Book report is a discussion and evaluation of a book, usually as a school assignment. Book reports may be written or oral.
In presenting a book report, you should begin by giving the title, author, publisher, and year of the book’s publication. Sometimes it is helpful to give a brief summary of the book to provide a clear idea of its content. The most important part of the report, however, is your opinion of the book. For whom do you think the author is writing? What do you think the author is trying to achieve? How successful is the author, perhaps in comparison with other authors who wrote the same type of book? What are the book’s strengths and weaknesses? In answering these questions, you should provide some specific reasons for your position, including details and quotations from the book. You might end the book report by stating your opinion of the overall value of the book.
What you discuss in a book report depends on the type of book you are reviewing. For example, a report on a novel should include information on the plot, the setting, and the characters. It should also evaluate the novel’s total effect or meaning. A report on a biography or a historical work should summarize the author’s chief points of view. The report should then discuss how convincingly or fairly the author expresses these points of view.
See also Book review .
