School Book Report

A school book report is a relatively short composition that presents a summary and analysis of a single book.  School book reports are common assignments in primary and secondary education, and are also occasionally required in college courses, as well.  A school book report is different from a book review.  Book reviews are more focused on analysis than book reports, and book reviews almost never feature the use of the first-person voice ("I" and "me").  In most school book reports, it is appropriate for the student to write in first-person.

There are two primary types of school book reports: fiction book reports and non-fiction story critiques.  A fiction book report discusses a fictional text such as a novel or a collection of short stories.  A non-fiction book report will discuss a text that reports on actual events, such as a historical text, a memoir, or a how-to book.  Fiction and non-fiction book reports should be approached differently.

A school book report on a fictional text will have an introduction that identifies the book's author and title and provides a general idea of the style and topic of the book.  Next, the novel review will present a summary.  The summary of a fictional book should discuss the major characters of the book and the primary conflict between those characters, but should not reveal the ending of the book.  The summary should provide a good idea of the relationships between the characters, a detailed explanation of the time and place in which the book is set, and an overview of the major action of the book.  After the summary, the document should close with the writer's opinions on what audiences in particular may enjoy the book, the most positive and most negative aspects of the book, and whether or not he or she would recommend the book to others.

A school book report on a non-fiction text will also have an introduction, a summary, and an analysis section.  The introduction will indicate the title, author, and genre of the book.  The summary will discuss the major points of the text and how they are explained or defended.  This will require the writer to identify the theme(s) or thesis of the text and then examine the ways in which the theme(s) or thesis is explored.  After the summary, the novel review will present a detailed analysis section in which the writer assesses the quality of the book, its ideas, and its exploration of its theme or thesis.  This should be a text-based analysis, meaning that the writer should do this by providing detailed examples and quotations from the text.  The project should end with the writer's recommendations on whether or not others should read the book.

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