Book Review Guidelines

Honors World History

Reading the book

 It is best, when writing a book review, to be an active reader of the book. Sit at a desk with
pen
and paper in hand. As you read, stop frequently to summarize the argument, to note
particularly
clear statements of the book’s argument or purpose, and to describe your own responses.
If you
have read in this active way, putting together the book review should be quick and
straightforward.
 Questions to keep in mind as you are reading:
1. What is the author trying to say?
2. Is the book well-written?

Suggestions for writing

 You must finish reading the book before writing your review!
 Your final book review will be written in class over a two day period.
 You will be allowed to use on 3x5 index card during the writing period. Your card may
include a brief outline of your review and any quotations you wish to use. (You may not
write your entire essay on this card. That act will be viewed as cheating.)
 Your final book review must use the conventions of formal writing (proper paragraphing
with indentation, correct spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc.)
 Each paragraph in your final book review should begin with a topic sentence.
 Refer to characters by their first and last names or just their last names. Use of only the
first name is too informal for academic writing.
 Spell out contractions.
 Do not use “I” statements. (i.e. “I think that…”) Make your thoughts more concrete.
 Grammar, spelling, and punctuation will be taken into account. If you have any questions
related to spelling and grammar, be sure to have them answered before review day.
 Maintain consistent tense throughout the paper.

Format

 The body of your book review must cover the following:

 Introduction – Brief summary including the title, author, and information about the
protagonist, setting, plot, and conflict.
 Body Paragraphs – Your critique of the book, which should include:
1. Theme – Identify the author’s theme or thesis. Why did he write the book?
What is he trying to prove? It is not enough to simply identify the subject; you
must tell what the author says about it.
2. Characters – Are they believable? Not believable? Can you relate to any of
them? Are they fully developed? How do the characters serve to help the
author’s point/theme?
3. Strengths and Weaknesses – What did the author do well? What could be
improved? This section should be at least two paragraphs.
 4. Evaluation – Comment on the author’s writing style and how well they
conveyed their message. Was this book well-written? Did the author change or
alter the way you think about the subject? Would you recommend this book to
others?
 Conclusion – Brief recap of major points and final recommendation of who might
like this book.

Citing Quotations

 The use of quotations from the book is a good way to illustrate your point. However, you
should always use quotation marks, proper punctuation, and provide the page number on
which you found the quote.
 Example 1 – This thesis is fashioned around the assumption that women’s attitudes
were shaped by their own experiences as well as “society’s expectations of them”
(17).
 Example 2 – Appleby notes that “the establishment of the new government under
the Constitution coincided with an economic pick-up” (56).
 Quotations should not exceed one sentence.