How to do a Book Review

A book review allows a student to demonstrate the intentions of the author as well as illustrate their understanding of the book. Checkout this writing guide on how to write an eye catching review from Highmark Papers.

What is a Book Review? (Definition)

A book review is a description and a critical/evaluative account of a book. A good review presents the content, style, and merit of the text fairly, accurately, and objectively. A book review is different from a book report, which simply summarizes the content of a book and may contain some personal opinion. A book review is not just a summary of what goes between hard covers; it’s an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of a particular title.

Book reviews are most often written for others who share tastes similar to the reviewer – people who like science fiction, fantasy, mysteries or classics will get more out of a review than those looking for romance novels. Book reviewers usually try to follow current trends in their genre when possible, but they also need to be able to critique texts that don’t fit into their standard genres (for example: reviewing poetry). Book reviewers know very well what kind of books they like and what kind of books they don’t. Book reviews are not just reading recommendations, they’re also writing exercises that improve the reviewer’s analytical and critical thinking skills.

Book reviewers need to avoid biased language or saying anything that cannot be supported by evidence from the text under review – readers want thorough analysis based on textual evidence, not personal opinion stated as fact. Book reviewers need to remember that their job is not only to describe the book, but also to provide an evaluation of the text. Book reviews are not just summaries of plot, they’re assessments of content and style. Book reviewers need to be able to use words with precision if they want their reviews to impact readers’ thoughts about the book. Book reviewers should avoid writing in first person whenever possible because it makes assumptions about what kind of audience is interested in reading the review – book reviews are written for an imagined audience who knows nothing or very little about the work under consideration.

How to Write a Book Review

Book reviewers should indicate why someone might be interested in reading this book if they haven’t already. Book reviewers should include a brief summary of the book (usually at the beginning of your introductory paragraph) but shouldn’t tell everything that happens – just enough to let readers know what they’re getting themselves into. Book reviewers don’t need many quotes from the book, but they may want to quote specific sentences or paragraphs that will help their readers understand an event better. Book reviewers should try to focus on whether or not they personally enjoyed the book and how good it was rather than criticizing other people’s opinions about it. Book reviewers can comment on how well written a book is, but they should only do this when it’s relevant to their review.

Book reviewers shouldn’t just re-write the back of a book or give away all of its surprises – try to tell readers why they’ll like this book and what kind of person will enjoy reading it. Book reviewers can mention more specific details about characters, settings, etc., if they’re necessary to understanding the differences between books in a series or differences of another nature. Book reviewers should avoid using text talk or “let’s speak,” such as replacing words with numbers.

Elements of a Book Review

– A hook that grabs attention

– A brief summary of the book

– Your opinion about the story

– How well you liked it

– What you would recommend and to whom

– Book review conclusion that wraps it up

A Standard Book Review

Book reviews should be written in clear, unambiguous prose. Book reviews should be well-organized and structured logically to make sense to the reader. Book reviewers need to come up with a good introduction, several body paragraphs (each dedicated to describe one aspect of the book), an ending, and a conclusion paragraph where the reviewer summarizes what has been said in the review.

Book reviews are not only about the plot. Book reviewers may also comment on the style or language in which a story is written, for example, if an author makes extensive use of metaphors. Book reviewers usually end their review with a short concluding paragraph that includes their opinion on whether they think the book was well written and interesting to read. This does not have to be done in “yes or no” format – it’s totally fine to express that you didn’t love the book but appreciate certain aspects of it.

When writing your review, think about your audience. If you’re writing for classmates, parents, other students at school, etc., try making it easy to read by using shorter sentences and paragraphs. The last paragraph should always summarize what you’ve already said in the rest of your review. Book reviewers should let readers know what they thought about the book and why, but not include any personal information that’s not necessary to understanding their opinion. Book reviewers should also avoid excessive use of harsh language or judgmental statements (e.g., “This is a terrible translation!” or “The illustrations were horrible”). You can say something like “I didn’t enjoy this novel” instead. Book reviewers usually avoid including spoilers; if you’re writing for an online publication, make sure your review doesn’t include information about events that take place near the end of the book.

Structure & organization is key in a Book Review

A good book review will provide more than just a summary of what happened in the book or information about its plot and characters; it will help readers decide whether they want to read the book themselves. Book reviews usually start with introductory sentences followed by at least three body paragraphs (and sometimes four). An introduction sentence may include some comments on the style or content of the work, but don’t give away too much information, e.g., “In my opinion, this book is a masterpiece.” This kind of comment isn’t very helpful for someone who wants to know whether the book will be interesting and enjoyable to read.

Once you’ve provided an introduction as described above, your three or four body paragraphs should contain details about the plot and characters. In most cases, there’s no need to provide an overall summary of each of these elements- readers who are interested in looking at one aspect in detail can consult the back cover of the book they’re reading or ask their teacher which part they want them to focus on. Book reviewers usually describe what happens in a story or reporting setting and then offer their own opinion on the events have actually happened.

Structure and Format of a Book Review

Introduction-this paragraph discusses general information about what kind of book this is and why you decided to read/purchase/borrow/steal it)

Paragraph 1-this paragraph briefly summarizes the content of the book, just enough to give readers an idea what kind of story this is

Paragraph 2-what did you like about it?

Paragraph 3– What didn’t you like about it?

Book evaluation-this paragraph discusses the strengths and weaknesses of this title – what kind of audience would get most out of reading it? What kinds of questions are raised in the text? Are they answered?)

Overall impressions-this paragraph discusses your general thoughts about this book, whether you liked/disliked it, did you have a good time reading it or not. Book reviews don’t always have to have a conclusive statement, but if they do make sure to wrap up your review with some sort of summary statement).

Book Review Opinion Conclusion-Book Review Summary (this paragraph talks about your general thoughts about this book, whether you liked/disliked it, did you have a good time reading it or not)

Titles & subtitles are important in Book Review

A good title reflects the content of the review if possible, try using one that summarizes the most important aspects of the book. Book reviewers also need to find a good subtitle (usually at the end of your introductory paragraph) that reflects what they liked and didn’t like about the book or why someone might be interested in looking at it. Book reviewers should look for creative ways to organize their ideas, such as describing each major event on its own line and separating different sections with horizontal lines instead of indenting them on both sides.

Book reviewers may want to consider using short paragraphs – this makes on-screen text easier to read and means you can get through your review more quickly! If necessary, add additional information between paragraphs so readers will still understand what you’re talking about. Book reviews shouldn’t include too much personal information unless it’s relevant to the story. Book reviewers should avoid making judgments about the author’s race, gender, or age unless it relates directly to their writing and readers would not be able to understand the review without this information. Book reviewers try to avoid using words like “I” and “me” unless they’re commenting on something they personally experienced while reading (e.g., “This is one of my favorite books of all time.”).

Examples of Book Reviews

Sample 1: Book review of The Hardest Peace by Sarah Jakes Roberts

Sample 2:Book review of The Wind in the Willows

How Long Should be a Book Review

Book reviews shouldn’t be too short and shouldn’t be too long either – most online reviews are between 200-400 words, but you can also write a short or long review depending on how much you have to say. Book reviewers should try to write in complete sentences and use correct spelling when writing their reviews. Book reviewers should avoid using “I” statements unless they’re commenting on something they personally experienced while reading (e.g., “This is one of my favorite books of all time.”). Book reviewers can instead use pronouns like “the reader,” “the main character,” etc. Book reviewers don’t need to follow a specific length requirement for their reviews – most online book reviews are between 200-400 words long, but you could write 300-500 or 400-600 depending on how much you have to say.

Book reviewers shouldn’t include too many “big” spoilers that would ruin a book for readers who haven’t read it yet. Book reviewers can mention general things they liked or didn’t like about the writing style, overall themes of the story, etc., but they shouldn’t give away too many spoilers. Book reviewers can add in some quotes from the book if they would help them support a point, but including too many quotes makes a review seem more like a summary.

Tips for Book Review

Now that you know what you’re looking for while reading a book, here are some helpful hints on how to write a good review. Remember to be polite and critical at the same time. You don’t want to dissuade other people from reading an excellent book because of your own personal preferences

• Do not give away too many details about what happens in the book – you want to entice people to read it for themselves. Talk about the characters: who do you like or dislike? What were their actions and motivations? Would they behave that way in real life? How interesting are they as individuals compared with other characters in literature? Why did you like or dislike this book? Was there anything confusing about it? Do you think it would appeal to other readers (for example, only to readers who have read the other books in a series)?
• Give information about the title, author, publisher, date published- all of these should be easily available on the back cover or jacket of the book. It’s also nice if you can include the ISBN.
• Be specific when describing parts of the story that caught your attention or that were particularly well done. Even if it is predictable and sometimes even more so) or unrealistic, think about why the author wrote this story this way.
• Maybe there were several aspects of the book that you enjoyed while reading it – be sure to highlight them in your review. Book reviews are often full of generalities, but they should also contain some specifics.
• Book reviews should start with a hook that grabs the reader’s attention. Book reviews shouldn’t just re-write the back of a book or give away all of its surprises – try to tell readers why they’ll like this book and what kind of person will enjoy reading it. Book reviewers can mention more specific details about characters, settings, etc., if they’re necessary to understanding the differences between books in a series or differences of another nature.

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