BOOK REVIEW

The following is a guide to writing a book review; but, you need to know that they are just suggestions to
think about.
• Write down a summary of essential information, like title, author, copyright date, kind of book,
price, subject matter of the book, and special features.
• State the reason the author wrote the book.
• Consider from what point of view the book was written.
• Decide what the author was trying to accomplish.
• Determine what kind of book is it, and who is the intended audience.
• Discuss the author’s style of writing and look at his cohesion, clarity, flow of the text, and use of
precise words.
• Think about how you were affected by the book and if any of your opinions or feelings change
because of it.
• Decide if the book met its goal and whether or not you would recommend it to others and why.
• State the main topic of the book and the author’s treatment of it. Also explain the development of
the thesis, using quotes or references.
• Discuss the author’s descriptions and narration, pointing out whether he explained facts or tried to
persuade the readers of the validity of an issue.
• Analyze whether or not the book suited its intended audience and if it was interesting and
thorough.
• You may challenge his opinions and explain why you disagree with them. Include any information
about the author that would establish his authority or that would be relevant to the review.
Summarize with your overall conclusions by restating the thesis and touching on the main points. You may
include quotes or references here, but do not put in any new material.
Tips for Different Genres
Here are a few tips that relate to some of the different genres of books: fiction, biography, and non-fiction.
Fiction
When reviewing fiction, analyze the author’s treatment of the characters, plot, setting, and dialogue.
Specifically:
• How interesting is the plot? Does it have many clichéd parts or does it come across as more
original? Are there unresolved issues in the plot? Can the author sustain the plot throughout the
book? Is the plot confusing?
• How believable are the characters? Do you care about them? Can you tell them apart or do they all
sound the same, especially in dialogue?
• How does this book compare to other books in the same genre?
• How well does the author create mood through setting? Can the action be visualized?
• If there is humor, does it work?
• Is the narration consistent throughout?
Explain what style of writing was used and if the setting had a bearing on the story.
Biography
In a biography, look at what aspects of the person were emphasized and how the subject matter was
organized. Discuss the point of view of the author and if he showed extensive knowledge of the person.
Non-fiction
When you write a review on a non-fiction book, you need to explore the way the material was organized
and if the author’s writing was focused. Specifically:
• Is the book interesting?
• Which parts are most interesting or informative?
• How accurate is the information in the book?
• How objective is the information in the book? Is it supposed to be objective?
• How thorough has the author been in his or her research?
• How useful is the information presented in the book?
 • How does this book compare to other books in the same genre?
WRITING A BOOK REPORT

Useful Vocabulary

Words to help describe your opinion:

Amusing enjoyable too long
bad excellent pleasant
boring exciting sad
brilliant frightening scary
clever funny shocking
depressing good strange
dramatic hilarious tragic
dull interesting thrilling

Words to describe a character:

adventurous honest dishonest
brave jealous miserable
calm kind friendly
cheerful lazy generous
clever mad gentle
cold mean greedy
dull proud wise
evil shy weird
fierce strong weak
friendly violent young

Genres:
adventure humor horror
biography legend historical
comedy mystery fantasy
detective story non-fiction thriller/suspense
fairy tale romance science-fiction

Recommendations or opinions:
In my opinion … / I think… / I believe…
I would recommend / wouldn’t recommend this book because …
I really enjoyed / didn’t enjoy reading this book because …

Ending / Conclusion:
On the whole, I would say …
In conclusion, ….
To sum up, I think that …