Setting up a book review for high school students

This animation provides general guidelines to write a good book review.

1. Setting up a book review

2. A book review is a short description of a book. It is usually written on websites or in magazines and newspapers, or as part of a letter to inform readers and to give them your opinion or recommendation about whether or not they should read the book. Present tenses are usually used and a variety of adjectives to make your comments clearer and more precise. What is a book review?

3. The following structure must be observed : an introduction giving background information about the book, for example, the title, type (adventure, horror, sci-fi, thriller, etc.), the name of author. a main body consisting of two paragraphs (one giving a summary of the plot, the other - general comments on the plot, main characters, etc.). a conclusion recommending or not recommending the book, giving reasons to support your recommendation. Structure

4. Setting up a Book Review

5. • Always think about your audience. (Who are you writing for? Who's going to read your review?) • Introduce the book you're writing about. Give the title, and the author, and any other relevant background information. Ender's Game One of my favourite books of all time is Ender's Game by the American author Orson Scott Card. It is the first novel in a series of books which all take place in the same imaginary universe. Setting up a Book Review

6. • Summarise the plot without getting into too much detail. ( What happens in the book?) Ender's Game is a science fiction story about a talented boy, Ender, who is taken to a military training school at a very early age. Ender spends his days training and practising , but he is never told about the purpose of his preparation. Setting up a Book Review

7. • Focus only on the most important things that you liked or didn't like about the book. After a difficult start, Ender starts enjoying his training, and soon becomes the best among his fellow trainees. What he does not realise is that he is being prepared for war against an alien race. Setting up a Book Review

8. • Use examples to illustrate the points you are making. The story is written from the boy's perspective, who cannot quite understand what is happening around him. The reader identifies with the protagonist, and when the final twist comes (which I do not want to give away), we live through the shock of it together with Ender. Setting up a Book Review

9. • Summarise what you think about the book. The book raises important questions of innocence, adults' responsibilities towards children and about the nature of special talent . Card's powerful story-telling makes Ender's Game a real page-turner, and I personally found it very difficult to put down. Setting up a Book Review

10. • If you liked the book, recommend it for others to read, and give a reason why you think they should read it. An all-time science fiction classic, which I would definitely recommend to fans of the genre. Setting up a Book Review

11. • Re-read your finished review to check for mistakes. Points to consider • If there is a word limit, check that you have written the required amount.

12. Useful phrases

13. Presenting the book One of my favourite books of all time is ... (title) by ... (author ). (Title) is an iconic novel about ... that became one of the most famous classic novels of all time . The book (story) is ... (genre - a classic/a historical novel/a biography/a romance, etc. It was written by ... . He/She is (not) a very famous writer.

14. Summarising the plot The book (story) is about ... The plot of the story is set around ... The story centers on ... The story follows ... (main character) who ... The story is written from the ... (character) perspective, who ... The reader identifies with the protagonist, and when the final twist comes, we live through the shock of it together with ... (character). The book raises important questions of ... The title of the book (story) is appropriate for the story and reflects ... The author has a fine imagination and has created very believable characters. The important thing about the book (story) is that it is the type of book that makes you think.

15. What you think about the book The ...'s (author) powerful story-telling makes ... (book title) a real page-turner, and I personally found it very difficult to put down. I liked the book (story) because it is a book you could spend hours with. If you ask me, the book is really interesting, instructive, and informative. What I like best about ... (title) is ... I didn’t like the book (story) because it makes unhappy reading. The plot is dull and predictable. It’s the worst book I’ve ever read.

16. Recommending the book for others An all-time ... (genre), which I would definitely recommend to fans of the genre. If you love books in this genre, I highly recommend it. The book is a really enjoyable read. I recommend it even if you have watched the movie. If you are curious about this book, it’s a must read. If I were you, I would give this book a try. The plot is dull, I wouldn't recommend it.

17. A Eugene Lysak compilation 2023