A book report often follows a standard format that typically consists of an introductory paragraph, a few paragraphs presenting a brief summary of the book, and several paragraphs offering the writer’s assessment of the book. Book report format is similar to, but not the same as, critical review format. A critical review is a document that presents an analysis of a published text in such a way that the author of the review engages the ideas of the author of the text in a thorough and often academic way. Critical reviews have very little summary. A book report also comments on the ideas presented by the book it is reporting on, but is more informative than analytic; it gives an idea of the book’s main ideas and style of presentation and then comments on the book report writer’s opinions of those ideas and that presentation.

Book report formats may differ according to the requirements of the instructor for whom the book report is being composed. However, most book report formats will follow some variation of the three sections outlined above: an introduction, a summary, and an assessment.

The first major element of book report format is the introduction. The introduction of a book report should be one or two paragraphs. It should include the full name of the author and title, identify the book’s genre— fiction, poetry, or non-fiction—and note the topic of the book. These paragraphs may also suggest the book report writer’s overall impressions of the book. For instance, it may comment on “John Doe’s compelling historical fiction novel” or “Jane Doe’s exhaustive but somewhat trivial account of fly fishing.” In other words, these introductory paragraphs should suggest the book report writer’s general views of the book, but should not yet attempt to explain or justify those views—that comes in the third section.

It is also standard for book report formats to include a summary of the book. The summary should be concise, but should give the reader of the book report a good idea of the book’s main points (if it is nonfiction), themes (if it is poetry), or plot (if it is fiction). If the summary if of a nonfiction book, the book report should give a full explanation of the book’s thesis—its argument or main point—and the way it seeks to defend or prove that thesis. If the book is a volume of poetry, the book report should comment on any prevailing theme or style throughout the book. If the book is fiction, the writer should give a plot summary that seeks to provide a good idea of the book’s plot without giving away the ending.

The final section of book report format is a section of several paragraphs of assessment. In this section, the book report writer will comment on his or her interpretations of and opinions about the book. This should include commentary about both the content of the book and its presentation. This means the writer should comment critically on the author’s thesis or plot, and also comment on the book’s style of writing.

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