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Book Report Writing Template

This is a guide only. It is not meant to write the report for you. It gives you a format or template for writing your own report.

The original draft was developed by a teacher friend of mine to use with her own students. I have made a few additional enhancements which I believe make the model more clear and complete.

A note of caution here. Your instructor may have another book report format that he/she prefers. So, make sure they approve of this format before using it.


The following book report format template is appropriate for students at the pre-college level who are required to write a report about a book they have read. For the type of book summaries applicable to college and university level (undergraduate and post-graduate), as well as for business and professional situations, you can check out the following book summary service.

Introductory Paragraph

The first sentence should state for which instructor and class the book-report is being written.

The second sentence should state the title of the book and the author’s name.

The third sentence should tell how many pages the book has and the name of the publisher.

The fourth sentence can state basic bibliographic information about the book. Bibliographic information means not only the author and title but also what company published the book, what year it was published in and any other relevant information such as the edition and if the book has been translated, simplified or abridged. (see copyright page and the back of the title page.)

The next sentence should state the reason(s) you decided to read this book. Why did you choose this particular book? Typical reasons might be:

  • You like the author.
  • You like this type of book (i.e. mystery, western, adventure or romance, etc.).
  • Someone recommended the book to you.
  • It was on a required reading list.
  • You liked the cover.

These reasons do not have to be complex. Most people choose the books they read because they like the author or somebody recommended it to them. If you chose the book because you like the author, then state why you like that author.

An optional sentence can be used if the cover (back cover) of the book gives you any additional information then add a sentence with that information.

  • Was the book a best seller?
  • Are there X million copies in print?
  • Did it win any major awards?

Main Character(s) Paragraph

The first sentence of this paragraph should state who the main character or characters of the book are, and why they are important. Refer to this person or these persons as the Main Character or Main Characters.

You will need at least a complex sentence for this, and probably more than one sentence.

Other Characters Paragraph

You should compose at least one sentence for each of the other prominent or important characters in the book. State the name of each of the other important characters, and the key role that each one plays in the book

Most books have five or six prominent characters besides the main character, so simply listing each one and stating their role in the book will give you a good sized paragraph.

Plot Summary Paragraph

This is perhaps the hardest paragraph to write in five sentences or so. If you have to write a bit more don’t worry. Here are the main points to cover:

  • State the type of book (Mystery, Western, etc.).
  • What place or country was the book set in?
  • What time period was the book set in? (19th century, the present, ancient Rome, the 23rd century).
  • Other physical locations which are important, like: ships, airplanes, houses, or buildings.
  • Other notable attributes of the book. (Was it violent, scary, fast paced, etc.).
  • What is the main character trying to do?
  • What is the outcome of the book?
  • etc.

Make sure you cover all of the major parts of the plot. You might have to go back through the book, chapter by chapter, and make a few notes.

Personal Impressions and Conclusion Paragraph

Simply talk about what you liked or did not like about the book. Use this paragraph as your conclusion. It should summarize your overall impressions of the book and bring the report to a close.

  • Start with a sentence that states that you are now writing a conclusion. (For example: “My final thoughts on ‘A Fine Balance’ are that it is a fascinating book but I am not entirely sure if I completely understood the thematic message of the book.”
  • Restate your reasons why you liked and/or disliked the book using different words.
  • Write two sentences that talk about the books good points and weak points.
  • Write a sentence or two about what you learned from the book.
  • Close with a sentence that states whether you would recommend the book to others.

Don’t be afraid to give your own honest impressions of the book. After all, if you’ve read the book thoroughly, you are entitled to your own interpretation of it.

Typically, your book report should not exceed two double-spaced pages, and it should be somewhere between 600 and 800 words in length.

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Use Real-Life Templates For Writing Success

At some point along the way, most of us have used what are commonly called “fill-in-the-blank” writing templates. We might have used them to write a letter, format an essay, or set-up a resume or CV.

You know what I’m talking about here. It’s those form letter templates that you see in many writing texts and workbooks.

FILL-IN-THE-BLANKS TEMPLATES

For example, in the case of a letter, a “fill-in-the-blank” template would look something like this:

Dear [NAME OF RECIPIENT]:

This is to advise you that your probation period in the position [POSITION NAME] expired on [DATE].

The [NAME OF REVIEW COMMITTEE] met on [DATE OF MEETING] and determined that your probationary appointment was successful, and that you should be immediately appointed to [NAME OF POSITION] [NAME OF ORGANIZATIONAL UNIT].

Accordingly, this is to inform you that effective [DATE OF APPOINTMENT] you are officially appointed to the position of [NAME OF POSITION] for an initial period of [NUMBER OF YEARS/MONTHS]. Terms and conditions of your employment are covered by [OFFICIAL CONTRACT NAME/NUMBER].

Would you please report as soon as possible to [NAME OF OFFICIAL], [TITLE OF OFFICIAL] in the [OFFICIAL NAME OF HR GROUP] so that the details of your appointment may be properly documented.

Congratulations [NAME OF APPOINTEE]. All of us at [COMPANY OR ORGANIZATION NAME] look forward to working with you in the future.

Sincerely,


[NAME AND TITLE OF ORIGINATOR]

Although this “fill-in-the-blank” approach can work, it has a number of shortcomings as follows:

DISADVANTAGES OF FILL-IN-THE-BLANK TEMPLATES

  • Because of their generic nature, they tend to generalize so much that they look like a computer generated form letter.

  • They don’t provide specific information on how a professional would properly fill in the required information [BLANKS].

  • They don’t provide mental stimulation or show how a professional might word the letter in a specific real-life context.

  • The content is typically watered down to try and cover every possible situation.

  • Thus, they are virtually useless for 98% of real-life situations, since they lack real-life content.

REAL-LIFE TEMPLATES

On the other hand, here’s what a “real-life” template would look like for a similar situation:

Dear Jessica:

This is to advise you that your probation period in the position Customer Service Agent (Temporary) expired on November 30, 20XX.

The Staffing Review Committee met late last week and determined that your probationary appointment was successful, and that you should be immediately appointed as Customer Service Agent (Ongoing).

Accordingly, this is to inform you that effective December 1, 20XX you are officially appointed to the position of Customer Service Agent in the Customer Support Group for an initial period of 36 months. Terms and conditions of your employment are covered by the Customer Service Group Employment Agreement.

Would you please report as soon as possible to Jim Jackson, Chief of Human Resources so that the details of your appointment may be properly documented.

Congratulations Jessica! All of us here at MedWay Systems Inc. look forward to continuing to work with you in the future.

Sincerely,


Sharon Smithson
Manager, Customer Support Group

ADVANTAGES OF REAL-LIFE TEMPLATES

Clearly, the “model” that most of us would rather work with, if we had to write a similar letter, is definitely the second one, the “real-life” template.

You can relate to it. It deals with real-life people in a real-life situation that you can identify with. And, you get to see exactly how a professional would typically word such a letter.

Here are the main advantages of “real-life” templates…

Fully-Formatted Final Versions
“Real-life” templates are fully-formatted as final documents so that you can see exactly how they looked when they were sent out in a “real-life” situation. They don’t look like some kind of “draft” form letter.

Content With Value
Working with “real-life” templates, it is much easier to adapt them to YOUR actual situations because they give you visual and intellectual cues that you can relate to.

Naturally, when you see how a copywriter or consultant has dealt with a “real-life” scenario, in terms of word choice, context, and punctuation, it is much easier to adapt to the real-life situation that you are writing for. In that way, the actual content has value.

Easy To Work With
“Real-life” templates are just as easy to work with as other templates. You simply load them into your word processing program and edit and adjust them to fit your own specific situation. Presto! You have a fully formatted real-life letter ready to be printed and sent out in the mail.

You also have the comfort of knowing that what you are sending has already been used in other “real-life” situations.

Real-Life Content
With real-life templates, it is much easier to find an adaptable “fit” for the situation you are writing for. Not only do they give you the final format of a document, their content provides an excellent real-life sample and gives food-for-thought to assist you in the writing process.

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