book report questions high school

About this Worksheet: This book report worksheet directs the student to write about the book they have completed reading. This book report worksheet asks the student to write about the setting, plot, conflicts, motifs, theme, and much more. This book report worksheet gives the student a good opportunity to learn and reflect on the book they have completed. The teacher will be able to measure their reading comprehension of the book. The book report worksheet may even be used to give a class book talk or presentation.

This worksheet is suitable for 7th grade, 8th grade, 9th grade, 10th grade, 11th grade and 12th grade.

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How To Write a Good Book Report in Seven Steps

Are you having trouble writing your book report? Don’t worry, you’ve come to the right place. We’re going to give you seven easy steps that’ll help you write the perfect book report.

Quick Summary on How To Write a Book Report

• As you read the book, highlight and take notes.
• Reread the instructions of the assignment.
• Organize your notes and create an outline.
• Write a compelling introduction.
• Include quotations, examples, and supporting evidence in the body paragraphs.
• Encapsulate the main point of your text in the conclusion.
• Edit and proofread.

What Is a Book Report?

A book report is an essay in which students explain and support their thoughts and views on a story, novel, or any other literary work.

There are several different types of book reports. Regardless of which type you’re writing, teachers and professors usually assign book reports as a way to ensure that their students have thoroughly understood the book. Below, we’ll go over how to write a good book report in seven easy steps.

How To Write a Book Report

1. as you read the book, highlight and take notes..

The first step of writing a good book report is to read the book, of course. However, it’s important to highlight and takes notes while reading it. Highlight anything that stands out to you or that evokes certain emotions. Write notes on patterns, themes, and characters. If you’re writing a book report on a nonfiction book, write notes on the major points of the book and what you think about them.

2. Revisit and reread the instructions of the assignment.

Once you’re done reading and taking notes, reread the instructions of the assignment. Find what it is you’re supposed to write about. Is it a character analysis? A plot summary? An exploration of themes and patterns, or something else? It’s also essential to follow the formatting guidelines, so make sure to use the correct font and spacing. If you have any questions, reach out to your teacher or professor.

3. Organize your notes and create an outline.

Gather your notes and arrange them into categories. Once you’ve completed this, write an outline and organize the categories to become the paragraphs of your book report. Jot down bullet points on what each paragraph will include and what part of the book can support it. As you start writing the book report, remain flexible. You don’t have to follow the outline exactly. You may realize that a few edits create a better flow.

4. Write a compelling introduction.

The introduction should be informative and catchy. You may want to start with a quote, climactic scene, or an unusual observation you had while reading the book. Towards the end of the introduction, you should write a one or two-sentence summary about the book, and then the last sentence should explain what exactly you’ll be writing about in the rest of the report.

Book Report Elements

Keep in mind that all book reports should contain:

• The name and author of the book.
• A thesis statement.
• If you're writing about a fiction book, mention the setting, time period, and characters.
• If you’re writing about a nonfiction book, mention the author’s main point in writing the book.
• Evidence to support your arguments.

5. Include quotations, examples, and supporting evidence in the body paragraphs.

The body paragraphs are where you can include quotations, examples, and supporting evidence that bring your book report together.

For example, let’s say you’re writing a character analysis. You believe that the character that everyone sees as the protagonist is actually the antagonist. You should write why you believe that and include specific scenarios that help prove your point.

Or if you’re writing about a non-fiction book, you could use the body paragraphs to write about why you agree or disagree with the author. Similarly, you’d have to use examples and evidence to support your argument.

It’s a good idea to start off with your most compelling, evidence-backed point. Leave the weakest arguments for the middle, and end with another strong point. Lastly, whether you’re writing about fiction or non-fiction, commenting on writing style and tone is recommended (especially if it’s explicitly requested in the instructions).

6. Encapsulate the main point of your text in the conclusion.

The conclusion is just as important as the introduction, so make sure to set aside enough time to write one (students tend to rush through this part). Use the concluding paragraph to pull all your arguments together. Reiterate again what the main point was about, and then briefly summarize the main idea of your book report.

7. Edit and proofread.

Now that you’ve completed the first draft of your book report, it’s time to reread and make edits if needed. Are there any paragraphs you can move around that’ll improve the rhythm of your writing? Do you have enough evidence to back up your claims? Is your introduction captivating and descriptive?

While you’re rereading the book report, you should also be looking for typos and spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes. If you want an extra set of eyes to look for all types of errors, you should use LanguageTool as your spelling and grammar checker. Not only will this advanced editor correct mistakes, but it supports more than twenty languages—meaning your book report will be perfect regardless of which language you’re writing it in.

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Book Templates

22 Printable Book Report Templates (Worksheets) – Word | PDF

Writing a book report is something that many of us have been tasked with before, particularly as students. A book review works as a succinct summary of the story of a book, and its characters, its plot, its core themes, message, and much more, and is a convenient yet effective way in which readers may convey what they took away from a particular piece of literature. Additionally, it allows readers to be critical of the works they read, giving it an added degree of depth and importance.

Writing a book report is an important part of academia, and also has a ton of application within the professional world. For these reasons, we’re going to take you through a comprehensive guide with which you can easily write a book report on just about any literary work.

What is a Book Report?

As the name suggests, a book report is pretty much that – a report on the experience a reader had with a particular piece of literature. Most often, a book report contains basic details on the book and author – information on the author’s upbringing, inspiration, education, and professional background are all very relevant to a book report. Generally, a solid and comprehensive book report contains the following elements:

• A succinct and brief summary of the plot or the core philosophies that are outlined in the book.
• A personal, individual analysis of the various themes and topics covered in the book.
• A personal and deep analysis of the numerous characters and/or personalities explored in the book.
• Background information that went into the publication of the book, such as information about the author, historical context, political movements, and the like.
• A final statement on why the writer of the report found the book interesting or uninteresting, complete with critical viewpoints backed up by excerpts from the book.

These elements are necessary for writing a comprehensive book report. In the next section, we’ll guide you through the process of writing the book report.

How Do I Write a Book Report?

Before you get started on the book report itself, it is a good idea to compile all your thoughts on the book into a brief set of notes that you can easily refer to. Additionally, you can list any ideas and/or critical viewpoints you may have, allowing you to easily reference different sections of the book in the report.

Once you have your summary and your notes on hand, you can get started with writing the book report. Follow these tips and format in the specified order to write an effective book report;

• Introduction – The introductory paragraph should declare the name of the author, date and year of publication, publisher, country of publication, and any other relevant historical information. Typically, this includes a small background on the author, the historical context of the time it was written, and the situation of the country in which the book was written. Once that’s done, you’re ready to move onto the next section.
• Next, you should present an overarching summary of the book. For fictional works, this means that you should write down an in-depth synopsis of the story, whereas non-fiction works generally merit a break down of the theories, philosophies, accounts, and general themes explored in the book.
• The next section accounts for the report writer’s personal opinions and experience with the book – In this section, you should outline what you thought about the book and why. Then why is particularly important in writing an effective book report – Your opinions, claims, criticism, and praises should all be backed by references taken from the book, such as excerpts or quotations. Tie this into the historical background of the author and the work itself to write an even more effective book report.
• Bibliography – While this may not particularly hold true for all fiction works, it is very common when dealing with non-fiction works. Often, multiple sources are cited in non-fiction works, which may encourage the reader to do some literary exploration and delve into other authors. When this happens, some of these discoveries are bound to tie into the book review. When these sources are used, make sure to cite them categorically and add a bibliography page.

These are the steps you need to follow to write an effective book review. Once you’ve finished writing it, make sure to do a thorough proofread, while also checking for logical follow from start to finish.

Book Report Templates & Examples

Following are free downloadable book report templates and examples that can be downloaded for free:

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the format of a book report.

Typically, a book report is formatted academically. This includes an introduction, a summary of the work itself, the author of the report’s opinions, findings, criticisms, and praises, and finally, a review and summary of the author’s arguments. It is typically formatted with a 1 or 2-pt margin, with double-spaced fonts like Times New Roman or Arial.

How do you write a book report?

A book report is a comprehensive summary of both the book itself, as well as the reader’s thoughts, opinions, and experience reading the book. As a result, it should contain information on the book itself, including the background of the author, a summary of the key aspects of the book, and well-reasoned, logically sound arguments made by the writer of the report. Check out our guide to find a step-by-step guide to writing a book report.

How many pages should a book report be?

Most commonly, a book report falls between 800-1,000 words. If the font is Times New Roman, 1-pt margins, and double-spaced, which is the academic standard, this comes up to a page count of 3-4 pages.

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Homeschooling Teen

How to Write a High School Book Report Outline

Source: https://www.pexels.com (free image).

By Lori Wade

Writing a book report for high school students can at times be a difficult task, whereby they are expected to write a critical analysis of a book they have just read. It is an exercise for evaluating the book you’ve just read to show your understanding. In the early days in school, elementary students are given easy to comprehend books to read and guided in writing reports. By the time the students are in high school, they are expected be to write book reports on their own.

Each tutor has their own instructions and preferences when they are guiding students to read and write reports. There is no universal format when it comes to reading, understanding and interpreting what and how students read. Although that is the case, the following guidelines should help you get a footing in the effort of writing a crisp book report.

How to Write a Book Report

You need first to read the book and understand the content well before you can write a good book report for it. If the choice of the book is yours, you should consider selecting a book that you’ll have fun reading. When reading, always have a pen and paper by your side to write down page numbers, chapters, and topics, and take short notes about interesting passages.

Every report that you write in high school must have a title page. Format your title page according to the requirements that your teacher asks you to write in, like MLA. Write your name and title of the book and your class.

Introduction

In this section, you will provide basic information about the book and a synopsis of what the report will be about. You will include the following information in this section:

• Title of the book which must be underlined and the name of the author
• Publication Information such as the publisher, year of publication, and number of pages
• Genre of the book
• A brief introduction to the book and the report, typically a 1 to 2 sentence paragraph.

Here, you will work on two sections. The first is an exploration of what is contained in the book and the second part is your opinion and insight into the book and its success rate.

When you are working on a book report, you will be required to follow the different guideline for fiction and nonfiction books. Although they will be structured differently from each other – you will start from a common point where you discuss the author’s purpose and themes in the book and then break away to tackle each genre independently.

Fiction/Imaginative

For fiction and other creative and imaginative books, start by providing a brief account of the setting, the perspective and the characters in the book like the protagonist and antagonist and the major characters as well. You will also discuss the mood or tone of the book.

Write a brief summary of the plot where you will include the major events and the order in which they occur in the book. You should discuss the climax and the resolution of the book and some literary strategies such as foreshadowing. This is applicable to reports but is different in book reviews, whereby you should be on the lookout not to give away details pertaining the plot or the ending of the book.

Nonfiction/Factual

For reality writing, give an overall overview of the topic, main points, and arguments that come out in the book. Provide the thesis and the major conclusions of the book. You are not supposed to summarize all the chapters in the book or every perspective, just explore the main ones and those that are significant to the book, or interesting to you.

Analysis and Evaluation

This is the section in which you analyze and critique the book. In this section, you can write your opinions and bring out your insight into the book and present your arguments, but you will be required to provide explanations and evidence from the book to support your view. Try to balance your opinions not showing a clear inclination towards one side.

When writing this section, the body of the report, the following aspects should be lingering in your head:

• Your general response to the book; exciting, dull or moving
• The writing style the author used; powerful, efficient, complicated, or beautiful
• For a nonfiction book, assess the qualifications author on the subject written. Are you in agreement with the arguments and conclusions of the author?
• Was the objective of the writer achieved?
• Can you recommend the book to other readers? If so, Why? If not, Why not?
• What are the strong points and weak points in the book?

The Conclusion

When concluding your report, briefly pull your thoughts together by summing up the impact the book had on you while reading. You may state the impression that the book gave you, or you may place emphasis on what you want the reader to know about the book. It’s in the conclusion that you’re actually free to include your own views and attitudes.

A good way of writing the conclusion of your report is by looking at the conclusion of the book and borrowing from it. Fuse it with your own thoughts and be aware that other readers might differ from your perspectives.

Revising, Editing, and Submitting

When you finish writing your book report, you are ready to enter this stage. Follow the guidelines of proofreading any written material. Read over your report correcting common mistakes and enriching the details of your report. Read out aloud to yourself and to a friend and ask for feedback. Give it to a senior student or your parent. As you revise the report, ensure that you’ve adhered to the guidelines of the book quoting and that you’ve written the book titles and names in the correct formatting style that you’re writing in.

Ensure that you finish your report on time so as to spare some more for revising and editing before you submit your final report and you’ll be assured of a good score. You can present a rough draft to your teacher before the final submission date for their opinion on whether you are writing in the proper context or where you need to modify and improve on.

Extra Practice

Take extra lessons online offering writing coaching and practice the skills you learn. This way you will improve your basic writing skills which will ensure you can tackle any writing assignment including book reports and reviews. Read other book reviews online and have a grip on how reports and reviews are professionally presented.

Writing book reports can be fun especially for the books that you find interesting to read. You will find all not assignments are of books fun to read. With enough practicing and several assignments successfully completed, you will tackle even the hardest and most annoying books. Remember to always start with the high school book report outline .

High school book reports are a good way of preparing for the more intensive and involving college report writing. Please let us know if there is any tip that we didn’t discuss in the article, which has helped you write grade A+ reports, and we shall include it.

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High School Book Report: Template, Format, & Tips

• 📒 The Basics
• 🔰 Book Report Format
• 📑 Book Report Template
• ✍️ Writing Tips
• 📖 Book Report Examples

🔗 References

How can a teacher check if students have read the book? They ask to write a book report. The assignment is an extended summary of the book. However, high school book reports are usually more complicated. They require you to evaluate the piece of writing, reflect on it, or answer some questions.

📒 High School Book Report: The Key Features

• A high school book report is a standard high school assignment. Unfortunately, it is not a real-world writing task because you will never write anything similar outside your school.
• There are three types of writing, depending on the book genre: nonfiction, biography, and fiction book reports.
• It is a combination of facts and your feelings about them.
• It is NOT a research paper , as it deals with one book individually, not a specific genre or author’s legacy. Neither should you dig into the author’s personality or lifeline.
• It is NOT a book review, as it does not compare the writing with other books. Moreover, you are not supposed to recommend it expressly to other people.
• It is NOT a critical essay because its purpose is not to evaluate but to report the key features (although you may include some evaluation).

🔰 High School Book Report Format

If you write a high school book report on a work of fiction, choose one of the following summarizing strategies:

• In an action summary , list the most critical events in their sequence. This approach is the simplest. You can choose the events that you consider the most important.
• To write a story pyramid , use the central plotline elements as a plan: exposition, rising action, climax, and falling action. You will require some knowledge of these literary elements.

To accelerate the writing of this section, you can use our Summarizer Tool . It will condense any lengthy text into a summary in a couple of seconds.

Theme and Character Analysis

A theme of a fictional book is its central topic or message . To know if you understood the theme correctly, check if it fits into one or two words: love, freedom, betrayal, social stereotypes, etc. A book can have several themes, but one is usually central. Highlight it, also mentioning the secondary themes.

A character analysis focuses on the principal traits of the main characters. Get the clues from what they say and do to other protagonists.

Tone & Setting

The tone of a book is the author’s feelings about something. Is it sarcastic, depressive, or optimistic? Try not to mix it with the mood, which means the book’s atmosphere.

To differentiate, here is the rule.

The tone equals how the author feels about the events. The mood equals how the reader feels about the same.

Time and place setting are the easiest things to define if you were attentive while reading the book. When did the events happen (a year or historical period), and where did they occur? Note that sometimes the time and setting can be fictional, i.e., not existing in reality.

Author & Publication Date

Specify the author’s full name and the book’s first publication date here. You can add the first publisher’s name.

The best strategy in this section is to select the quotes supporting the central theme you specified above. They will explain and illustrate the author’s key message. If you need to add some indirect quotes to your text, you might want to use our paraphrase generator .

📑 High School Book Report Template

To illustrate the slightly tricky format described above, we have prepared a high school book report template in PDF format. Feel free to download it and use it as a reference.

✍️ Book Report Writing Tips

📖 High School Book Report Examples

Below you’ll find the links to a number of high school book report examples.

• “Comfort Women” by Nora Keller
• “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• “Black Like Me”: book by John Griffin
• “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker
• “Careless Lovers” by Edward Ravenscroft
• “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway
• The Crucible by Arthur Miller
• “The Man Who Was Almost a Man” by Richard Wright
• “The Making of a Quagmire” by David Halberstam
• “Oliver Twist” by Charles Dickens
• “The Tale of Kieu” by Nguyen Du
• Franz Kafka’s “Metamorphosis”
• ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ by Jonathan Swift
• “Oedipus the King” by Sophocles
• “A Rose for Emily” Short Story by William Faulkner
• The Play “Hamlet” by Shakespeare
• “Daddy” by Sylvia Plath
• “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver

We hope that with the help of this article, your book report will take much less time. If you have already written the text and would like to listen to how it sounds, use our Text-to-Speech tool . It is always easier to “hear” your mistakes being read by another person.

❓ High School Book Report: FAQ

How to write a nonfiction book report.

• Skip secondary details and irrelevant information.
• Write all the book’s ideas in your own words.
• Do not repeat yourself.
• Structure your report according to the chronological order or the order of importance.
• What would the author like you to remember after reading the book? It is exactly what you should include in the book report.

How to Write a Book Report on a Biography?

• Are you supposed to focus on the protagonist’s character traits or their life story? Choose either option, depending on the assignment.
• Divide the life of the protagonist into periods.
• Characterize each period and mention the critical events.
• Explain how the biography explains the actual person’s worldview and accurately depicts the past.

How to Write a Book Report Without Reading the Book?

• You’ll have to read the book’s beginning and end to get the central message.
• Flip through the pages in search of some quotes evidencing the idea.
• Keep your tone general, but include some specific details.
• Use a summarizing tool.
• Request academic assistance.

What are the 5 Parts of a Book Report?

Any book report should comprise:

• theme and character analysis;
• tone, time, and setting;
• author’s full name and publication date;
• best quotes.

Some assignments will require you to make a deeper analysis of the text, but this is a compulsory minimum.

• Book reports | Purdue Online Writing Lab
• How to write a book review and a book report · Help & how-to
• How to Write a Book Report: Lesson for Kids – Study.com
• Book Reviews – UNC Writing Center
• Foolproof Guide to Writing a Book Review
• What is a Book Review? – Definition & Examples – Study.com

How to Organize a Literature Review [in 30 Minutes or Less]: Outline & Tips

Writing an effective research proposal sample in 3 steps.

• TemplateLab

Book Report Templates

30 book report templates & reading worksheets.

Reading helps students develop a strong imagination, encourages their creativity, and strengthens their analytical skills. Teachers assign a lot of book reports to ensure that students read lots of books, especially at that critical early age when they are still trying to master the written word. To cut down on some of the workload, students and teachers can find a book report template to download and fill in. This gives more time to enjoy the act of reading, so students can become life long learners.

Table of Contents

• 1 Book Report Templates
• 2.1 Why Provide A Book Report Form
• 2.2 Sections Of A Simple Book Report
• 2.3 Sections Of A Multi-Page Report
• 3 Sample Book Reports
• 4 Difference Between The Book Report Types
• 5.1 What To Do Once You’ve Written The Report
• 6 Book Report Examples
• 7 Tips for Teachers
• 8 Tips for Students

What Is A Book Report

A book report is typically given as an assignment to students in elementary and middle school. Students fill out a form answering basic questions about the book they were assigned to read. Turning in the report serves as proof to the teacher that the student read the book and, hopefully, got something out of it.

These reports may ask students to detail what the book was about, the names of the main characters, what the theme of the book is, and where the events are set. Some reports may ask specific questions about events or characters to ensure that the students read the book all the way through. The report can also help students understand the book better by asking them to think about its meaning and the plot.

Reading Worksheets

Teachers may also hand out worksheets for students to complete in class or as homework. These are usually limited to the earlier grades when students are still learning to read. Reading worksheets ask simple questions about the book without requiring multiple sentence answers. These questions may ask students to name a favorite character, or mention the main conflict in a few words.

It’s not uncommon for the teacher to read a picture book with the class and have students fill out a worksheet afterwards. If the classroom has a bookshelf, there may also be a ‘Reading Time’ when students pick out a book to read. When they finish, the students fill out the worksheet and submit it to their teacher.

Why Provide A Book Report Form

Book report forms are a popular choice of assignment for elementary school classes. These forms make it simple for students to complete the report by filling out the worksheet. These sheets can be generic with standard questions, or teachers may create a unique sheet with questions specific to each different book that is assigned.

These forms also help introduce students to the idea of a book report format and show them what kind of information may be expected on longer, multi-page reports that they are expected to complete in the higher grades. A form is also easier to grade , especially for teachers who have a large classroom and more assignments to go over than usual.

Sections Of A Simple Book Report

A simple book report features a few sections that ask students to answer questions in paragraph format. These each ask students to detail a different element of the book. All book report forms will ask for the title, author name, and the illustrator’s name, if it is a picture book. The other elements on a simple form include:

• Setting – This is where the book’s events took place, i.e. New York.
• Characters – A list of who the main characters are and their names.
• Plot – A basic overview of the major events in the book.
• Your impressions – Whether you like the book or not, and why.

A simple form may also just ask the students to describe the beginning, middle, and end events of the book in three questions. Students may also be expected to identify the climax, which is the most intense point of the book where the main character’s problems are resolved or made worse. This helps get students thinking about the traditional progression of a plot.

Sections Of A Multi-Page Report

Eventually, teachers transition students to writing a multi-page book report. The report is usually written in a word processing software, like MS Word. Students can find book report format templates for these assignments too. These longer reports are written out in paragraph form. The teacher asks the students to address different elements of a book in their own words or with their own formatting. A simple way to organize these reports is to divide them into three basic sections, the introduction, main body, and conclusion. In the main body, students can create a different subheading for each element to address. For instance,

• Introduction – The first paragraph; includes book title, author, genre, and why you chose the book.
• Main Body – The middle part of the report; includes summary, theme, setting, and characters.
• Conclusion – A short summary of the book report and opinion of the book.

Sample Book Reports

Difference Between The Book Report Types

The short book report form is handed out by the teacher and can be completed in one night like a homework assignment. A multi-page report is created by the student and may take more than one night to finish.

Short templates are available in lots of fun book report ideas suitable for young children. They have questions with a few lines to hand write the answers in a few short sentences. Some templates may include activities to make them more interesting to students, such as having them draw out a scene from the book or re-write the ending.

Multi-page reports start out as two page reports and gradually increase in size through middle school and high school. Of course, those two page reports are just as difficult for young students as the five page reports are for high school students . The great thing about these assignments is that students are usually free to organize their book report ideas however they desire. They can create bold sub-headers for the main body of the report. Students can write about the theme, characters, and setting separately. Or they can leave out the headers and devote their report to a specific element, such as the book theme. This allows students to weave information about characters and setting into the report where they are most relevant to the theme. The former works well for short chapter books, and the latter is better for books that may feature multiple themes.

Ideas for Different Kinds of Book Reports

There is more than one way to complete a book report. Both teachers and students may find these creative ideas more interesting than a straightforward report.

Write a review of the book. Create the report in the form of a newspaper or blog review. Summarize the book without giving away the plot or the ending. Talk about what made you like it or, if you hated it. Feel free to give the book a thumbs up or down rating at the end.

Do a diary. Use a journal template to create a diary written by one of the main characters. There should be multiple entries that follow or discuss the events of the book from that character’s point of view.

Interview one of the characters. Create an imaginary interview with one of the characters in the book. Ask them questions about where they come from, why the character did something important to the plot, and what the character thinks about the outcome of the events in the book.

Write a newspaper article. Create an imaginary newspaper article detailing one of the major events in the book, such as a theft or an important discovery. Make sure to answer the who, what, where, when, and why of these events in your article.

What To Do Once You’ve Written The Report

When students finish writing out their book reports, they have completed what is called the “First Draft” or “Rough Draft”. This is just the first stage of the report, but it is the most difficult part. Finishing up that report in the following steps is a lot easier.

Read and mark the report. Read through the book report from beginning to end to get a feel for it overall. Get a brightly colored pen to mark any spelling or punctuation errors you find in the report. Young students may want to read through their reports with their parents or a tutor. Sometimes, teachers actually make students submit a rough draft of their reports for points before the final report is due. The teacher reviews the draft, makes edits, and suggestions for changing the report before final submission.

Make edits to the report. Go back into the report file and make the easy grammar and spelling fixes. Take a look at your teacher’s suggestions or the ideas you wrote down for things to change in the report. Create a plan to make those additions or changes. Make the changes to the report. Don’t forget to save your file as a separate document. For instance, save your rough draft as, Report1.doc, and this updated version as, Report2.doc.

Review the report. Print out a fresh copy of the report. Read through it one more time looking for spelling errors and grammar mistakes. Keep an eye out for spots where the text doesn’t make sense. This can sometimes happen when you add new content to a report. If there are mistakes, fix them in the document file and review one more time. Your final draft is ready to print out when you can no longer find any mistakes.

Book Report Examples

Tips for Teachers

Book reports are a big part of the curriculum. That doesn’t mean they have to be a lot of work for the students or the teacher. Make assigning these reports less of a hassle with these tips.

• Assign one book for the entire class to read. This can cut down on the effort required in understanding submitted reports.
• Pick out a short book report template to use. There is no need to use valuable time in creating one from scratch.
• Print out more copies of the form than are needed. Some students may lose theirs and need an extra form.
• Make reminder announcements when a due date approaches. Remind students at least twice before a book report due date.
• Keep the word count requirement low. Teachers also have to spend more time reviewing longer reports.
• Consider creative alternatives to some written reports. When your curriculum includes a lot of book reports, give students the option of turning in a drawing, diorama, or another project as a break.

Tips for Students

Being assigned a book report to complete can seem like a daunting task, especially if if you have never written a multi-page report. Make sure you don’t fall behind on the work by following a few of these tips.

• Make up a reading schedule to complete the book well in advance of the report being due. Use a calendar to remind yourself.
• Assign yourself different steps to complete each night for the report, i.e. make an outline, write 200 words, or revising
• Ask the teacher for help with ideas if you can’t figure out how to get started.
• Look for examples of completed reports to see how they are structured.

Book reports vary in their length and complexity. Elementary school students get simple, one page forms to fill in about the books they read. Those in middle school and high school usually have to write multiple page reports. Nearly all reports require students to talk about the plot, theme, characters, and how they liked the book. Both students and teachers can find a lot of templates to use. Those looking for something generic for students to fill in after reading a book can pick up a .pdf or .jpg form. Those who want more control over the look and wording of the template should download a .doc file.

More Templates

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• Grades 6-12
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42 Creative Book Report Ideas for Students

Inspire your students to share their love of books.

Responding to what you read is an important literacy skill. Reading about other people’s experiences and perspectives helps kids learn about the world. And although students don’t need to dive deeply into every single book they read, occasionally digging into characters, settings, and themes can help them learn to look beyond the prose. Here are 42 creative book report ideas designed to make reading more meaningful for kids.

1. Concrete Found Poem

This clever activity is basically a shape poem made up of words, phrases, and whole sentences found in the books students read. The words come together to create an image that represents something from the story.

2. Graphic Novel

Have students rewrite the book they are reading, or a chapter of their book, as a graphic novel. Set parameters for the assignment such as including six scenes from the story, three characters, details about the setting, etc. And, of course, include detailed illustrations to accompany the story.

3. Book Snaps

Book Snaps are a way for students to visually show how they are reacting to, processing, and/or connecting with a text. First, students snap a picture of a page in the book they are reading. Then, they add comments, images, highlights, and more.

4. Diary Entry

Have your students place themselves in the shoes of one of the characters from their book and write a first-person diary entry of a critical moment from the story. Ask them to choose a moment in the story where the character has plenty of interaction and emotion to share in a diary entry.

5. Pizza Box Book Report

If you’re looking for creative book report ideas that use upcycled materials, try this one using a pizza box. It works well for both nonfiction and fiction book reports. The top lid provides a picture of the book cover. Each wedge of the pizza pie tells part of the story.

6. Book Jacket

Have students create a new book jacket for their story. Include an attractive illustrated cover, a summary, a short biography of the author, and a few reviews from readers.

7. Mint Tin Book Report

There are so many super-creative, open-ended projects you can use mint tins for. Teacher blogger Teacher Thrive describes the process of creating book reports using them. There’s even a free template for cards that fit inside.

8. Fictional Yearbook Entries

Ask your students to create a yearbook based on the characters and setting in the book. What do they look like? Cut out magazine pictures to give a good visual image for their school picture. What kind of superlative might they get? Best-looking? Class clown? What clubs would they be in or lead? Did they win any awards? It should be obvious from their small yearbooks whether your students dug deep into the characters in their books. They may also learn that who we are as individuals is reflected in what we choose to do with our lives.

9. Book Report Cake

This project would be perfect for a book tasting in your classroom! Each student presents their book report in the shape of food. Learn more about book tastings .

10. Current Events Comparison

Have students locate three to five current events articles a character in their book might be interested in. After they’ve found the articles, have them explain why the character would find them interesting and how they relate to the book. Learning about how current events affect time, place, and people is critical to helping develop opinions about what we read and experience in life.

11. Sandwich Book Report

Yum! You’ll notice a lot of our creative book report ideas revolve around food. In this oldie but goodie, each layer of this book report sandwich covers a different element of the book—characters, setting, conflict, etc.

12. Book Alphabet

Choose 15 to 20 alphabet books to help give your students examples of how they work around themes. Then ask your students to create their own Book Alphabet based on the book they read. What artifacts, vocabulary words, and names reflect the important parts of the book? After they find a word to represent each letter, have them write one sentence that explains where the word fits in.

13. Peekaboo Book Report

Using cardboard lap books (or small science report boards), students include details about their book’s main characters, plot, setting, conflict, resolution, etc. Then they draw a head and arms on card stock and attach them to the board from behind to make it look like the main character is peeking over this book report.

14. Act the Part

Have students dress up as their favorite character from the book and present an oral book report. If their favorite character is not the main character, retell the story from their point of view.

15. T-shirt Book Report

Another fun and creative idea: Create a wearable book report with a plain white tee. Come up with your own using Sharpie pens and acrylic paint.

16. Bookmark

Have students create a custom illustrated bookmark that includes drawings and words from either their favorite chapter or the entire book.

17. Rays of Sunshine Book Report

This is great for biography research projects. Students cut out a photocopied image of their subject and glue it in the middle. Then, they draw lines from the image to the edges of the paper, like rays of sunshine, and fill in each section with information about the person. As a book report template, the center image could be a copy of the book cover, and each section expands on key information such as character names, theme(s), conflict, resolution, etc.

18. Reading Lists for Characters

Ask your students to think about a character in their book. What kinds of books might that character like to read? Take them to the library to choose five books the character might have on their to-be-read list. Have them list the books and explain what each book might mean to the character. Post the to-be-read lists for others to see and choose from—there’s nothing like trying out a book character’s style when developing your own identity.

19. Character To-Do List

This fun activity is an off-the-beaten-path way to dive deep into character analysis. Get inside the head of the main character in a book and write a to-do list that they might write. Use actual information from the text, but also make inferences into what that character may wish to accomplish.

20. Collage

Create a collage using pictures and words that represent different parts of the book. Use old magazines or print pictures from the Internet.

21. Book Reports in a Bag

Looking for book report ideas that really encourage creative thinking? With book reports in a bag, students read a book and write a summary. Then, they decorate a paper grocery bag with a scene from the book, place five items that represent something from the book inside the bag, and present the bag to the class.

22. Timeline

Have students create a timeline of the main events from their book. Be sure to include character names and details for each event. Use 8″ x 11″ sheets of paper taped together or a long portion of bulletin board paper.

23. File Folder Book Report

Also called a lap book, this easy-to-make book report hits on all the major elements of a book study and gives students a chance to show what they know in a colorful way.

24. Public Service Announcement

If a student has read a book about a cause that affects people, animals, or the environment, teach them about public service announcements . Once they understand what a PSA is, have them research the issue or cause that stood out in the book. Then provide a template for a storyboard so they can create their own PSA. Some students might want to take it a step further and create a video based on their storyboard. Consider sharing their storyboard or video with an organization that supports the cause or issue.

25. Triorama Book Report

Who doesn’t love a multidimensional book report? This image shows a 3D model, but you can also try an accordion-folded book report, a quadrama, or an info-sphere.

26. Character Cards

Make trading cards (like baseball cards) for a few characters from the book. On the front side, draw the character. On the back side, make a list of their character traits and include a quote or two.

27. Book Report Mobile

This creative project doesn’t require a fancy or expensive supply list. Students just need an ordinary clothes hanger, strings, and paper. The body of the hanger is used to identify the book, and the cards on the strings dangling below are filled with key elements of the book, like characters, setting, and a summary.

28. Fact Sheet

Have students create a list of 10 facts that they learned from reading the book. Have them write the facts in complete sentences, and be sure that each fact is something that they didn’t know before they read the book.

29. Dodecahedron Book Report

Creative book report ideas think outside the box. In this case, it’s a ball! SO much information can be covered on the 12 panels, and it allows students to take a deep dive in a creative way.

30. Be a Character Therapist

Therapists work to uncover their clients’ fears based on their words and actions. When we read books, we must learn to use a character’s actions and dialogue to infer their fears. Many plots revolve around a character’s fear and the work it takes to overcome that fear. Ask students to identify a character’s fear and find 8 to 10 scenes that prove this fear exists. Then have them write about ways the character overcame the fear (or didn’t) in the story. What might the character have done differently?

31. Charm Bracelet Book Report

What a “charming” way to write a book report! Each illustrated bracelet charm captures a character, an event in the plot, setting, or other detail.

32. Mind Maps

Mind maps can be a great way to synthesize what students have learned from reading a book. Plus, there are so many ways to approach them. Begin by writing a central idea in the middle of the page. For example, general information, characters, plot, etc. Then branch out from the center with ideas, thoughts, and connections to material from the book.

33. Book Report Booklets

This clever book report is made from ordinary paper bags. Stack the paper bags on top of each other, fold them in half, and staple the closed-off ends of the bags together. Students can write, draw, and decorate on the paper bag pages. They can also record information on writing or drawing paper and glue the paper onto the pages. The open ends of the bags can be used as pockets to insert photos, cut-outs, postcards, or other flat items that help them tell their story.

34. Letter to the Author

Have kids write a letter to the author of the book. Tell them three things you really liked about the story. Ask three questions about the plot, characters, or anything else you’re curious about.

35. Cardboard Box TV

This cardboard box TV book report project is a low-tech version of a television made from a cereal box and two paper towel rolls. Students create the viewing screen cut out at the top, then insert a scroll of paper with writing and illustrations inside the box. When the cardboard roll is rotated, the story unfolds.

36. Board games

This is a great project if you want your students to develop a little more insight into what they’re reading. Have them think about the elements of their favorite board games and how they can be adapted to fit this assignment.

37. Foldables

From Rainbows Within Reach, this clever idea would be a great introduction to writing book reports. Adapt the flap categories for students at different levels. Adjust the number of categories (or flaps) per the needs of your students.

38. Timeline

Create a timeline using a long roll of butcher paper, a poster board, or index cards taped together. For each event on the timeline, write a brief description of what happens. Add pictures, clip art, word art, and symbols to make the timeline more lively and colorful.

39. Comic Strips

If you’re looking for creative book report ideas for students who like graphic novels, try comic strip book reports. Include an illustrated cover with the title and author. The pages of the book should retell the story using dialogue and descriptions of the setting and characters. Of course, no comic book would be complete without copious illustrations and thought bubbles.

40. Movie Version

If the book your students have read has been made into a movie, have them write a report about how the versions are alike and different. If the book has not been made into a movie, have them write a report telling how they would make it into a movie, using specific details from the book.

41. Wanted Poster

Make a Wanted poster for one of the book’s main characters. Indicate whether they are wanted dead or alive. Include a picture of the character and a description of what the character is “wanted” for, three examples of the character showing this trait, and a detailed account of where the character was last seen.

42. Wheaties Box Book Report

Recycle a cereal box and create a book report to look like an old-fashioned Wheaties box that features sports heroes. Include a main image on the front side of the box. Decorate the sides of the box with information about the book’s characters, setting, plot, summary, etc.

Come share your own creative book report ideas in our We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.

Plus, dont’ miss 100 famous children’s books every kid should read (plus free printable).

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FREE Book Report Templates (All Grades Included)

Published: October 17, 2019

Contributor: Bonnie Rose Hudson

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you decide to make a purchase via my links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. See my disclosure for more info.

Some kids love them. Other kids dread them. But nearly every kid has to learn how to write a book report. Help make it fun (and less painful!) with these FREE Book Report Templates . 

This set of 16 book report templates helps alleviate the stress of staring at the blank page. With prompts and questions, they help students remember key parts of the book as well as what is important to share in a book report. 

These FREE Book Report Templates  include forms for: 

• middle school
• high school

They are designed to be used with: 

• biography or autobiography
• informational books

Print just the ones you need. Scroll down to get your FREE Book Report Templates.

Could you use some more tools to help your kids learn (and enjoy!) writing? Be sure to take a look at all the writing resources available in our Subscriber Library ! They are all FREE to our subscribers. Check them out today! There is even another DIY Book Report Kit. 

You might also want to take a look at these free book report posts:

Instant Download: FREE Book Report Templates

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Bonnie Rose Hudson

Bonnie Rose Hudson’s heart’s desire is for every child to feel the love of God and know how special they are to Him. She would love for you to stop by her website WriteBonnieRose.com for homeschool and history curriculum, resources to help teach your children about missions and the persecuted Church, free history and writing printables, and to check out her newest release from JourneyForth, The Hidden Village , an early reader set in India.

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What We Know About Kamala Harris’s $5 Trillion Tax Plan So Far

The vice president supports the tax increases proposed by the Biden White House, according to her campaign.

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By Andrew Duehren

Reporting from Washington

In a campaign otherwise light on policy specifics, Vice President Kamala Harris this week quietly rolled out her most detailed, far-ranging proposal yet: nearly $5 trillion in tax increases over a decade.

That’s how much more revenue the federal government would raise if it adopted a number of tax increases that President Biden proposed in the spring . Ms. Harris’s campaign said this week that she supported those tax hikes, which were thoroughly laid out in the most recent federal budget plan prepared by the Biden administration.

No one making less than $400,000 a year would see their taxes go up under the plan. Instead, Ms. Harris is seeking to significantly raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans and large corporations. Congress has previously rejected many of these tax ideas, even when Democrats controlled both chambers.

While tax policy is right now a subplot in a turbulent presidential campaign, it will be a primary policy issue in Washington next year. The next president will have to work with Congress to address the tax cuts Donald J. Trump signed into law in 2017. Many of those tax cuts expire after 2025, meaning millions of Americans will see their taxes go up if lawmakers don’t reach a deal next year.

Here’s an overview of what we now know — and still don’t know — about the Democratic nominee’s views on taxes.

Higher taxes on corporations

The most recent White House budget includes several proposals that would raise taxes on large corporations . Chief among them is raising the corporate tax rate to 28 percent from 21 percent, a step that the Treasury Department estimated could bring in $1.3 trillion in revenue over the next 10 years.

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Ukraine war latest: Zelenskyy brands Putin 'sick old man' in video message; Russia and Ukraine swap 115 prisoners each

Russia and Ukraine have swapped 115 prisoners of war, including some who were captured during Ukraine's invasion in Kursk in recent weeks. In an independence day message to Ukrainians, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Russian president would not dictate his "red lines" to Kyiv.

Sunday 25 August 2024 14:05, UK

• Ukraine and Russia exchange 115 prisoners of war 
• Zelenskyy brands Putin 'sick old man' in video to Ukrainians
• Telegram CEO arrested in France - reports
• Muted celebrations for Ukraine's independence day
• Residents evacuate key eastern town as Russian troops advance
• Your questions answered : Is there a larger response to come from Russia over the Kursk invasion?
• Live reporting by Katie Williams

That brings an end to our live coverage of the war in Ukraine for this evening - thanks for following along.

We'll be back with any major updates overnight, and will return to our rolling coverage soon.

Before we go, here's a round up of today's key events:

• Russia and Ukraine each exchanged 115 prisoners of war as Ukraine marked its 33rd independence day. The Russian prisoners were soldiers captured during Ukraine's invasion of Kursk;
• In a video message to the Ukrainian people, Volodymyr Zelenskyy branded Vladimir Putin a "sick old man from Red Square" who would "not dictate any of his red lines to us";
• Belarus and Iran congratulated Ukraine on its independence day despite the two countries' close ties with Russia;
• At least five people were killed and five others injured in a Russian attack in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region;
• Pavel Durov, the founder and chief executive of the Telegram messaging app, was arrested in France , according to French media reports.

The founder and chief executive of the Telegram messaging app has been arrested in France, according to French media reports.

French television network TF1 reports that Pavel Durov was arrested at the Bourget airport outside Paris this evening.

According to the network, the Russian-born businessman had been travelling aboard his private jet and was the target of an arrest warrant in France.

Telegram has not responded to a request for comment by the Reuters news agency.

Mr Durov - who also founded the now-state controlled Russian social media service VK - left Russia in 2014 after resisting government pressure to hand over the data of Ukrainian protesters.

He now lives in Dubai and holds dual citizenship of the United Arab Emirates and France.

Telegram, which launched in 2013, is one of the top five most downloaded apps in the world.

Lithuania has announced a fresh batch of military aid for Ukraine - including drones and air defence missiles.

Prime minister Ingrida Simonyte said the package would help Ukraine "send Russian occupants back to where they belong".

In a post to X, Ms Simonyte said the aid would consist of "short-range air defence systems and missiles as well as anti-drones, guns, ammunition and equipment".

The package would reach Kyiv by September, she said.

Vilnius has also pledged to send around 5,000 Lithuanian-made drones to Ukraine by the end of autumn as well as allocating €35m (£29.6m) to purchase radars and demining equipment.

Polish-supplied tanks are being used by Ukraine in its offensive in the Kursk region, president Andrzej Duda has confirmed.

"We are touched to see how the PT-91 Twardy tanks, given by Poland [to Ukraine] more than one year ago, are defending today Ukraine on the battlefields, fighting in the Kursk region," he said. 

Vladimir Putin has vowed a "worthy response" to any use of Western weapons in the invasion.

Mr Duda's visit to Kyiv today coincided with Ukraine's independence day celebrations.

In a speech to mark the occasion, he also expressed confidence that the war "will soon end in [Ukraine's] victory".

"I have never had, and do not have, the slightest doubt that, through their united efforts and struggle, the courageous Ukrainian people will uphold their independence," he said.

A Russian air attack on the Ukrainian city of Sumy this evening has left seven people injured, officials have said.

The Sumy regional administration said on Telegram that Russia carried out a missile attack on civilian infrastructure in the city.

Seven people are wounded, including two who are in a serious condition.

"Take care of yourself and your loved ones, do not ignore the air warning signals," the administration said.

Sumy is the administrative centre of the wider Sumy region, which lies in Ukraine's northeast on the border with Russia.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed several laws targeting Russia today - including one that bans religious organisations linked to Moscow.

The series of laws included ratifying a statute that paves the way for Ukraine to join the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The ratification increases the chances of Russia being prosecuted for war crimes it has allegedly committed during its invasion of Ukraine, according to Mr Zelenskyy's office.

Meanwhile, a law has been signed prohibiting the the operation of religious institutions in Ukraine that have links to Russia.

The legislation, which was approved by the Ukrainian parliament earlier this month, created the legal tools for the government to ban a Russia-linked branch of the Orthodox church.

Organisations would have nine months to cut ties with Moscow's linked religious entities under the new law.

Mr Zelenskyy also signed a law offering Ukrainian citizenship to foreigners fighting in his army against Russia.

Ukrainian boxing star Oleksandr Usyk presented Volodymyr Zelenskyy with the coveted WBC heavy weight champion belt as the pair met to mark independence day.

Mr Zelenskyy posted a video of the meeting on his Telegram channel, saying it was an "honour" to receive the belt.

"Thank you for everything you do for Ukraine. For glorifying Ukrainian strength and invincibility. Thank you!" he wrote.

Usyk beat the UK's Tyson Fury to become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world back in May.

In an interview with Sky News last month, the boxer revealed how he has cried behind closed doors about the war in his country.

Belarus and Iran have both sent their congratulations to Ukraine on its 33rd year of independence from the former Soviet Union, despite the two countries' close ties with Russia.

According to Belarusian news agency Belta, president Aleksandr Lukashenko said his citizens have "always had a special respect and warm regard" for the Ukrainian people.

"We are united not only by the common fate and family ties, but also by the desire to be friends and get along with neighbours," he was cited as saying.

Belarus acted as a staging post for Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and Mr Lukashenko is one of Vladimir Putin's key allies.

Meanwhile, the Iranian foreign ministry published a message on social media saying it was congratulating the government and people of Ukraine on its independence.

Tehran is alleged to have provided Moscow with hundreds of deadly drones, as well as other weapons, for use in its war on Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has used an independence day message to brand Vladimir Putin a "sick old man from Red Square".

In a video address to the Ukrainian people, Mr Zelenskyy used derisive language to describe Russia's 71-year-old president and his nuclear rhetoric.

"A sick old man from Red Square who constantly threatens everyone with the red button will not dictate any of his red lines to us," the Ukrainian leader said in the video posted to Telegram.

In his speech, Mr Zelenskyy noted that the war started by Russia had spread to its own territory.

"Those who seek to sow evil on our land will reap its fruits on their own soil," he said.

He also said "those who sought to turn our lands into a buffer zone should now worry that their own country doesn't become a buffer federation".

Five people have been injured after a Russian shelling in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region, authorities have said.

The country's state emergency service said Russian forces targeted the village of Novoosynove in the Kupyan district with rockets today.

Four women and a man were injured, it said, while two residential buildings and an area of dry grass caught fire.

"Rescuers extinguished the fire and prevented the flames from spreading to other homes," the emergency service said on Telegram, adding that medics were at the site of the attack.

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