At least once in your lifetime, you’ll have to write a book report. Whether it’s in elementary writing over a lower-level book or creating a college-level analysis, a book report can be a pain, especially if you don’t know where to begin. While the assignment consists of summarizing part of the book, you may have to discuss specific thoughts and symbols as you interpreted them, defending them with quotes. Writers at Write My Essay For Me have written their share of book reports and are here with 4 simple tips for writing a book report.
Collect Juicy Details
As you read the book that you choose to write a report on, pay close attention to all details. The goal is to summarize the book and defend your point of view on the meaning. For instance, if you’re reading a book with a moral at the end of the story, you’ll want to tell your readers what it is and how you arrived at that conclusion. Collect quotes and phrases as your read, saving them along with the page number so that you can refer to them in your report.
Book Report Writing A-Z
Now with that detail in mind, on to the 4 steps.
1. Read the Book
While you might think that you can get away with not reading the book, that couldn’t be further from the truth. For instance, when you read, you get a glimpse of all of the details, no matter how small they are. You can find summaries of all kinds of books online but what they will lack are the specifics. So, be sure to read the book you’re writing about from cover to cover. As you read, be sure to:
- Get to the bottom of the main ideas
- Make a list of characters and their role
- Note symbols and meaning as you read
2. Make an Outline
If you ask any writer from an assignment service – Assignment Partner, they’ll tell you the most important thing about writing a report is the outline. While you may be able to score one from your professor, you’ll still have to fill in the gaps and make a plan before you start writing. As you more than likely already know, each paper should have three main sections: the intro, the body, and the conclusion. All of these come together to make a compelling argument and help you get your point across.
In a book report, the outline may be slightly different, asking that you summarize the book and characters as you write. If you’re assigned to speak about the book’s meaning, only focus on your reasons to defend your point of view. If focusing on the summary, only add significant details of the whole story.
3. Write It up
If you’ve created a good outline, then writing is a piece of cake. All you’ll have to do is follow your outline and fill in the blanks with facts, quotes, and your own words to make your final point. Try not to focus on the small stuff as you write, getting everything you want to say out and onto paper. Afterward, you can go through and make it nice and neat. When writing, make sure that you add clear transitions, including:
- First, next, then
- Over time
- Finally
- However
- For example
While you do need to add evidence, you don’t want to go overboard and add too much. So, try and stick to one key quote for each paragraph in the body. Or, you can take two powerful quotes from the book and use them to defend your ideas using more of your own words than the book’s words. Remember, your professors want to see your thoughts, too, not just those expressed in the book.
4. Make Sure to Edit
The last thing that writers do is edit or text them “Write my essay for me”. Editing has a few steps for effectiveness, including revising and then editing for grammar and spelling. First, start by giving your report a look over yourself, looking for things that seem out of place. Also, focus on the flow and see that all pieces fit well together. Then, use the help of software to check for grammar and spelling.
While you may think that software can do it all, they can’t pick up on some language styles. So, after you use your preferred software or tool, give it a look over again with your own eyes to see. You may find that some digital editors take away your paper’s tone, sounding more robotic than human. For an extra edit, you can also grab a friend or professor and have them give it a read, seeing what they think about what you have so far.
Book Reports Aren’t All That Bad!
Instead of getting nervous about a book report, take a breath and relax. Reports are actually fun to write and come with a lot of wiggle room to voice your thoughts and opinions. By following these four steps, you’ll have all you need to create a book report fast, easy, and more effective than ever. Remember to:
- Read the book
- Collect juicy details
- Make an outstanding outline
- Make sure to read, edit, and edit again
In the end, you might actually like writing book reports, able to share your thoughts and ideas. So, don’t sweat the small stuff and leave the nerves for another day!