Heather Owings
SLM 521 (MD)
October 21, 2003
Web Drop-in #2

Writing a Book Review

                                                 

A book review is both a description and an evaluation of a book.  It answers not only the WHAT question but also the SO WHAT question.  To answer the WHAT question, a reviewer describes the setting, the characters, the plot and concisely summarizes what is the story.  To answer the SO WHAT question, a reviewer must analyze what it is about this book that is special.  For example, the main character in Holes by Louis Sachar is Stanley.  So what? What makes Stanley special? Why must the story be told from his point of view?  Why is he so important?  To learn more about the WHAT and the SO WHAT questions, go to the Writing Book Reviews website.

Before you begin to write your review, you need to find the answers to the WHAT questions.  Start by scanning the book's front cover for title and author, the back cover for the book's summary (or the front cover summary if it is a hardback book), and by looking inside to see if their are chapter titles.  Does the title relate to the story; does it have some hidden meaning?  Does the summary on the back of the book do the book justice?  Do the chapters have titles that are significant?  These are ways to explore how the book has been crafted.  A well-crafted book (and an enjoyable story) usually has a well chosen title, with a concise but not misleading summary, and if the chapters have titles, then each title is important to that particular chapter. This also answers WHAT questions like:  what the setting is, what the characters are like, and most importantly what the story is about.

After you have read the story, you will analyze it and answer the SO WHAT question.  A few questions to start with are:  What is the theme or main purpose of the story?  How does that relate to the characters, plot or setting?  What type of audience would this book appeal to?  What is it's field or genre?  Who is telling the story or what is the point of view? Remember that analysis is what makes a book review different from a book report.  If you need more help distinguishing a book review from a book report, visit this handoutfrom Writing Centre at the University of Western Ontario.

Lastly, explore the reviews on both the Reading Rants website and the Favorite Teenage Angst Books website.  Pay attention to the first sentence of the reviews, this is often called a "teaser" sentence.  It's purpose is to draw in people's attention, the sentence must capture or "tease" their interest and make them want to read the rest of the book review.  As you read the review, and the teasers, think about how you can make your opening sentence an attention-grabber.

Now it is time to write a draft of your book review.  The book review must include:

(1) A heading that includes the book title and it's author

(2) A teaser or attention-grabbing introduction
(3) A brief paragraph that explores the WHAT questions
(4) A brief paragraph that analyzes the SO WHAT questions
(5) And your personal reaction to the story, did you like it and why?
 
You may want to revist the Writing Book Reviews website, it has a section dedicated to writing the book review.  When you are finished with your draft, exchange it with a friend.  Peer edit each other's review, checking for: a heading, analysis as well as a summary, a teaser - does it really grab your attention, a personal response to the book, and grammatical errors.  

Once your draft  has been edited, you can write your final copy and turn it in.