WHAT IS IT? HOW DO I WRITE ONE? How to Build A Book Review

Let’s look at examples from last year! These are not necessarily perfect. They do follow the requirements, though. Handout: Outline of a book review. This is the only copy I will give you, so keep this ALL YEAR. You are going to need it 3 more times this year.

1 st step: Decide how you feel about your book Ask yourself: How did I feel about the book I read? Did I like it? Hate it? Was it confusing? Once you have decided how you feel about your book, then you have your position on your book. This is your starting point for developing your thesis statement. Just like a topic sentence reveals what a paragraph is about, a THESIS SENTENCE reveals what an essay/paper is about.

Open up Pages Typed and double-spaced Use MLA style  12 pt font  Times New Roman

Step 3: Write a practice thesis Write a sentence using this stem:  I felt that the novel _______________ by ____________ was a very ______ book.

That was lame. This is a very generic and lame thesis statement. In fact, it is terrible. Do it again. This time add some strong adjectives and try to be enthusiastic in your explanation of your feelings.  I believe that the novel ______________________ by _____________ was...

2 nd step: how can I express how I felt? Enthusiasm counts for a lot! Whether you really liked the book or not – you want to express a strong feeling about the book. Use strong adjectives to express how you felt. Note: This is a REVIEW! People read reviews to find out how others felt about the book, so that is the whole point to this paper. In the first paragraph, you need to tell your reader how you felt. The rest of the paper gives some basic information about the book and your opinion of it.

Want to make a really good thesis statement? A thesis statement focuses your ideas into one or two sentences. It should present the topic of your paper and also make a comment about your position in relation to the topic. Your thesis statement should tell your reader what the paper is about and also help guide your writing and keep your argument focused. Your thesis statement is no exception to your writing: it needs to be as clear as possible. By being as clear as possible in your thesis statement, you will make sure that your reader understands exactly what you mean.

More... Weak: The novel The Hunger Games was an exciting story of adventure that I really enjoyed. Stronger: The novel The Hunger Games was a powerful and exciting tale of a young woman’s journey to save her sister and the future of her people, and I am sure I will read it again. Strongest: In The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, a young woman fights for justice in a futuristic society in a tale that is as action-packed and thrilling as a roller coaster that I will want to read over and over.

Opening Paragraph: Let’s work on that! Your opening paragraph will be developed in this order:  Hook (ask a question, short anecdote, a quote, etc.)  Explanation of hook  2-3 summary sentences: introduce the character(s) and plot. NO SPOILERS!  Thesis statement (Notice this is the last sentence in the paragraph!!!)

Example: (Hook: question) Are you interested in a reading a story that is full of power struggles, family ties, and explosions? (Explain hook) Then you may be interested in the first book of The Hunger Games Trilogy. (Sum 1) This book contains a lot of elements that will entice most readers. (Sum 2) Katniss must go to the Capital to fight for her life. (Sum 3) She must protect those she loves while fighting others that are out to kill her. (Thesis) In The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, a young woman fights for justice in a futuristic society in a tale that is as action-packed and thrilling as a roller coaster. It was one of the most thrilling books I have ever read!

2 nd Paragraph: Author Information You need to research your author. I am going to write about Suzanne Collins. For your sources, sometimes author information is very hard to find, so you only need 1 credible sources. What do I mean by credible?

Next: I know that I am using this website for information:   I read the article and decide which parts are generic and boring. I don’t want to use those parts. I decide which parts are the most interesting. How can I add that to my paragraph?

Another next: So I create my 2 nd paragraph:  The author of The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins, is a very interesting person. Mrs. Collins was born in 1962 and grew up hearing about her father’s experience fighting in Vietnam.“So throughout our lives we basically heard about war.” "I believe he felt a great responsibility and urgency about educating his children about war," Collins says. Since her books have a lot of “war” in them, it makes sense that she grew up learning about it. She also worked as a writer for several well-known children’s shows like Clarissa Explains It All and Generation O! This would also explain how she knew so much about the use of television in The Hunger Games. Mrs. Collins is also known for her Gregor series:The Underland Chronicles.

Next: Citing Sources (Giving Credit) When you use information from a source, you have to give credit for it. If you don’t, it’s considered stealing. We avoid this by CITING SOURCES. This is a fancy way of saying “giving credit.” Know the website you used. Go to Fill in the information. Boom! Citation created. (SOOOOO much easier than in the olden days ) Bio.com. A&E Networks Television. Web. 22 Aug

In-Text Citations When you find a source about your author, you will gathering information for your review. You need to give credit to the source of your information. This credit will show up in 2 places:  Your last page (bibliography)  Right next to the information when you use it. (in-text citation)

Example: You go to this website to get information about your author Suzanne Collins After reading the biography, I pull some information from it that I thought would be good to use in my paragraph about my author (2 nd paragraph of your book review).  "I believe he felt a great responsibility and urgency about educating his children about war," Collins says

You will do 2 things with the information: 1) Cite your source in your paragraph:  The author of The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins, is a very interesting person. Mrs. Collins was born in 1962 and grew up hearing about her father’s experience fighting in Vietnam.“So throughout our lives we basically heard about war” (Bio.com). "I believe he felt a great responsibility and urgency about educating his children about war," Collins says (Bio.com). Since her books have a lot of “war” in them, it makes sense that she grew up learning about it. She also had work as a writer for several well-known children’s shows like Clarissa Explains It All and Generation O! (Bio.com). This would also explain how she knew so much about the use of television in The Hunger Games. Mrs. Collins is also known for her Gregor series:The Underland Chronicles (Bio.com).

Work Cited Page (look at your handout) 2) Put your source information on your Work Cited page.  Title your page Work Cited and then center it.  Paste the whole citation: Bio.com. A&E Networks Television. Web. 22 Aug This should be on the left  This way, anyone who reads your paper, can go to the actual website you used and find the information for themselves. You didn’t steal it!

Couple of things about your paper... You should have 1 LIKE paragraph and 1 DISLIKE paragraph. It does not matter what order they are in. That is why your handout says like/dislike two times. Use your handout as a guide. Take some time right now to write these paragraphs. They are your 3 rd and 4 th paragraph in you paper. If you are not yet finished with your book, then do your best and add to it as you can. (Pssst! You are almost finished with your book review!!!!)

Example of a Like paragraph: There is so much that I like about this book that it is difficult to narrow it down to a single paragraph. First, I love the main character, Katniss. She is incredibly tough, resilient, and smart. Her ability to find her way out of difficult situations is remarkable. Secondly, I loved the descriptions of the Capitol. It seemed strange and beautiful at the same time. I also really liked the romance between Katniss and Peeta. At first I was rooting for Katniss’s friend, but as she and Peeta fought at the Hunger Games together, it became clear that this was going to be a really good match.

Example of a Dislike paragraph: There wasn’t much that I disliked about this book. I found some things in the story to be upsetting, like when favorite characters got hurt or died, but I don’t think the book would have been as good if those things hadn’t happened. Sometimes the violence was too intense for me. Maybe it wasn’t necessary to be as descriptive and Collins made it. I feel like a reader can get the idea of a terrible death without the gruesome details. Sometimes that made it hard to read. I was also disappointed when the book was over. I wanted to know so much more about Katniss’s return home!

Last Paragraph Your book review outline asks you who you would recommend your book to. This should not be a specific person. The answer should be a general one. For example: people who like mysteries, young adults, people who like to be scared, all ages, (or who it is NOT for: young children, boring for adults, etc.) Rephrase your feelings about the book. End on a encouraging note.

Example: The Hunger Games was such an amazing book! I would recommend it to anyone whom enjoys a fast- paced, action-packed novel with strong female characters. I would not recommend it for young children. The violence can be very intense and may be too much for them. Overall, I loved this book and look forward to reading the rest of the series! “May the odds be ever in your favor!”

Page 1 Title Opening paragraph with thesis statement at the end. Author paragraph Like paragraph Dislike paragraph Closing paragraph with recommendation If you have 5 well-developed paragraphs and you double-spaced your paper then this will also need a 2 nd page.

Last page Title is centered: Work Cited All of your sources are correctly cited (citationmachine) and in alphabetical order Most people will only have 1 source to list.

Print it! Then turn it in! You are finished!

Homework Print off book review and turn it in next class. IR book project (be prepared to give a brief presentation about it to the class.) Big Kindness is due in one week! You will need a copy of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde for next Tuesday.