Book Report

Book Report Assignment

Assignment:
1. Select a book that interests you from the public library near you or the main San Francisco Library.

2. READ IT

3. MAP IT (Central idea, main topics, selected details)

4. WRITE ABOUT IT

Who wrote it?

What's the title?

Where, By Whom, and When was it published? (Back of title page)

Why did you choose it?

What did you find most interesting about it?

-----------------------------------

Outline:

Book Report Outline

Following the outline below, write a five-paragraph book report. Each paragraphshould have a topic sentence and at least four detail sentences. This means thateach paragraph will have at least five sentences in it. Check off the items on thelist below as you do them and you will be able to write the twenty-five sentencesthat you need. Each check mark should be one sentence. The last sheet is anexample of a book report.

Title of Book:

_______________________________________________________

I. Setting

1. What was the setting for this book?

_____

(example: snow-covered wilderness)

2. Where did most of the action of the book take place? _____

(example: northern Alaska)

3. When did it take place?

_____

(example: the 1880's)

4. Describe what was this place like.

_____

(example: bitterly cold, desolate, lack of food)

5. Why do you think the author picked this setting for the story? _____

(example: to show how hard it was to survive in Alaska)

II. Main Character

1. Who or what was the main character of this book?

_____

(example: a wolf-dog named Butch)

2. What did this character look like? _____

(example: large head, thick body, heavy brown and black fur)

3. What kind of personality did the character have? _____

(example: fierce, fearless)

4. Give an example of one of his or her good traits.

_____

(example: loyalty to his master)

5. Give an example of one of his or her faults. _____

(example: reckless, easily distracted)

III. Plot

1. Briefly summarize the book’s plot in one sentence.

_____

(example: a new dog fought for survival on a sled team)

2. What was the goal of the main character?

_____

(example: to become the lead dog on the sled team)

3. Why was he or she trying to accomplish this goal? _____

(example: he was tired of being abused)

4. Who or what was working against the main character? _____

(example: a large husky named Plato)

5. What was the climax of the book?

_____

(example: when Butch fought to defend his master)

IV. Message

1. What was the message of this book?

_____

(example: kindness will be repaid)

2. How did the author get his message across to the reader? _____

(example: he showed that an animal can sense and return love)

3. Give a specific example of this from the book.

_____

(example: Butch slept near the man who showed him kindness)

4. Give another specific example of this from the book. _____

(example: Butch was given his freedom, but he chose to stay)

5. What do you think the author wanted you to learn or

to feel after reading this story?

_____

(example: that love can be more powerful than physical strength)

V. Personal Review

1. Did this book hold your interest?

_____

2. Why or why not?

_____

3. Did you enjoy the author’s writing style?

_____

4. Why or why not?

_____

5. Would you recommend this book to others? _____

(See Example On Next Page.)

Example Book Report

The setting of this book was a snow-covered wilderness. The location wasnorthern Alaska. It took place in the 1880's when many adventure seekers weretraveling to start a new life there. The climate was bitterly cold and desolate, andfood was scarce. The author may have picked this setting to show how hard itwas to survive in Alaska.

The main character of this book was Butch, a wolf-dog. He had a large head, athick body, and heavy brown and black fur. Butch was brave and often fearless.Even though situations became very tough, Butch was always loyal to TomJennings, his master. One of Butch’s faults was that he often became distracted,and this caused him to become reckless on the dogsled team.This book is about a dog’s fight for survival on a sled team. Butch wanted to bethe lead dog on the team very badly. He was tired of the abuse he had suffered allof his life, so he wanted to be on top for a change. The lead dog, Plato, however,hated Butch, and wanted to kill him at times. The climax of the book came whenPlato attacked Tom Jennings, and Butch instinctively defended his master by

killing Plato.

The message of this book was that when kindness is shown, it will be repaid. Theauthor communicated this by showing that an animal can sense and return love.An example of this was when Butch slept near his kind master for the first time(which helped Tom to survive a frozen night). Another touching example waswhen Butch was given the freedom to run with a wolf pack, but he chose to staywith Tom. I think that the author wanted you to feel the strong bond that candevelop from a loving relationship.This book held my interest well. It was full of action, and I grew to love Butchand admire Tom. I enjoyed the author’s writing style very much. He wrote witha good mixture of both humor and suspense. I would recommend this book toanyone who enjoys animal adventure stories.

adapted from http://www.hewitthomeschooling.com/pdfs/spnbkrpt.pdf