What is the simplest way to write a book report? First of all, you need to read a book. How can you talk about the story if you haven’t read it? When you know the plot and are familiar with the major issues and characters described in the story, you are ready to work on the report. But what should you start with? Do you need to write about the author first? Or should you resort to plot details? An outline is an answer to all these questions.
With a well-structured outline, you can express your thoughts consistently. Coherence and clarity are two key aspects necessary for successful writing practice. How to cope with the outline? No need to look for extra prompts online. Here’s a clear outline example for a well-developed book report outline.
Introduction
Everything starts from here. The introduction is a basic way to start the paper. With the help of a clear introduction, you can develop the ideas for the readers and present the topic. What are the major elements of an introduction? This is the most informative part concerning the book itself. Let’s see what building blocks are the foundation of the introductory part:
- The title of the book should be mentioned first. You won’t start your writing practice without expressing the title of the book. It is necessary to give the readers the main idea of the paper. You should also add the name of the author. Not everyone is familiar with the authors even if the name of the story sounds familiar.
- Some writers also add the year of publication. In some cases, this information can be omitted for the sake of meaning clarity and word count requirements. But sometimes the year of the published work is vital for the plot. Thus, it must be mentioned at the beginning of the paper.
- The next part is the genre and number of pages. Genre is necessary to help the readers understand the story better. And the number of pages is a formal indicator that can often be omitted from the text.
- Has the book got any awards? If there were any great news about the book, make sure to mention this information.
The key idea of the introductory part is to tell a story. What is the main message that the book has? What major ideas are represented in the story? When all the formal facts are mentioned, you should give rise to the main idea of the story. Use one or two sentences to move closer to the plot. Tell the reader the key idea that goes through the whole book.
Summarize the Story
Now it is time to overview the whole book. What mistakes do writers often make when it comes to the summary? There’s no need to describe everything in detail. What you should mention is the period described in the story. What are the settings? These basic aspects will tell the readers more about the general environment used in the book.
In the summary, you should also briefly describe the major events from the plot. What is the story about? What should the readers know and remind themselves of? Don’t forget to name the major characters important to the plot. But don’t accentuate your attention on the characters. This is the task for the next writing section.
Characters
In this part of the report, you need to tell more about key characters from the story. Choose several points for discussion. If you take a lot of subjects, you will produce less important information. For this reason, choose 3-4 major points and give a detailed explanation about each of the characters. What aspects should you describe? Tell the names of the characters, explain their behavior and way of living, major problems, and their communication circle. You should give a brief overview of the personality to help the reader understand the plot better.
Plot
You have already mentioned the plot description in the summary section. Now you should give more details about the events. When the readers know the characters and overall settings, it is easier for them to perceive the plot.
You should follow the order. How to manage all the events correctly? Highlight the major events and add some more info about extra things that happened in the story. It will create a general picture and make it easier for readers to feel the vibe of the story.
Time to Conclude
Writing a book report is an interesting undertaking. You can learn new stories and discuss your favorite characters in detail. And you also practice writing skills, learn how to structure the paper, and manage summarization tasks. The most critical skill here is the structure of the paper. When you have the outline, you are ready to write the whole report.
