paragraph connects the theme with real life. The fifth paragraph draws a conclusion. A book report receiving a score of 6 is an A+ paper. 5 Same as above but with a less-developed or detailed discussion. Mechanics are not a problem. A book report receiving a score of 5 is an A paper. 4 The report opens with a statement about the theme or message but not necessarily in a well-developed paragraph. A less-developed discussion in two or three paragraphs follows. There will be some mechanical errors. A book report receiving a score of 4 is B paper. Average and Low Papers 3 The report gives a basic introduction of the book where the message is stated and a summary follows perhaps in another paragraph. Mechanical errors will be present. The report should be readable. The summary might make an attempt to explain the theme. This would be a C paper. 2 This report is a single paragraph, possibly not indented, which simply tells about the plot or the book in a marginal manner. It lacks control of mechanics or is simply not proofread. This paper would receive a D grade. 1 Something is mentioned about the book, but no detail or development follows. Mechanical errors are obvious.

Frank Pietrowski August 18, 200X

Where the Red Fern Grows

The book, Where the Red Fern Grows, by Wilson Rawls, tells the story of a boy named Billy and his adventures with two hounds, Old Dan and Little Anne. It is a sad story based around raccoon hunting and the relationship Billy develops with his dogs as he trains them to be prizewinning hunting animals. Billy and his hounds form a relationship that ends as Old Dan is mortally wounded after saving Billy from a mountain lion. Little Ann seems to grieve for Old Dan and loses her will to live. She dies soon after. An important theme in this story tells us about the importance of relationships. Billy builds a solid relationship with his hounds. One way the author shows this is in the way Billy teaches Old Dan and Little Ann to hunt raccoons. He spends time with the dogs. For example, he takes them with him every night so they can learn about the forest and how to react to raccoons when they find one. In this way, Old Dan and Little Ann not only form a strong bond with Billy, but they learn to rely on each other, too. Your third paragraph goes here. Relationships are an important part of my life. This story makes me think about people even though the plot is mainly about a boys relationship with his animals. Although the ending upset me, I was reminded of all the warm times Ive spent with important people in my life. I think people (and animals, too) form relationships when they do things together. They experience warmth, sadness, joy, and trials, and they support one another during difficult times. As you can see, Where the Red Fern Grows, is about relationships. The author shows how the three, Billy, Old Dan, and Little Ann, become inseparable as they experience life together. Even though the hounds die in the end, the feeling lives on as Billy will forever respect what he learned from his two best friends.