Writing Tips, Samples and News for Students

How to Write Great College Level Book Report

Book reports are defined as edifying reports that deliberate on a specific book from an objective point of view. Students have generally confused book reports with book reviews since they are not conscious of the differences that exist between the two. Book reports summarize the work while book reviews gives evaluation of works at hand. Basically, book reports give accounts of the major characters, plot, thesis, and the main concepts of the work. A book report is a short summary that ranges from 275 to 500 words. Students who are given book report assignments need to be informed of the basic information concerning the book. These include the book title, the author, the publisher and place of publication, as well as number of pages. This information is necessary since it is incorporated into the report. Before commencing on a book report, it is prudent to determine the genre of the book. Writing a fiction book report requires one to be cognizant of the main characters, the setting, and the context of action. Non-fiction book reports involve emphasizing the main ideas presented in the book.

Students encounter book report writing in their college level of learning. This is challenging since professors expect work of a higher quality than on the high school level. How to write a college book report is a demanding issue for freshmen college students. For one to write a college book report effectively, one must read the specific book in question. Reading a lengthy work may seem to be a tedious affair especially if the book doesn’t interest the reader. In addition, student writers must understand every concept that is presented in the book.

The first reading is usually inadequate even if the reader truly focuses on the contents of the book. Taking notes on the important points as well as page numbers of where such concepts are illustrated in the book aids one in remembering the book’s plot as well as writing an effective report. The student may also find perusing professional critiques of the book helpful in understanding the plot, characterization, and utilization of literary devices or techniques. However, it is important to narrow down one’s research so that the student reads only the critiques that interest the student the most.

Academic book reports require the writer to follow the guidelines provided by the instructor. This ensures that the student writer stays within the parameters of the report project. For a non-fiction book, the student should focus on topics and issues that the student most enjoyed or found especially intriguing. On the same note, the student should offer personal insight concerning the development of the plot or characterization or the employment of literary devices. College papers are tricky to write since their basis of assessment is focused on information from the book that the student writer presents.

In summary, stay focused on the purpose of the paper. It is not to provide a critique. Rather, it is to provide a synopsis of what the book contains. As with any writing assignment, developing an outline for guidance as one reads can be very helpful in determining what one wants to say. Organize ideas in a clear and coherent fashion. In addition, one should always take time to revise and to proof-read one’s paper before submitting it for a grade.

College students can get professional college book report help online, at AdvancedWriters.com writing service. Let your book report paper written by top-rated writers.

  • 275 words/page
  • 12 point Arial/Times New Roman font
  • Free bibliography & reference
  • Double spacing
  • Free formatting (APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard and others)
  • Free title page
Order now