examples of book reviews for university

Book Review

Book Review Examples

Last updated on: Nov 20, 2023

Good Book Review Examples to Help you Write a Great Review

By: Nova A.

Reviewed By: Chris H.

Published on: Mar 30, 2021

A book review is a common assignment that allows the students to demonstrate the author’s intentions in the book. It also provides them with the chance not only to criticize but also to give constructive criticism on how they can make improvements.

The purpose of writing a book review is to come up with your opinion about the author’s ideas presented in the book. On the other hand, a book analysis is completely based on opinions that are relevant to the book.

Writing a review is something that can be done with any book that you read. However, some genres are harder to write. But with a proper plan, you can easily write a great review on any book.

Read some short book review examples in this guide. They will help you understand the key elements of writing a great review in no time.

On this Page

Academic Book Review Examples

If you are assigned to write a book review, referring to some examples will be of great help. In addition, reading examples before starting the writing process will help you understand what elements are needed for a great book review. There are also many review sites online you can get help from.

Academic book reviews follow a fairly simple structure. It usually includes an introduction, middle paragraphs, and a conclusion that sums up all the ideas.

For a great book review, here are the things you need to focus on during the writing process.

The main argument presented by the author
Author’s methodologyAppropriateness for the audience
Relationship to the real world

Have a look at the following book review examples for kids before beginning the writing process.

Book Review Examples for Middle School Students

Book Review Example For Kids

Book Review Examples for High School Students

Paper Due? Why Suffer? That's our Job!

Book Review Examples for College Students

Book Review Examples for University Students

How to Write a Book Review - Examples

If you don’t know how to write a book review, look at the following steps.

The first step is to plan and create an outline that includes all the points that you will have to cover in the review. Don’t forget to include all the information about the characters, plot information, and some other parts of the chosen book.

The three parts of a book review are:

1. Provide a Summary

What is the book about? Write about the main characters and what is the conflict that is discussed in the book.

2. Provide Your Evaluation

Share your thoughts about the book and what elements work best.

3. Rate the Book

Rate and recommend the book to others who will enjoy reading this book.

If you need to submit a book review soon, we suggest you start reading some book reviews online. Here you can also find some good book review writing examples to understand how to craft each section of a book review.

Book Review Introduction Examples

Thesis Statement Book Review Examples

Tough Essay Due? Hire Tough Writers!

Book Review Conclusion Examples

Critical Book Review Examples

A book review is a critical evaluation of the book, movie, or any other literary work. It has two goals: the first is to inform the readers about the content of the book, and the second is to evaluate your judgment about the book.

A book review is more than a book report. A review is basically a critical essay that evaluates the merits of a literary work. The purpose of writing a book review is not to prove that you have read a book but to show that you think critically about the chosen book.

When you are asked to write a critical book review, you need to identify, summarize and evaluate the ideas of the author. In simpler words, you will be examining and evaluating another person’s work from your point of view.

Science Book Review Examples

A scientific book review will contain the same elements as writing a review for a fiction book; some elements might vary. When you are reviewing a scientific text, you need to pay attention to the writing style and the validity of the content.

Most students turn to non-fictional sources of information. It is important to make sure the information you provide in your review is factual and scientific.

Book review writing can be difficult if you don’t know how to follow the standard protocols. That’s where our reliable book review writing service aims to provide the necessary help.

No matter what your academic level is, we can provide you with the best book review writing help. This type of writing assignment can be tricky and time-consuming. So, if you don’t know how to crack this task, better get professional help.

We at 5StarEssays.com provide exceptional book review writing help. Not only book reviews, but we also provide the best ‘ write an essay for me ’ help to students. Moreover, we also have an AI essay writer to help you with tight deadlines, give it a try now!

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you write a book review example.

Here are some steps that will help you to write a book review example.

Start writing with few sentences and describe what the book is all about
Focus on your thoughts
Mention things that you dont like about the book.
Summarize your thoughts.
Give rating to the book.

Thesis, Law

As a Digital Content Strategist, Nova Allison has eight years of experience in writing both technical and scientific content. With a focus on developing online content plans that engage audiences, Nova strives to write pieces that are not only informative but captivating as well.

Was This Blog Helpful?

Keep reading.

Book Review - An Easy Guide To Write A Review

Write a Book Review

What is a book review, how do i structure a book review, introduction, resources to help with writing your essay, ask us: chat, email, visit or call.

More writing resources

Check out our full list of online writing resources These guides, templates, and videos are designed to help academic writers at various stages of their writing process, including the pre-writing and revising stages.

Get assistance

The library offers a range of helpful services. All of our appointments are free of charge and confidential.

Book an appointment

A book review describes, analyzes, and evaluates a book by examining its purpose and its contribution.

A book review should address the following:

What are the authors trying to accomplish? What is their argument?
Who is the author trying to convince?
What strategies and evidence did you see in the book?
To what extent are you convinced by the book? To whom (if anyone) would you recommend this book?

Your professor may specify additional instructions or objectives for their book review assignment. Therefore, be sure to read the assignment instructions carefully.

In many ways, your book review can be structured like a typical essay, using an introduction, body, and conclusion.

Like other introductions, the book review introduction should move from broad (the topic of the book) to narrow (your specific argument or purpose statement).

Your reader will expect you to do the following in your introduction:

Introduce the topic of the book (what is the issue at hand, and why should we care?)
Introduce the title and author of the book
State the purpose of the book (including the author’s thesis or major findings)
State your thesis (or the purpose of your review)

The thesis of your book review may vary depending on the assignment.

If you are given a specific task (e.g., to relate the book to course themes), that task will likely form the basis of your review.
If you are asked to evaluate the book’s contribution to a specific field, that evaluation will be the backbone of your thesis.

Example thesis relating the book to course themes:

George Orwell’s 1984 provides insight into three course themes: critical thinking as a form of resistance, the role of misinformation in totalitarian societies, and the connection between privacy and personal freedom. The review that follows argues that the novel’s engagement with these themes can deepen our understanding of these themes in the course context by illustrating their interconnections.

Example thesis evaluating the book’s contribution to the field:

Sara Jaquette Ray’s The Ecological Other: Environmental Exclusion in American Culture is an important contribution to environmental justice scholarship because it offers a nuanced account of how environmental discourse has positioned people with disabilities, immigrants, and Native Americans as environmental outsiders. At the same time, it suggests how environmental activists can frame their arguments with greater inclusivity and care.

In your body paragraphs, you will describe, analyze, and evaluate the book. Your reader will expect you to do the following in the body of your review:

Summarize the major points of the author’s argument
Discuss the author’s engagement with larger themes
Identify key strengths and weaknesses
Evaluate the author’s contribution to the field
Support your claims with evidence from the text
Suggest how the book extends, complicates, or overturns arguments from other sources

Paragraph Order

In the body of your book review, you will support your thesis with reference to specific examples from the text. Although you may organize this material in a number of different ways, three common patterns of organization are thematic, chronological, and evaluative.

If you are tasked with relating a book to course themes, use these themes to structure your review.
You can devote each section of the body to one theme.
Use topic sentences and transitions to show your reader when you are moving from one theme to the next.
This structure can help you discuss the author’s engagement with a set of issues.

Chronological

The structure of your review can mirror the structure of the book itself.
You can discuss topics in the same order as the author, providing an evaluation that moves from chapter to chapter or section to section.
This structure can help you emphasize the thoroughness of your review.
Many published academic reviews begin by highlighting the strengths of the book under discussion and then move toward a critique of the weaknesses.
This structure can help you assert your own critical voice as a scholar.

Rather than summarizing the book or restating your thesis, use the conclusion to provide your final thoughts. Consider the following questions:

What have you learned from reviewing the book?
What is your overall assessment of the book’s importance?
Who might benefit most from reading it?
How can future researchers build on this book?
Does the book make space for new kinds of research within its field?

The conclusion is your last chance to add analysis to your book review, so be sure to address the book’s overall significance.

Try using signal words like ‘ultimately’ or ‘overall’ instead of ‘in conclusion’ to help you frame your conclusion through an analytical lens while also telling the reader that they should pay special attention to what follows.

The assignment’s instructions may also provide clues for material that you could include in the conclusion.

Library Help Videos On YouTube

Last Updated: Apr 25, 2024 1:41 PM
URL: https://guides.lib.uoguelph.ca/BookReview

Suggest an edit to this guide

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Queen's University Library
Research Guides

Book Reviews

Writing a book review.

Multidisciplinary Indexes
Canadian Indexes
Humanities Indexes
Social Science Indexes
Science Indexes

Additional Resources

Concordia Libraries: How to Write a Book Report and a Book Review Laurentian University: How to Review a Book Purdue University: Writing a Book Review

For further writing assistance , consult Writing a Critical Review , published by Student Academic Success Services at Queen's. To learn more about book reviews, look at examples of ones in The New York Times Book Review , the New York Review of Books , and the Times Literary Supplement to see how professional writers review books.

Writing Academic Book Reviews: A Comprehensive Guide

(Last updated: 29 May 2024)

Since 2006, Oxbridge Essays has been the UK’s leading paid essay-writing and dissertation service

We have helped 10,000s of undergraduate, Masters and PhD students to maximise their grades in essays, dissertations, model-exam answers, applications and other materials. If you would like a free chat about your project with one of our UK staff, then please just reach out on one of the methods below.

Academic book reviews serve as critical assessments of scholarly works, offering insights into their content, relevance, and contributions to the field. They play a pivotal role in academia, aiding readers in navigating the vast landscape of published literature and informing scholarly discourse. Crafting an effective academic book review demands precision, analytical skills, and clarity of expression. In this comprehensive guide, we delve into the intricacies of writing a compelling academic book review, equipping you with the tools to accomplish this task.

Understanding the Purpose

Academic book reviews serve multiple functions within scholarly discourse:

Evaluation : They provide a critical evaluation of the book's arguments, methodology, and contribution to the field. Contextualisation : Book reviews contextualise the work within the broader scholarly conversation, highlighting its relevance and significance. Guidance : They offer guidance to potential readers, aiding them in determining the book's suitability for their research or interests.

Structure of an Academic Book Review

A well-structured academic book review follows a coherent framework, comprising several essential elements:

Introduction

The introduction sets the stage for the review, providing essential details about the book, including its title, author, publication information, and the overarching theme or argument.

Summary of the Book

A concise summary of the book's content, focusing on its central arguments, key themes, and methodology. Avoid delving into excessive detail; instead, offer a broad overview to orient the reader.

Critical Analysis

This forms the crux of the review, where you engage critically with the book's content. Consider the following aspects in your analysis:

a. Strengths and Weaknesses : Identify the book's strengths, such as its originality, analytical rigour, or theoretical framework. Similarly, pinpoint any weaknesses or limitations in its argumentation or evidence. b. Methodological Approach : Assess the book's methodology, evaluating its effectiveness in addressing the research questions and supporting the overarching argument. c. Contribution to the Field : Analyse the book's contribution to existing scholarship, considering its novelty, relevance, and potential impact on the field of study. d. Comparative Analysis : Situate the book within the broader scholarly context, comparing it with relevant works and highlighting its distinctive contributions or divergences.

The conclusion provides a succinct synthesis of your evaluation, summarising your key observations and offering final reflections on the book's significance and implications for future research.

Writing Style and Tone

When writing an academic book review, adopt a formal and scholarly tone and avoid overly casual language or personal opinions. Maintain clarity and precision in your writing, articulating your arguments cogently and providing evidence to support your claims. Additionally, adhere to the conventions of academic writing, including accurate referencing and citation of sources.

Tips for Writing an Effective Academic Book Review:

To enhance the effectiveness of your academic book review, consider the following tips:

Read the Book Thoroughly : Engage with the book attentively, taking note of its key arguments, evidence, and structure.

Take Notes : Maintain detailed notes as you read, jotting down key points, quotations, and observations that will inform your review.

Maintain Objectivity : Approach the review with objectivity, focusing on the merits of the book's arguments rather than personal biases or preconceptions.

Provide Evidence : Substantiate your claims with evidence from the book, citing specific passages or examples to bolster your arguments.

Revise and Edit : Review your draft meticulously, ensuring clarity, coherence, and adherence to academic conventions. Pay attention to grammar, syntax, and style, refining your prose for maximum impact.

Elevating Academic Discourse Through Insightful Book Reviews

Crafting academic book reviews demands diligence, critical thinking, and effective communication skills. By adhering to the principles outlined in this guide, you can produce insightful and compelling reviews that contribute to the current scholarly discourse. Through rigorous evaluation and thoughtful analysis, your reviews have the potential to shape academic dialogue, enriching our understanding of complex topics and fostering deeper engagement with scholarly literature.

Essay exams: how to answer ‘To what extent…’

How to write a master’s essay, writing services.

Essay Plans
Critical Reviews
Literature Reviews
Presentations
Dissertation Title Creation
Dissertation Proposals
Dissertation Chapters
PhD Proposals
Journal Publication
CV Writing Service
Business Proofreading Services

Editing Services

Proofreading Service
Editing Service
Academic Editing Service

Additional Services

Marking Services
Consultation Calls
Personal Statements
Tutoring Services

Our Company

Frequently Asked Questions
Become a Writer

Terms & Policies

Fair Use Policy
Policy for Students in England
Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
Editing Service Examples
[email protected]
Contact Form

Payment Methods

Cryptocurrency payments.

How to Write a Book Review: The Ultimate Guide

WHAT IS A BOOK REVIEW?

Traditionally, book reviews are evaluations of a recently published book in any genre. Usually, around the 500 to 700-word mark, they briefly describe a text’s main elements while appraising the work’s strengths and weaknesses. Published book reviews can appear in newspapers, magazines, and academic journals. They provide the reader with an overview of the book itself and indicate whether or not the reviewer would recommend the book to the reader.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A BOOK REVIEW?

There was a time when book reviews were a regular appearance in every quality newspaper and many periodicals. They were essential elements in whether or not a book would sell well. A review from a heavyweight critic could often be the deciding factor in whether a book became a bestseller or a damp squib. In the last few decades, however, the book review’s influence has waned considerably, with many potential book buyers preferring to consult customer reviews on Amazon, or sites like Goodreads, before buying. As a result, book review’s appearance in newspapers, journals, and digital media has become less frequent.

WHY BOTHER TEACHING STUDENTS TO WRITE BOOK REVIEWS AT ALL?

Even in the heyday of the book review’s influence, few students who learned the craft of writing a book review became literary critics! The real value of crafting a well-written book review for a student does not lie in their ability to impact book sales. Understanding how to produce a well-written book review helps students to:

● Engage critically with a text

● Critically evaluate a text

● Respond personally to a range of different writing genres

● Improve their own reading, writing, and thinking skills.

Not to Be Confused with a Book Report!

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A BOOK REVIEW AND A BOOK REPORT?

While the terms are often used interchangeably, there are clear differences in both the purpose and the format of the two genres. Generally speaking, book reports aim to give a more detailed outline of what occurs in a book. A book report on a work of fiction will tend to give a comprehensive account of the characters, major plot lines, and themes in the book. Book reports are usually written around the K-12 age range, while book reviews tend not to be undertaken by those at the younger end of this age range due to the need for the higher-level critical skills required in writing them. At their highest expression, book reviews are written at the college level and by professional critics.

Learn how to write a book review step by step with our complete guide for students and teachers by familiarizing yourself with the structure and features.

BOOK REVIEW STRUCTURE

ANALYZE Evaluate the book with a critical mind.

THOROUGHNESS The whole is greater than the sum of all its parts. Review the book as a WHOLE.

COMPARE Where appropriate compare to similar texts and genres.

THUMBS UP OR DOWN? You are going to have to inevitably recommend or reject this book to potential readers.

BE CONSISTENT Take a stance and stick with it throughout your review.

FEATURES OF A BOOK REVIEW

PAST TENSE You are writing about a book you have already read.

EMOTIVE LANGUAGE Whatever your stance or opinion be passionate about it. Your audience will thank you for it.

VOICE Both active and passive voice are used in recounts.

A COMPLETE UNIT ON REVIEW AND ANALYSIS OF TEXTS

how to write a book review | movie response unit | How to Write a Book Review: The Ultimate Guide | literacyideas.com

⭐ Make MOVIES A MEANINGFUL PART OF YOUR CURRICULUM with this engaging collection of tasks and tools your students will love. ⭐ All the hard work is done for you with NO PREPARATION REQUIRED.

This collection of 21 INDEPENDENT TASKS and GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS takes students beyond the hype, special effects and trailers to look at visual literacy from several perspectives offering DEEP LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES by watching a SERIES, DOCUMENTARY, FILM, and even VIDEO GAMES.

ELEMENTS OF A BOOK REVIEW

As with any of the writing genres we teach our students, a book review can be helpfully explained in terms of criteria. While there is much to the ‘art’ of writing, there is also, thankfully, a lot of the nuts and bolts that can be listed too. Have students consider the following elements before writing:

● Title: Often, the title of the book review will correspond to the title of the text itself, but there may also be some examination of the title’s relevance. How does it fit into the purpose of the work as a whole? Does it convey a message or reveal larger themes explored within the work?

● Author: Within the book review, there may be some discussion of who the author is and what they have written before, especially if it relates to the current work being reviewed. There may be some mention of the author’s style and what they are best known for. If the author has received any awards or prizes, this may also be mentioned within the body of the review.

● Genre: A book review will identify the genre that the book belongs to, whether fiction or nonfiction, poetry, romance, science-fiction, history etc. The genre will likely tie in, too with who the intended audience for the book is and what the overall purpose of the work is.

● Book Jacket / Cover: Often, a book’s cover will contain artwork that is worthy of comment. It may contain interesting details related to the text that contribute to, or detract from, the work as a whole.

● Structure: The book’s structure will often be heavily informed by its genre. Have students examine how the book is organized before writing their review. Does it contain a preface from a guest editor, for example? Is it written in sections or chapters? Does it have a table of contents, index, glossary etc.? While all these details may not make it into the review itself, looking at how the book is structured may reveal some interesting aspects.

● Publisher and Price: A book review will usually contain details of who publishes the book and its cost. A review will often provide details of where the book is available too.

how to write a book review | writing a book review | How to Write a Book Review: The Ultimate Guide | literacyideas.com

BOOK REVIEW KEY ELEMENTS

As students read and engage with the work they will review, they will develop a sense of the shape their review will take. This will begin with the summary. Encourage students to take notes during the reading of the work that will help them in writing the summary that will form an essential part of their review. Aspects of the book they may wish to take notes on in a work of fiction may include:

● Characters: Who are the main characters? What are their motivations? Are they convincingly drawn? Or are they empathetic characters?

● Themes: What are the main themes of the work? Are there recurring motifs in the work? Is the exploration of the themes deep or surface only?

● Style: What are the key aspects of the writer’s style? How does it fit into the wider literary world?

● Plot: What is the story’s main catalyst? What happens in the rising action? What are the story’s subplots?

A book review will generally begin with a short summary of the work itself. However, it is important not to give too much away, remind students – no spoilers, please! For nonfiction works, this may be a summary of the main arguments of the work, again, without giving too much detail away. In a work of fiction, a book review will often summarise up to the rising action of the piece without going beyond to reveal too much!

how to write a book review | 9 text response | How to Write a Book Review: The Ultimate Guide | literacyideas.com

The summary should also provide some orientation for the reader. Given the nature of the purpose of a review, it is important that students’ consider their intended audience in the writing of their review. Readers will most likely not have read the book in question and will require some orientation. This is often achieved through introductions to the main characters, themes, primary arguments etc. This will help the reader to gauge whether or not the book is of interest to them.

Once your student has summarized the work, it is time to ‘review’ in earnest. At this point, the student should begin to detail their own opinion of the book. To do this well they should:

i. Make It Personal

Often when teaching essay writing we will talk to our students about the importance of climbing up and down the ladder of abstraction. Just as it is helpful to explore large, more abstract concepts in an essay by bringing it down to Earth, in a book review, it is important that students can relate the characters, themes, ideas etc to their own lives.

Book reviews are meant to be subjective. They are opinion pieces, and opinions grow out of our experiences of life. Encourage students to link the work they are writing about to their own personal life within the body of the review. By making this personal connection to the work, students contextualize their opinions for the readers and help them to understand whether the book will be of interest to them or not in the process.

ii. Make It Universal

Just as it is important to climb down the ladder of abstraction to show how the work relates to individual life, it is important to climb upwards on the ladder too. Students should endeavor to show how the ideas explored in the book relate to the wider world. The may be in the form of the universality of the underlying themes in a work of fiction or, for example, the international implications for arguments expressed in a work of nonfiction.

iii. Support Opinions with Evidence

A book review is a subjective piece of writing by its very nature. However, just because it is subjective does not mean that opinions do not need to be justified. Make sure students understand how to back up their opinions with various forms of evidence, for example, quotations, statistics, and the use of primary and secondary sources.

EDIT AND REVISE YOUR BOOK REVIEW

how to write a book review | 9 1 proof read Book review | How to Write a Book Review: The Ultimate Guide | literacyideas.com

As with any writing genre, encourage students to polish things up with review and revision at the end. Encourage them to proofread and check for accurate spelling throughout, with particular attention to the author’s name, character names, publisher etc.

It is good practice too for students to double-check their use of evidence. Are statements supported? Are the statistics used correctly? Are the quotations from the text accurate? Mistakes such as these uncorrected can do great damage to the value of a book review as they can undermine the reader’s confidence in the writer’s judgement.

The discipline of writing book reviews offers students opportunities to develop their writing skills and exercise their critical faculties. Book reviews can be valuable standalone activities or serve as a part of a series of activities engaging with a central text. They can also serve as an effective springboard into later discussion work based on the ideas and issues explored in a particular book. Though the book review does not hold the sway it once did in the mind’s of the reading public, it still serves as an effective teaching tool in our classrooms today.

how to write a book review | LITERACY IDEAS FRONT PAGE 1 | How to Write a Book Review: The Ultimate Guide | literacyideas.com

Teaching Resources

Use our resources and tools to improve your student’s writing skills through proven teaching strategies.

BOOK REVIEW GRAPHIC ORGANIZER (TEMPLATE)

how to write a book review | book review graphic organizer | How to Write a Book Review: The Ultimate Guide | literacyideas.com

101 DIGITAL & PRINT GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS FOR ALL CURRICULUM AREAS

how to write a book review | digital graphic organizers 1 | How to Write a Book Review: The Ultimate Guide | literacyideas.com

Introduce your students to 21st-century learning with this GROWING BUNDLE OF 101 EDITABLE & PRINTABLE GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS. ✌ NO PREP REQUIRED!!! ✌ Go paperless, and let your students express their knowledge and creativity through the power of technology and collaboration inside and outside the classroom with ease.

Whilst you don’t have to have a 1:1 or BYOD classroom to benefit from this bundle, it has been purpose-built to deliver through platforms such as ✔ GOOGLE CLASSROOM, ✔ OFFICE 365, ✔ or any CLOUD-BASED LEARNING PLATFORM.

Book and Movie review writing examples (Student Writing Samples)

Below are a collection of student writing samples of book reviews. Click on the image to enlarge and explore them in greater detail. Please take a moment to both read the movie or book review in detail but also the teacher and student guides which highlight some of the key elements of writing a text review

Please understand these student writing samples are not intended to be perfect examples for each age or grade level but a piece of writing for students and teachers to explore together to critically analyze to improve student writing skills and deepen their understanding of book review writing.

We would recommend reading the example either a year above and below, as well as the grade you are currently working with to gain a broader appreciation of this text type .

how to write a book review | book review year 3 | How to Write a Book Review: The Ultimate Guide | literacyideas.com

BOOK REVIEW VIDEO TUTORIALS

how to write a book review | 2 book review tutorial28129 | How to Write a Book Review: The Ultimate Guide | literacyideas.com

Transactional Writing

How to write a text response

How to Write a Compare and Contrast Essay

How to Write Excellent Expository Essays

How to Order

Book Review Writing

Book Review Examples

Book Review Examples to Help You Get Started

Good Book Review Examples for Students

You might be a professional writer, or you may not have any experience in writing book reviews. Rest assured, we’ll show you how to write perfect book reviews with the help of a sample template and great examples.

See this template to know what you should include in your book review:

Book Review Template

Here is a good book review example for 4th-grade students:

Paper Due? Why Suffer? That's our Job!

Book Review Examples for Middle School Students

Reading reviews written by others can help you get a feel and flavor of good book reviews. Learning how to write a perfect book review can help students to:

Critically analyze a text
Give a personal opinion on the text
Improve analyzing and critical thinking skills

Here are some interesting book review examples suitable for middle school students.

Book Review Example for Middle School Students

Book Review Example for Kids

Book Review of Any Book in 300 Words

Science Book Review Example

Book Review Examples For High School Students

Below, you can also find some good book review examples for high school students. These real-life examples can help you get a clear understanding of the standard book review format that you should follow.

Book Review Example for High School Students

Book Review Examples for Class 9

Book Review Example for Grade 10

Book Review Examples for College Students

As a college student, you are required to demonstrate that you have examined the book from different angles. The points you raise in your book review need to be supported with clear facts and evidence.

The following are some interesting critical book review examples for college students to learn how to write a perfect review.

Book Review Example for Class 12

Short Book Review for Students

Conclusion of Book Review Example

Short Book Review Examples for Fiction Books

Fiction book reviews follow the same basic formula as writing book reviews of any other genre. For your help, we have compiled exciting examples of fiction book reviews that you can get valuable assistance from.

Short Book Review Example for Fiction Books

Book Review of Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

“The Hazel Wood” by Melissa Albert is a work of fiction and falls into fantasy and young adult fiction genres. The novel revolves around fantastical fairy tales, and magical realism, blurring the lines between reality and fantasy.

Here is an example of a comprehensive review of the book Hazel Wood:

Tough Essay Due? Hire Tough Writers!

Non-Fiction Book Review Examples

For reviewing a non-fiction book, you are required to describe the book and summarize major points of interest. You should evaluate the author’s contribution to a subject that you may know very little about.

Here is a great non-fiction book review example to help you come up with a critical perspective on a text.

Non-Fiction Book Review Example

Hopefully, with the help of the above examples, you get a better idea of how to write a perfect book review.

To wrap it up,

Writing a great book review is a tricky task, no matter if you are a high school, college, or university student. Book review writing might seem like a simple task, but it requires excellent analyzing and critical thinking skills.

But, not everyone can crack this task easily. They might need additional help from expert book review writers. That’s why our professional ' write my book report ' service offers book review writing help whenever you need it.

Professional paper writers at MyPerfectWords.com can help you with all your academic needs including ' do my paper for me ' requests within your specified timeline.

Just contact our customer service and we’ll handle all your queries promptly.

Keep the words flowing!

Write Essay Within 60 Seconds!

Cathy has been been working as an author on our platform for over five years now. She has a Masters degree in mass communication and is well-versed in the art of writing. Cathy is a professional who takes her work seriously and is widely appreciated by clients for her excellent writing skills.

Paper Due? Why Suffer? That’s our Job!

Keep reading

Project Types We Cover

Admissions Essay
PowerPoint Presentation
Research Paper
Book Reviews
Personal Statement
Ph.D Dissertation
Proofreading

Academic Fields & Subjects

Programming
Computer Science
Other projects we help with
Our Experts
Plagiarism Checker
Writing Tips
Academic Book Review

How to Write Academic Book Review – a Complete Guide

By: Tasha Kolesnikova

Academic book evaluations help improve the credibility of a published book. It is popular among arts and social sciences since scientific research and write-ups are often published in academic journals. It is also a way of ensuring the academic knowledge never gets impoverished for lack of materials that can be referred to for modern problems.

What Is an Academic Book Review?

Introduction, example of an academic book review.

Introduction

Summary of Argument

Summary of content, evaluation/analysis, session 1: 1st week to week 9, session 2: week 10 to week 17, session 3: week 18, good questions while reading, writing an academic book review, what are the 4 stages in writing an academic book review, what are the main parts of a university book review, how many pages should an academic book review be, what makes a good scholarly book review.

Reviewers are also keen on identifying biases that the author may have expressed in their books.

Simply put, it is a critical assessment of contents before getting published in an academic journal. With these reviews, students get to contribute to the academic profession. When writing an academic book review, professors often provide detailed guidelines to help students understand what is expected.

Students have to read the contents of books they are about to review. While at it, you create notes that you use in evaluating the text. Depending on your notes, give relevant recommendations to such works.

Academic reviews of books are often done by knowledgeable people in the niche. For example, if you are an art student, your professor will not give you a scientific text to review .

Scholarly Book Review Format

The reviews are specific and do not involve rewriting all the chapters written by the author. Instead, they focus on giving opinions of what the author ought to have overlooked while writing and those they overstated. If you have an assignment , here is how to write an academic book review:

It includes the book's title to be reviewed, which includes the bibliography . The ISBN is also included in this section. Some reviewers also provide the book's pricing, but that can always be checked from the retailers.

Depending on the type of book, students can also write a thesis on this part. But, not all can have a thesis. Some, like poetry and fiction, can be difficult.

If the author has other published works, you can mention them here and compare them. Some authors publish unrelated genres, which is why it is important to compare their different works.

Here is where you criticize the author's work. Since a text evaluation is not meant to dismiss the author's work, mention their strengths, weaknesses, and if you find some bias, do not avoid mentioning it.

A book review paper should show your independent thinking. That is, after reading and compiling notes, your recommendation of the book should be written on this part. It is also a way of showing mastery of the topic.

When writing the body, always quote some parts of the book's chapters. It shows you have actually read and understood its contents.

An academic review format cannot be complete without this section. Your conclusion should be brief since you will have discussed the text in the body. This part is not where you introduce new ideas since readers will be expecting nothing new at this point.

Restate the book's overall impression and your recommendations. After concluding, list the references using the academic book review guidelines on the type of referencing provided by your university.

Some students confuse writing a scholarly review with a research paper. A scholarly book review format is different from that of a research paper writing . It has specific elements that university tutors are keen on looking. Here is how to write a scholarly book review:

The scholarly book review example below was done by a history student of 'Hilter's Decision to Invade USSR,' chapter 7 (pp 81-92).

During a dinner in August 1941, Hitler is again on another talk where he discusses lawyers, their potential prey, and corporal punishment. Using an analogy of the moors owners taking care of the game they will kill during the shooting season, Hitler compares the lawyers taking care of the criminal class.

On the night of 19th August 1941, Hitler is at another talk discussing the virtues of war and autocracy in Europe. In this talk, Hitler is depicted as a person who is madly in love with wars and building of a fortified German army. In his suggestion, which is presented here as a wish, Hitler urges the German people to embrace war after every fifteen to twenty years. In defending his stance, he says that an army whose sole intention is to preserve peace is like playing with soldiers. I think Hitler clearly underestimated the power and resourcefulness of his target.

The academic book review example above shows how the student summarizes Hitler's obsession with war and victory. Hitler views his soldiers as pillars to his success in the attack. The summary is critical, and the student gave the recommendation after reading the chapter.

Main Steps to Write an Academic Book Review

An academic book review template makes the review process more straightforward. Most universities provide these to their students so they can focus on the review process. The evaluations are often short, approximately 100 – 1500 words. Students can follow these steps on how to write a book review university professors love:

Great examples of scholarly book reviews have attention-grabbing introductions. Ensure yours will want your professor to continue reading your opinions of the book. Here, write a general description of the book and indicate whether the author's ideas are valid.

Questions you can answer in this section are whether the author is consistent with the book's topic. And whether they have been biased in some chapters or throughout the book.

This part depends on the type of audience you will be representing your reviews to. For example, if you are writing for a student audience that depends on this section for their exam preparation, you might want to be a bit detailed.

Otherwise, an audience that is familiar with the book's contents may not require as many details. The summary is short and should portray your analysis of the book. Use evidence from the book to back up some of your arguments. Be careful not to quote so much to avoid having a lengthy summary section.

Recognize the book's author/s and editors. It helps prevent controversies that arise from using other people's work without permission. Write about their background, area of specialization, other works (if any), and how many years they have been doing the research work or whether they are new entrants in that research area.

An example of academic book review that is done well summarizes the book's content ingeniously. It mentions the research, data collection and analysis methods used, setbacks, and recommendations.

This is where the weight of your review lies. Organize your thoughts into paragraphs to make it easier for your audience to follow. If the book review template university has provided is for single aspects or a few chapters, evaluating using paragraphs is faster.

But, when reviewing the whole book, the process can be a bit time-consuming. Your text evaluation should not focus on having the chapters follow each other. You can end up with a bulky review that almost looks like a book rewrite.

Consider organizing your argument into themes or other elements that make it easier to analyze the book. Quote its contents to support your arguments.

You can compare the book with others if it is relevant to your review. However, ensure you remain within the scope of the main book to maintain its relevance.

Also, you appreciate mentioning the areas you think the author has done a splendid job. If you think the book can be improved, do not fail to mention this as part of the weaknesses. It could be omitted details, incorrect information, and other weaknesses.

This is where you summarize your review with a concluding statement. Write about how the work contributes to the field of study and whether it provides room for future research. If you had identified limitations for the work, mention them too.

Consider identifying types of audiences that can benefit from your evaluation. This aspect is important because some readers directly go to the summary section to see if the book is relevant to them or not. While concluding, never mention whether you have liked or disliked the book because it will make your review biased.

Making a Plan

Tutors usually have a turnaround for book review assignments to allow them to go through each. If, for example, you have been given 18 weeks to submit the work, you can plan your schedule to ensure you deliver within the timeline. Here is a typical example of a practical plan:

Choosing a book to review
Introducing the book for approval
Outlining the topic and categorizing the book
Important questions to answer when reviewing the book
Elements of a great book review
Writing the first draft
Identifying challenges while writing the book review
Comparing and discussing notes taken while reading with other reviewers
Getting feedback and revising the draft
Submitting the final draft

When thinking about how to write a good academic book review, you ought to ask yourself some questions. These help you have a clear understanding of what to write. Check this example of a scholarly review question outline:

Who has been credited for writing the book?
Is the book consistent with the topic and its plot?
Is the book relevant in the field it has been categorized?
Are the arguments believable?
Are there other books with similar content?
Has the author provided up-to-date and valuable content?
Who is the targeted audience for the content?
Has the author used good formatting of the book, and do the ideas flow logically?
What are the strengths and weaknesses portrayed in the book?

The questions are unlimited. If you feel like you need a longer list, consider looking for inspiration from other reviewers. You can get an academic book review sample from your university library to have an idea of what reviewers mostly focus on.

An academic book review is not necessarily challenging as some students make it look. The trick is to avoid adding irrelevant information and follow guidelines provided by your tutor. Here are some tips on how to write scholarly book review:

Read the book before attempting to write anything. Some students like playing smart and only read the synopsis provided by the author. This alone is not enough to write a publication assessment. If you are interested in how to write a book review university professors will want to read, read the whole book. It is how you get quotes and enough content for your review.
Organize your work. Never submit a text evaluation with disorganized paragraphs and thoughts. It creates a bad impression of your work, no matter how much time you spend on it. Ensure the paragraphs flow coherently and are well organized.
Give your opinion . The essence of writing a publication assessment is not providing a summary of the author's work. Show some understanding by commenting on what you think is lacking or is presented exceptionally well.
Do not quote the book too much. Although quotes are proof you have read and understood the book, using too many of them shows a lack of confidence and evaluation skills.
Do not over criticize the book. The author cannot possibly capture all the details in one book. It is practically impossible. Some details are not relevant in the text and do not add value to the readers.
Never show bias in your review. Instead of writing "I don't like the book because…or I like the book because…." Consider citing it as a weakness or strength.
Need reliable book review helper ? Write us! You can buy book review here!

The 4 main stages in writing an academic text assessment include: introducing the book, creating an outline of the book's contents, evaluating the argument, and writing a conclusion.

A university publication evaluation has three main parts: the introduction, body, and conclusion. The body is divided into subheadings that make the review more interesting.

An academic publication assessment can have 1 – 5 pages. It is because reviews range between 100 – 1500 words, depending on whether the book is being reviewed wholly or just a few chapters.

Several aspects make a scholarly book review great. They include an introduction, summary of arguments, authors, a summary of contents, evaluation/analysis, and the conclusion.

User ratings:

User ratings is 4.7 stars.

4.7 /5 ( 59 Votes)

Content Writer

I studied sociology and marketing at Europa-Universität Viadrina (Germany) and Universidade da Beira Interior (Portugal). When I was a sophomore, back in 2018, I decided to put what I've learned into practice, so I got my first job in digital marketing. I currently work in the content marketing department at Studybay, building strong, effective, and respectful communication between the platform and our clients.

Add Your Comment

We are very interested to know your opinion

I’m not very good at writing essays, I find it hard to write in the current style and always struggle with APA referencing. I spend a lot of time at libraries trying to perfect my work, but this article has been so useful. I now know the correct length, style and tone that I should use in the future.

Megan Simpson

It takes a lot of discipline to write a good review. This article gave good illustrations of how to review the resources I’ve read, as well as how I can be a better editor of my work. This will make it much easier to write letters in the future and get better grades.

Charlie Turnbull

I’m a literature student so it’s important for me to learn how to evaluate and describe book reviews. This article gave me the right information on how to structure a paragraph, write a good bibliography and describe my opinions in a professional and academic manner.

Evie Walton

I’ve always been a big reader but found it really difficult to talk about different points and share my argument in book reviews. This has given me information on how to be a better reviewer and improve my work, it was a great read!

I have been looking for information on academic book reviews to help with my academic writing. Finding information on this can be hard for graduate students, especially when it comes to writing book reviews and reviewing books. I’m so glad that I found this, it really helped.

Phoebe Hurst

Upgrade your writing skills!

Try our AI essay writer from Studybay today!

Writing a Book Review

View in pdf format.

A critical book review is a thoughtful discussion of a text’s contents, strengths, and limitations. A book review should reflect your capacity to read critically and to evaluate an author’s arguments and evidence. Compose your review as you would any essay, with an argument supported by evidence, and a clear, logical structure.

Initial Steps

Read the book carefully, taking notes on material that you think may be relevant or quotable and on your impressions of the author's ideas and arguments.
Determine the author’s principal argument, the chief themes of the text, the kinds of evidence used, and the way in which the author uses them.

Organizing the Review

All reviews begin with bibliographic information: the author’s name, the book’s full title, place of publication, publisher, edition, date, pagination, and cost, if known.
In no more than two paragraphs, introduce the book. Give your initial appraisal of the work, including your key observation on the text. This key observation will be your thesis. Try not to begin with a flat statement such as “This book is interesting.” Begin with an anecdote, a challenging quotation, or a key observation.
clearly set out the author’s purpose in writing the book, and whether or not you think the author has succeeded.
describe the author’s arguments and the themes of the book, and give your appraisal of their validity and effectiveness.
describe the sources and evidence the author uses to prove his case, and evaluate their appropriateness and sufficiency. What are the author's sources? Should the author have used more, or different, sources?
Comment on the author's organization and writing style.
Conclude. Here you may make more general remarks about the text and the ideas presented in it. If you have not already done so, indicate whether you feel the book is worthwhile, and for what audience. Is the book outstanding? Will it make a lasting contribution to its field, or is it less satisfactory?

Questions to Consider

Although you should not use the following questions as some sort of laundry list of “things to include” (dull for us all), you may wish to consider them as you prepare and write your review.

Analysis of Content

What is the author’s principal argument? What are her/his conclusions?
What does the author choose to emphasize?
Does the author’s presentation contradict or refute alternative interpretations?
What methods of analysis does the author employ?
What sorts of evidence does the author employ?
Who is the author? Is he/she qualified to write this work?
When was the work written? How relevant is it today?

Evaluation of Content

Is the book convincing in style and substance? Why or why not?
Does the author accomplish her/his purpose?
Is the author fair to his/her subjects, or is the author overly biased? Is the book accurate or misleading?
Does the author describe but not analyze?
Does the author treat all available data equally well?
Are all arguments in the book equally well supported? Is the book marred by generalizations or speculations?
Is the author's use of evidence adequate and convincing?
Does the author omit possible alternative interpretations? Is the author's approach flexible, or is it dogmatic?
Is the book well-organized? Are all parts of the book equally well reasoned and developed?
Is the book well written, or is it in some way repetitive, obscure, or confusing?
To whom would the book appeal? What audience did the author intend?

Tutor Appointments

Peer tutor and consultant appointments are managed through TracCloud (login required). Find resources and more information about the ALEX centers using the following links.

Office / Department Name

Nesbitt-Johnston Writing Center

Contact Name

Jennifer Ambrose

Writing Center Director

Help us provide an accessible education, offer innovative resources and programs, and foster intellectual exploration.

Site Search

Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

Writing a Book Review

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

Book reviews typically evaluate recently-written works. They offer a brief description of the text’s key points and often provide a short appraisal of the strengths and weaknesses of the work.

Readers sometimes confuse book reviews with book reports, but the two are not identical. Book reports commonly describe what happens in a work; their focus is primarily on giving an account of the major plot, characters, and/or main idea of the work. Most often, book reports are a K-12 assignment and range from 250 to 500 words. If you are looking to write a book report, please see the OWL resource, Writing a Book Report.

By contrast, book reviews are most often a college assignment, but they also appear in many professional works: magazines, newspapers, and academic journals. They typically range from 500-750 words, but may be longer or shorter. A book review gives readers a sneak peek at what a book is like, whether or not the reviewer enjoyed it, and details on purchasing the book.

Before You Read

Before you begin to read, consider the elements you will need to included in your review. The following items may help:

Author: Who is the author? What else has s/he written? Has this author won any awards? What is the author’s typical style?
Genre: What type of book is this: fiction, nonfiction, romance, poetry, youth fiction, etc.? Who is the intended audience for this work? What is the purpose of the work?
Title: Where does the title fit in? How is it applied in the work? Does it adequately encapsulate the message of the text? Is it interesting? Uninteresting?
Preface/Introduction/Table of Contents: Does the author provide any revealing information about the text in the preface/introduction? Does a “guest author” provide the introduction? What judgments or preconceptions do the author and/or “guest author” provide? How is the book arranged: sections, chapters?
Book Jacket/Cover/Printing: Book jackets are like mini-reviews. Does the book jacket provide any interesting details or spark your interest in some way? Are there pictures, maps, or graphs? Do the binding, page cut, or typescript contribute or take away from the work?

As You Read

As you read, determine how you will structure the summary portion or background structure of your review. Be ready to take notes on the book’s key points, characters, and/or themes.

Characters: Are there characters in the work? Who are the principal characters? How do they affect the story? Do you empathize with them?
Themes/Motifs/Style: What themes or motifs stand out? How do they contribute to the work? Are they effective or not? How would you describe this author’s particular style? Is it accessible to all readers or just some?
Argument: How is the work’s argument set up? What support does the author give for her/findings? Does the work fulfill its purpose/support its argument?
Key Ideas: What is the main idea of the work? What makes it good, different, or groundbreaking?
Quotes: What quotes stand out? How can you demonstrate the author’s talent or the feel of the book through a quote?

When You Are Ready to Write

Begin with a short summary or background of the work, but do not give too much away. Many reviews limit themselves only to the first couple of chapters or lead the reader up to the rising action of the work. Reviewers of nonfiction texts will provide the basic idea of the book’s argument without too much detailed.

The final portion of your review will detail your opinion of the work. When you are ready to begin your review, consider the following:

Establish a Background, Remember your Audience: Remember that your audience has not read the work; with this in mind, be sure to introduce characters and principles carefully and deliberately. What kind of summary can you provide of the main points or main characters that will help your readers gauge their interest? Does the author’s text adequately reach the intended audience? Will some readers be lost or find the text too easy?
Minor principles/characters: Deal only with the most pressing issues in the book. You will not be able to cover every character or idea. What principles/characters did you agree or disagree with? What other things might the author have researched or considered?
Organize: The purpose of the review is to critically evaluate the text, not just inform the readers about it. Leave plenty room for your evaluation by ensuring that your summary is brief. Determine what kind of balance to strike between your summary information and your evaluation. If you are writing your review for a class, ask your instructor. Often the ratio is half and half.
Your Evaluation: Choose one or a few points to discuss about the book. What worked well for you? How does this work compare with others by the same author or other books in the same genre? What major themes, motifs, or terms does the book introduce, and how effective are they? Did the book appeal to you on an emotional or logical way?
Publisher/Price: Most book reviews include the publisher and price of the book at the end of the article. Some reviews also include the year published and ISBN.

When making the final touches to your review, carefully verify the following:

Double-check the spelling of the author name(s), character names, special terms, and publisher.
Try to read from the vantage point of your audience. Is there too much/enough summary? Does your argument about the text make sense?
Should you include direct quotes from the reading? Do they help support your arguments? Double-check your quotes for accuracy.

How to Write a Book Review: A Comprehensive Tutorial With Examples

You don’t need to be a literary expert to craft captivating book reviews. With one in every three readers selecting books based on insightful reviews, your opinions can guide fellow bibliophiles toward their next literary adventure.

Learning how to write a book review will not only help you excel at your assigned tasks, but you’ll also contribute valuable insights to the book-loving community and turn your passion into a professional pursuit.

In this comprehensive guide, PaperPerk will walk you through a few simple steps to master the art of writing book reviews so you can confidently embark on this rewarding journey.

What is a Book Review?

A book review is a critical evaluation of a book, offering insights into its content, quality, and impact. It helps readers make informed decisions about whether to read the book.

Writing a book review as an assignment benefits students in multiple ways. Firstly, it teaches them how to write a book review by developing their analytical skills as they evaluate the content, themes, and writing style .

Secondly, it enhances their ability to express opinions and provide constructive criticism. Additionally, book review assignments expose students to various publications and genres, broadening their knowledge.

Furthermore, these tasks foster essential skills for academic success, like critical thinking and the ability to synthesize information. By now, we’re sure you want to learn how to write a book review, so let’s look at the book review template first.

Table of Contents

Book Review Template

How to Write a Book Review- A Step-by-Step Guide

Check out these 5 straightforward steps for composing the best book review.

Step 1: Planning Your Book Review – The Art of Getting Started

You’ve decided to take the plunge and share your thoughts on a book that has captivated (or perhaps disappointed) you. Before you start book reviewing, let’s take a step back and plan your approach. Knowing how to write a book review that’s both informative and engaging is an art in itself.

Choosing Your Literature

First things first, pick the book you want to review. This might seem like a no-brainer, but selecting a book that genuinely interests you will make the review process more enjoyable and your insights more authentic.

Crafting the Master Plan

Next, create an outline that covers all the essential points you want to discuss in your review. This will serve as the roadmap for your writing journey.

The Devil is in the Details

As you read, note any information that stands out, whether it overwhelms, underwhelms, or simply intrigues you. Pay attention to:

The characters and their development
The plot and its intricacies
Any themes, symbols, or motifs you find noteworthy

Remember to reserve a body paragraph for each point you want to discuss.

The Key Questions to Ponder

When planning your book review, consider the following questions:

What’s the plot (if any)? Understanding the driving force behind the book will help you craft a more effective review.
Is the plot interesting? Did the book hold your attention and keep you turning the pages?
Are the writing techniques effective? Does the author’s style captivate you, making you want to read (or reread) the text?
Are the characters or the information believable? Do the characters/plot/information feel real, and can you relate to them?
Would you recommend the book to anyone? Consider if the book is worthy of being recommended, whether to impress someone or to support a point in a literature class.
What could be improved? Always keep an eye out for areas that could be improved. Providing constructive criticism can enhance the quality of literature.

Step 2 – Crafting the Perfect Introduction to Write a Book Review

In this second step of “how to write a book review,” we’re focusing on the art of creating a powerful opening that will hook your audience and set the stage for your analysis.

Identify Your Book and Author

Begin by mentioning the book you’ve chosen, including its title and the author’s name. This informs your readers and establishes the subject of your review.

Ponder the Title

Next, discuss the mental images or emotions the book’s title evokes in your mind . This helps your readers understand your initial feelings and expectations before diving into the book.

Judge the Book by Its Cover (Just a Little)

Take a moment to talk about the book’s cover. Did it intrigue you? Did it hint at what to expect from the story or the author’s writing style? Sharing your thoughts on the cover can offer a unique perspective on how the book presents itself to potential readers.

Present Your Thesis

Now it’s time to introduce your thesis. This statement should be a concise and insightful summary of your opinion of the book. For example:

“Normal People” by Sally Rooney is a captivating portrayal of the complexities of human relationships, exploring themes of love, class, and self-discovery with exceptional depth and authenticity.

Ensure that your thesis is relevant to the points or quotes you plan to discuss throughout your review.

Incorporating these elements into your introduction will create a strong foundation for your book review. Your readers will be eager to learn more about your thoughts and insights on the book, setting the stage for a compelling and thought-provoking analysis.

How to Write a Book Review: Step 3 – Building Brilliant Body Paragraphs

You’ve planned your review and written an attention-grabbing introduction. Now it’s time for the main event: crafting the body paragraphs of your book review. In this step of “how to write a book review,” we’ll explore the art of constructing engaging and insightful body paragraphs that will keep your readers hooked.

Summarize Without Spoilers

Begin by summarizing a specific section of the book, not revealing any major plot twists or spoilers. Your goal is to give your readers a taste of the story without ruining surprises.

Support Your Viewpoint with Quotes

Next, choose three quotes from the book that support your viewpoint or opinion. These quotes should be relevant to the section you’re summarizing and help illustrate your thoughts on the book.

Analyze the Quotes

Write a summary of each quote in your own words, explaining how it made you feel or what it led you to think about the book or the author’s writing. This analysis should provide insight into your perspective and demonstrate your understanding of the text.

Structure Your Body Paragraphs

Dedicate one body paragraph to each quote, ensuring your writing is well-connected, coherent, and easy to understand.

For example:

In Jane Eyre , Charlotte Brontë writes, “I am no bird; and no net ensnares me.” This powerful statement highlights Jane’s fierce independence and refusal to be trapped by societal expectations.
In Normal People , Sally Rooney explores the complexities of love and friendship when she writes, “It was culture as class performance, literature fetishized for its ability to take educated people on false emotional journeys.” This quote reveals the author’s astute observations on the role of culture and class in shaping personal relationships.
In Wuthering Heights , Emily Brontë captures the tumultuous nature of love with the quote, “He’s more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” This poignant line emphasizes the deep, unbreakable bond between the story’s central characters.

By following these guidelines, you’ll create body paragraphs that are both captivating and insightful, enhancing your book review and providing your readers with a deeper understanding of the literary work.

How to Write a Book Review: Step 4 – Crafting a Captivating Conclusion

You’ve navigated through planning, introductions, and body paragraphs with finesse. Now it’s time to wrap up your book review with a conclusion that leaves a lasting impression . In this final step of “How to write a Book Review,” we’ll explore the art of writing a memorable and persuasive conclusion.

Summarize Your Analysis

Begin by summarizing the key points you’ve presented in the body paragraphs. This helps to remind your readers of the insights and arguments you’ve shared throughout your review.

Offer Your Final Conclusion

Next, provide a conclusion that reflects your overall feelings about the book. This is your chance to leave a lasting impression and persuade your readers to consider your perspective.

Address the Book’s Appeal

Now, answer the question: Is this book worth reading? Be clear about who would enjoy the book and who might not. Discuss the taste preferences and circumstances that make the book more appealing to some readers than others.

For example: The Alchemist is a book that can enchant a young teen, but those who are already well-versed in classic literature might find it less engaging.

Be Subtle and Balanced

Avoid simply stating whether you “liked” or “disliked” the book. Instead, use nuanced language to convey your message. Highlight the pros and cons of reading the type of literature you’ve reviewed, offering a balanced perspective.

Bringing It All Together

By following these guidelines, you’ll craft a conclusion that leaves your readers with a clear understanding of your thoughts and opinions on the book. Your review will be a valuable resource for those considering whether to pick up the book, and your witty and insightful analysis will make your review a pleasure to read. So conquer the world of book reviews, one captivating conclusion at a time!

How to Write a Book Review: Step 5 – Rating the Book (Optional)

You’ve masterfully crafted your book review, from the introduction to the conclusion. But wait, there’s one more step you might consider before calling it a day: rating the book. In this optional step of “how to write a book review,” we’ll explore the benefits and methods of assigning a rating to the book you’ve reviewed.

Why Rate the Book?

Sometimes, when writing a professional book review, it may not be appropriate to state whether you liked or disliked the book. In such cases, assigning a rating can be an effective way to get your message across without explicitly sharing your personal opinion.

How to Rate the Book

There are various rating systems you can use to evaluate the book, such as:

A star rating (e.g., 1 to 5 stars)
A numerical score (e.g., 1 to 10)
A letter grade (e.g., A+ to F)

Choose a rating system that best suits your style and the format of your review. Be consistent in your rating criteria, considering writing quality, character development, plot, and overall enjoyment.

Tips for Rating the Book

Here are some tips for rating the book effectively:

Be honest: Your rating should reflect your true feelings about the book. Don’t inflate or deflate your rating based on external factors, such as the book’s popularity or the author’s reputation.
Be fair: Consider the book’s merits and shortcomings when rating. Even if you didn’t enjoy the book, recognize its strengths and acknowledge them in your rating.
Be clear: Explain the rationale behind your rating so your readers understand the factors that influenced your evaluation.

Wrapping Up

By including a rating in your book review, you provide your readers with additional insight into your thoughts on the book. While this step is optional, it can be a valuable tool for conveying your message subtly yet effectively. So, rate those books confidently, adding a touch of wit and wisdom to your book reviews.

Additional Tips on How to Write a Book Review: A Guide

In this segment, we’ll explore additional tips on how to write a book review. Get ready to captivate your readers and make your review a memorable one!

Hook ’em with an Intriguing Introduction

Keep your introduction precise and to the point. Readers have the attention span of a goldfish these days, so don’t let them swim away in boredom. Start with a bang and keep them hooked!

Embrace the World of Fiction

When learning how to write a book review, remember that reviewing fiction is often more engaging and effective. If your professor hasn’t assigned you a specific book, dive into the realm of fiction and select a novel that piques your interest.

Opinionated with Gusto

Don’t shy away from adding your own opinion to your review. A good book review always features the writer’s viewpoint and constructive criticism. After all, your readers want to know what you think!

Express Your Love (or Lack Thereof)

If you adored the book, let your readers know! Use phrases like “I’ll definitely return to this book again” to convey your enthusiasm. Conversely, be honest but respectful even if the book wasn’t your cup of tea.

Templates and Examples and Expert Help: Your Trusty Sidekicks

Feeling lost? You can always get help from formats, book review examples or online college paper writing service platforms. These trusty sidekicks will help you navigate the world of book reviews with ease.

Be a Champion for New Writers and Literature

Remember to uplift new writers and pieces of literature. If you want to suggest improvements, do so kindly and constructively. There’s no need to be mean about anyone’s books – we’re all in this literary adventure together!

Criticize with Clarity, Not Cruelty

When adding criticism to your review, be clear but not mean. Remember, there’s a fine line between constructive criticism and cruelty. Tread lightly and keep your reader’s feelings in mind.

Avoid the Comparison Trap

Resist the urge to compare one writer’s book with another. Every book holds its worth, and comparing them will only confuse your reader. Stick to discussing the book at hand, and let it shine in its own light.

Top 7 Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Writing a book review can be a delightful and rewarding experience, especially when you balance analysis, wit, and personal insights. However, some common mistakes can kill the brilliance of your review.

In this section of “How to write a book review,” we’ll explore the top 7 blunders writers commit and how to steer clear of them, with a dash of modernist literature examples and tips for students writing book reviews as assignments.

Succumbing to the Lure of Plot Summaries

Mistake: Diving headfirst into a plot summary instead of dissecting the book’s themes, characters, and writing style.

Example: “The Bell Jar chronicles the life of a young woman who experiences a mental breakdown.”

How to Avoid: Delve into the book’s deeper aspects, such as its portrayal of mental health, societal expectations, and the author’s distinctive narrative voice. Offer thoughtful insights and reflections, making your review a treasure trove of analysis.

Unleashing the Spoiler Kraken

Mistake: Spilling major plot twists or the ending without providing a spoiler warning, effectively ruining the reading experience for potential readers.

Example: “In Metamorphosis, the protagonist’s transformation into a monstrous insect leads to…”

How to Avoid: Tread carefully when discussing significant plot developments, and consider using spoiler warnings. Focus on the impact of these plot points on the overall narrative, character growth, or thematic resonance.

Riding the Personal Bias Express

Mistake: Allowing personal bias to hijack the review without providing sufficient evidence or reasoning to support opinions.

Example: “I detest books about existential crises, so The Sun Also Rises was a snoozefest.”

How to Avoid: While personal opinions are valid, it’s crucial to back them up with specific examples from the book. Discuss aspects like writing style, character development, or pacing to support your evaluation and provide a more balanced perspective.

Wielding the Vague Language Saber

Mistake: Resorting to generic, vague language that fails to capture the nuances of the book and can come across as clichéd.

Example: “This book was mind-blowing. It’s a must-read for everyone.”

How to Avoid: Use precise and descriptive language to express your thoughts. Employ specific examples and quotations to highlight memorable scenes, the author’s unique writing style, or the impact of the book’s themes on readers.

Ignoring the Contextualization Compass

Mistake: Neglecting to provide context about the author, genre, or cultural relevance of the book, leaving readers without a proper frame of reference.

Example: “This book is dull and unoriginal.”

How to Avoid: Offer readers a broader understanding by discussing the author’s background, the genre conventions the book adheres to or subverts, and any societal or historical contexts that inform the narrative. This helps readers appreciate the book’s uniqueness and relevance.

Overindulging in Personal Preferences

Mistake: Letting personal preferences overshadow an objective assessment of the book’s merits.

Example: “I don’t like stream-of-consciousness writing, so this book is automatically bad.”

How to Avoid: Acknowledge personal preferences but strive to evaluate the book objectively. Focus on the book’s strengths and weaknesses, considering how well it achieves its goals within its genre or intended audience.

Forgetting the Target Audience Telescope

Mistake: Failing to mention the book’s target audience or who might enjoy it, leading to confusion for potential readers.

Example: “This book is great for everyone.”

How to Avoid: Contemplate the book’s intended audience, genre, and themes. Mention who might particularly enjoy the book based on these factors, whether it’s fans of a specific genre, readers interested in character-driven stories, or those seeking thought-provoking narratives.

By dodging these common pitfalls, writers can craft insightful, balanced, and engaging book reviews that help readers make informed decisions about their reading choices.

These tips are particularly beneficial for students writing book reviews as assignments, as they ensure a well-rounded and thoughtful analysis.!

Many students requested us to cover how to write a book review. This thorough guide is sure to help you. At Paperperk, professionals are dedicated to helping students find their balance. We understand the importance of good grades, so we offer the finest writing service , ensuring students stay ahead of the curve. So seek expert help because only Paperperk is your perfect solution!

What is the difference between a book review and a report?

Who is the target audience for book reviews and book reports, how do book reviews and reports differ in length and content, can i write professional book reviews, what are the key aspects of writing professional book reviews, how can i enhance my book-reviewing skills to write professional reviews, what should be included in a good book review.

Order Original Papers & Essays

Your First Custom Paper Sample is on Us!

Timely Deliveries

No Plagiarism & AI

100% Refund

Try Our Free Paper Writing Service

Related blogs.

Connections with Writers and support

Privacy and Confidentiality Guarantee

Average Quality Score

Organizing Research for Arts and Humanities Papers and Theses

General Guide Information
Developing a Topic
What are Primary and Secondary Sources
What are Scholarly and Non-Scholarly Sources
Writing an Abstract
Writing Academic Book Reviews
Writing A Literature Review
Using Images and other Media

Purpose of a Book Review

Note: This information is geared toward researchers in the arts and humanities. For a detailed guide on writing book reviews in the social sciences, please check the USC Libraries guide to Writing and Organizing Research in the Social Sciences , authored by Dr. Robert Labaree.

When writing an academic book review, start with a bibliographic citation of the book you are reviewing [e.g., author, title, publication information, length]. Adhere to a particular citation style, such as Chicago, MLA, or APA. Put your name at the very end of the book review text.

The basic purpose of a book review is to convey and evaluate the following:

a. what the book is about;

b. the expertise of the author(s);

c. how well the book covers its topic(s) and whether it breaks new ground;

d. the author’s viewpoint, methodology, or perspective;

e. the appropriateness of the evidence to the topical scope of the book;

f. the intended audience;

g. the arrangement of the book (chapters, illustrations) and the quality of the scholarly apparatus, such as notes and bibliographies.

Point "c. how well the book covers its topics and whether it breaks new ground" requires your engagement with the book, and can be approached in a variety of ways. The question of whether the book breaks new ground does not necessarily refer to some radical or overarching notion of originality in the author’s argument. A lot of contemporary scholarship in the arts or humanities is not about completely reorienting the discipline, nor is it usually about arguing a thesis that has never been argued before. If an author does that, that's wonderful, and you, as a book reviewer, must look at the validity of the methods that contextualize the author's new argument.

It is more likely that the author of a scholarly book will look at the existing evidence with a finer eye for detail, and use that detail to amplify and add to existing scholarship. The author may present new evidence or a new "reading" of the existing evidence, in order to refine scholarship and to contribute to current debate. Or the author may approach existing scholarship, events, and prevailing ideas from a more nuanced perspective, thus re-framing the debate within the discipline.

The task of the book reviewer is to “tease out” the book’s themes, explain them in the review, and apply a well-argued judgment on the appropriateness of the book’s argument(s) to the existing scholarship in the field.

For example, you are reviewing a book on the history of the development of public libraries in nineteenth century America. The book includes a chapter on the role of patronage by affluent women in endowing public libraries in the mid-to-late-1800s. In this chapter, the author argues that the role of women was overlooked in previous scholarship because most of them were widows who made their financial bequests to libraries in the names of their husbands. The author argues that the history of public library patronage, and moreover, of cultural patronage, should be re-read and possibly re-framed given the evidence presented in this chapter. As a book reviewer you will be expected to evaluate this argument and the underlying scholarship.

There are two common types of academic book reviews: short summary reviews, which are descriptive, and essay-length critical reviews. Both types are described further down.

[Parenthetically, writing an academic/scholarly book review may present an opportunity to get published.]

Short summary book reviews

For a short, descriptive review, include at least the following elements:

a. the bibliographic citation for the book;

b. the purpose of the book;

c. a summary of main theme(s) or key points;

d. if there is space, a brief description of the book’s relationship to other books on the same topic or to pertinent scholarship in the field.

e. note the author's affiliation and authority, as well as the physical content of the book, such as visual materials (photographs, illustrations, graphs) and the presence of scholarly apparatus (table of contents, index, bibliography, footnotes, endnotes, credit for visual materials);

f. your name and affiliation.

Critical or essay-length book reviews

For a critical, essay-length book review consider including the following elements, depending on their relevance to your assignment:

b. an opening statement that ought to peak the reader’s interest in the book under review

c. a section that points to the author’s main intentions;

d. a section that discusses the author’s ideas and the book’s thesis within a scholarly perspective. This should be a critical assessment of the book within the larger scholarly discourse;

e. if you found errors in the book, point the major ones and explain their significance. Explain whether they detract from the thesis and the arguments made in the book;

f. state the book's place within a strand of scholarship and summarize its importance to the discipline;

g. include information about the author's affiliation and authority, as well as the physical content of the book, such as visual materials (photographs, illustrations, graphs) and the presence of scholarly apparatus (table of contents, index, bibliography, footnotes, endnotes, credit for visual materials);

h. indicate the intended readership of the book and whether the author succeeds in engaging the audience on the appropriate level;

i. your name and affiliation.

Good examples of essay-length reviews may be found in the scholarly journals included in the JSTOR collection, in the New York Review of Books , and similar types of publications, and in cultural publications like the New Yorker magazine.

Remember to keep track of your sources, regardless of the stage of your research. The USC Libraries have an excellent guide to citation styles and to citation management software .

<< Previous: Writing an Abstract
Next: Writing A Literature Review >>
Last Updated: Jan 19, 2023 3:12 PM
URL: https://libguides.usc.edu/ah_writing

The Only Book Review Templates You'll Ever Need

Join Discovery, the new community for book lovers

Trust book recommendations from real people, not robots 🤓

Blog – Posted on Thursday, Nov 11

The only book review templates you'll ever need.

Whether you’re trying to become a book reviewer , writing a book report for school, or analyzing a book, it’s nice to follow a book review template to make sure that your thoughts are clearly presented.

A quality template provides guidance to keep your mind sharp and your thoughts organized so that you can write the best book review possible. On Reedsy Discovery , we read and share a lot of book reviews, which helps us develop quite a clear idea what makes up a good one. With that in mind, we’ve put together some trustworthy book review templates that you can download, along with a quick run-through of all the parts that make up an outstanding review — all in this post!

Pro-tip : But wait! How are you sure if you should become a book reviewer in the first place? If you're on the fence, or curious about your match with a book reviewing career, take our quick quiz:

Should you become a book reviewer?

Find out the answer. Takes 30 seconds!

Book review templates for every type of review

With the rapid growth of the book community on Instagram, Youtube, and even TikTok, the world of book commentary has evolved far beyond your classic review. There are now many ways you can structure a book review. Some popular formats include:

Book reports — often done for school assignments;
Commentary articles — think in-depth reviews in magazines and newspapers;
Book blog reviews — short personal essays about the book; and
Instagram reviews — one or two-paragraph reviews captioned under a nice photo.

But while the text in all these review styles can be organized in different ways, there are certain boxes that all good book reviews tick. So, instead of giving you various templates to use for different occasions, we’ve condensed it down to just two book review templates (one for fiction and one for nonfiction) that can guide your thoughts and help you nail just about any review.

⭐ Download our free fiction book review template

⭐ Download our free nonfiction book review template

All you need to do is answer the questions in the template regarding the book you’re reading and you’ve got the content of your review covered. Once that’s done, you can easily put this content into its appropriate format.

Now, if you’re curious about what constitutes a good book review template, we’ll explain it in the following section!

Elements of a book review template

Say you want to build your own book review template, or you want to customize our templates — here are the elements you’ll want to consider.

We’ve divided our breakdown of the elements into two categories: the essentials and the fun additions that’ll add some color to your book reviews.

What are the three main parts of a book review?

We covered this in detail (with the help of some stellar examples) in our post on how to write a book review , but basically, these are the three crucial elements you should know:

The summary covers the premise of the book and its main theme, so readers are able to understand what you’re referring to in the rest of your review. This means that, if a person hasn’t read the book, they can go through the summary to get a quick idea of what it’s about. (As such, there should be no spoilers!)

The analysis is where, if it’s a fiction book, you talk more about the book, its plot, theme, and characters. If it’s nonfiction, you have to consider whether the book effectively achieves what it set out to do.

The recommendation is where your personal opinion comes in the strongest, and you give a verdict as to who you think might enjoy this book.

You can choose to be brief or detailed, depending on the kind of review you’re writing, but you should always aim to cover these three points. If you’re needing some inspiration, check out these 17 book review examples as seen in magazines, blogs, and review communities like Reedsy Discovery for a little variation.

Which review community should you join?

Find out which review community is best for your style. Takes 30 seconds!

Which additional details can you include?

Once you’ve nailed down the basics, you can jazz things up a little and add some personal flavor to your book review by considering some of these elements:

A star-rating (the default is five stars but you can create your own scales);
A bullet-point pros and cons list;
Your favorite quotation from the book;
Commentary on the format you read (i.e., ebook, print, or audiobook);
Fun facts about the book or author;
Other titles you think are similar.

This is where you can really be creative and tailor your review to suit your purpose and audience. A formal review written for a magazine, for instance, will likely benefit from contextual information about the author and the book, along with some comment on how that might have affected the reading (or even writing) process.

Meanwhile, if you’re reviewing a book on social media, you might find bullet points more effective at capturing the fleeting attention of Internet users. You can also make videos, take creative pictures, or even add your own illustrations for more personal touches. The floor is yours at this point, so go ahead and take the spotlight!

That said, we hope that our templates can provide you with a strong foundation for even your most adventurous reviews. And if you’re interested in writing editorial reviews for up-and-coming indie titles, register as a reviewer on Reedsy Discovery !

Continue reading

The 61 Greatest Indie Books of All Time

Indie books are books that have been self-published, or published by

The 30 Best Biographies of All Time

Biographer Richard Holmes once wrote that his work was “a kind of pursuit… writing about the pursuit of that fleeting figure, in such a way as to bring them alive in the present.” At the risk of sounding cliché, the best biographies do exactly this...

Whether you're reviewing a fiction or nonfiction book, our book review templates can help you write well-rounded book commentary!

Heard about Reedsy Discovery?

Trust real people, not robots, to give you book recommendations.

Or sign up with an

Or sign up with your social account

Submit your book
Reviewer directory

Discovery | Reviewer | Version A | 2024-01

Want to be a book reviewer?

Review new books and start building your portfolio.

Studying at university
Being organised
Free study planner
Searching for information
Reading and evaluating information
Referencing
Laboratory reports and lab books
Dissertations, projects and theses
Reflective writing

Book reviews

Notes and other writing tasks
Strategies for writing
Developing as a writer
Assessment and feedback

People who can help

You might be asked to write a book review as a way to help you read actively and form an opinion on the author's views and the context in which the book was written. Book reviews are common ways for academics to evaluate each others' contributions to the field of research, especially in the arts and social sciences where publishing in books is more usual than publishing in journals.

A good review is more than just a summary of the contents. It should include your view on what the purpose of the book is and who it is intended for, and it should address the context (time and place) in which the book has been written, an evaluation of the author's arguments for strengths and weaknesses, and your identification of any bias in their perspective on the topic. Your lecturer will probably give you some guidance on what they expect, and it is likely to involve you asking yourself some or all of the following questions:

Who is the author? What is their disciplinary background? What have they published before? Is this building on their previous research or entering a new field?
When was the book written? How might that affect the perspective taken? Is there, for example, a political, social or economic context that would impact on the writing?
What is the book about? What is the main topic area and scope? How does it fit with other books that have been published in this area?
What is the main argument in the book? Is it well argued? Are the author's assumptions valid? Is there any obvious bias in the source of evidence they use?
Is the writing style appropriate? Is the book well structured and does it flow comfortably?
What is your view on the book's strengths and weaknesses? Do you think it's a valuable contribution to the literature in the discipline?

All of this should be supported by reference to particular passages or chapters that provide evidence to support your views.

Practical advice on managing writing

Managing reading and writing a literature review
Writing critically

more from Academic Support study resources

Talk to someone in your school or a specialist support service

Studying Effectively

Kings Meadow Campus Lenton Lane Nottingham, NG7 2NR

telephone: +44 (0) 115 951 5151 fax: +44 (0) 115 951 3666 Contact us

Legal information

Terms and conditions
Posting rules
Accessibility
Freedom of information
Charity gateway
Cookie policy

Connect with the University of Nottingham through social media and our blogs .

Book Reviews: What Should An Academic Book Review Look Like?

Book Reviews
Finding Existing Book Reviews
What Should An Academic Book Review Look Like?

Academic Book Reviews Follow a General Format

Academic Book Reviews are written for two main readers, the academic scholars and specialized readers. Every book review will be different depending on assignment or the audience of review. Generally speaking a review should have the following four sections.

Introduction

Middle or Body
Critical Book Review Tip Sheet from University of Alberta Libraries This PDF Tip Sheet has several elements to keep in mind when writing a Academic Book Review.
Brienza, Casey. “Writing Academic Book Reviews.” Inside Higher Ed, 27 Mar. 2015, https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2015/03/27/essay-writing-academic-book-reviews.

Standardized citation (MLA, APA, Chicago etc.) also include ISBN, number of pages in book, format (hard cover, online, etc.), and price (check cover or publishers web site for cost)

Should generally cover three basic areas

how this material fits into existing writings
authors qualifications and standing in field
history of topic
state what the authors thesis is
evaluate how this thesis compares with the field
DO NOT just summarize, make sure to add your opinion as reader and expert (even if you don’t feel like one)
give an overall value added commentary

Middle or Body – Method of Critique

Author’s main argument
Individual chapters and arguments
Author’s methodology
Accessibility / Readability
Factual errors
Appropriateness for intended audience
Relationship to other research in field
Originality
Implications for future study
Back up opinion with quotes from text
Follow the Chapters : evaluate and group chapters together following the order of the book.
Topic / Ideas : organize by the general topics covered in the book and evaluate each grouping as appropriate
Criticism based : Each paragraph will address your critical points about the book. This can lead to a choppy review offering examples that jump around the text.
End on a positive note but don’t lie or embellish
Who should read and why
Be Detailed but succinct
Back up criticism with examples from the text.
Stay away from minor points such as spelling/grammar mistakes, cover art, visual appeal and gossip.
<< Previous: Finding Existing Book Reviews
Last Updated: Sep 4, 2024 8:42 AM
URL: https://uscupstate.libguides.com/BookReviews

Wendy Laura Belcher

How to write an academic book review.

This article “Writing the Academic Book Review” was originally written by Belcher to aid participants in a workshop sponsored by the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center in February 2003 and to encourage book review submissions to Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies . Book reviews in the field of Chicano studies can be sent to the journal; for information, see the new submissions page. The article was updated in 2015. Cite as Belcher, Wendy Laura. 2003. “Writing the Academic Book Review.” Los Angeles, CA: UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center. Last Modified 2015. Retrieved from https://www.wendybelcher.com/writing-advice/how-to-write-book-review/ on [month year]. See also the best-selling book of advice on writing, now in its second edition: Writing Your Journal Article in 12 Weeks: A Guide to Academic Publishing Success.

Why Write a Book Review?

Writing book reviews is not only the easiest and quickest route to publication, it is a good way to improve your writing skills, develop your analytical skills, learn how the journal publishing process works, and get to know editors. Since some libraries can’t buy books unless they have been reviewed and many individuals won’t buy books unless they have read a review, reviewing books can definitely advance your field. Indeed, scholars in smaller fields sometimes get together and assign books for review so that every book published in their field is reviewed somewhere. Just remember that book reviews do not “count” as much on a curriculum vitae as an academic essay. If you are doing more than two book reviews a year, you may be spending too much time on book reviews and not enough on your other writing.

Choosing a Book

Think about what kind of book would be most useful to you in writing your dissertation, finalizing a paper for publication, or passing your exams. Since book reviews do take time, like any writing, it is best to chose a book that will work for you twice, as a publication and as research. Alternatively, some recommend that graduate students focus on reviewing textbooks or anthologies, since such reviews take less background knowledge and editors can find it difficult to find people willing to do such reviews. Although the traditional book review is of one book, editors will often welcome book reviews that address two or more related books–called a review essay.

Choose a book that (1) is in your field, (2) is on a topic for which you have sound background knowledge, (3) has been published in the past two or three years, and (4) has been published by a reputable publisher (i.e., any press affiliated with a university or large commercial presses).

Books on hot topics are often of special interest to editors. It can also be rewarding to pick an obscure but useful book in order to bring attention to it. To avoid complications, it is best not to review books written by your advisor, spouse, or ex!

To identify a suitable book in your field:

Look up the call number of the favorite book in your field and go to the stacks of your university library. Do a shelf search around the call number to see if anything similar or related has been published in the past couple of years.
Go to any book database—your university library on-line, Worldcat , Amazon.com , the Library of Congress —and search using two or three keywords related to your field (e.g., Chicano fiction, Chicana politics, Latino demographics, Latina high school education) to find books in your area.
Read magazines that review books before publication—such as Choice , Library Journal, or Kirkus Reviews —to get a sense for interesting books that will be coming out. You can get copies of books for review before they are published. Editors especially like reviews of just published books.
Read those academic journals that list books recently received for review or recently published in their area.
Ask faculty members in your department for recommendations.

Once you have identified several books, locate copies and skim them. Pick the book that seems the strongest. Do not pick a book that has major problems or with which you disagree violently. As a graduate student, you do not have the protection of tenure and may one day be evaluated by the person whose book you put to the ax. If you really feel strongly that you must write a negative review of a certain book, go ahead and write the review. Academia is, after all, quite oedipal and young scholars do sometimes make their reputations by deflating those who came before them. Just realize that going on record in such a public way may have consequences.

Choosing a Journal

Identify several leading journals in your field that publish book reviews. One way to do this is to search an on-line article database or something like Book Review Digest , if your library has access. Using several key words from your field, limit your search to book reviews and note the journals where the results were published.

Before starting to write your review, contact the book review editor of one of the journals. This is important standard practice; in particular because most journals do not accept unsolicited reviews. You do not want to write an entire review of a book and send it to a journal, only to be told that they don’t accept unsolicited reviews or that a review of that very book is to appear in the next issue.

So, send a short e-mail to book review editors at prospective journals (most journals have websites with such information) identifying the book you would like to review and your qualifications for reviewing it. This e-mail need not be longer than two sentences: “I am writing to find out if you would welcome a review from me of [ Book Title ], edited by [editor] and published in 2012 by [pubisher]. I am currently writing my dissertation at Stanford on the history of the field of [name of a field related to book].”

Another reason why you want to contact the book review editor is that they often can get you the book for free. Publishers frequently send books for review straight to journals or, if the book editor directly contacts them, straight to you. Of course, you don’t need to wait for the book to start your review if you have access to a library copy. If you get a free book, make sure to write the review. A book review editor will never send you another book if you don’t deliver on the first.

If the book review editor says yes, they would like a review of the book from you, make sure to ask if the journal has any book review submission guidelines. In particular, you want to make sure you understand how long their book reviews tend to be.

If the book review editor says the book is already under review, move on to your next journal choice or ask the editor if they have any books on the topic that they would like reviewed. You are under no obligation to review a book they suggest, just make sure to get back to them with a decision. It is perfectly acceptable to say “Thanks for the suggestion, I’ve decided to focus on writing my prospectus/dissertation.”

Reading the Book

It is best, when writing a book review, to be an active reader of the book. Sit at a desk with pen and paper in hand. As you read, stop frequently to summarize the argument, to note particularly clear statements of the book’s argument or purpose, and to describe your own responses. If you have read in this active way, putting together the book review should be quick and straightforward. Some people prefer to read at the computer, but if you’re a good typist, you often start typing up long quotes from the book instead of analyzing it. Paper and pen provides a little friction to prevent such drifting.

Take particular note of the title (does the book deliver what the title suggests it is going to deliver?), the table of contents (does the book cover all the ground it says it will?), the preface (often the richest source of information about the book), and the index (is it accurate, broad, deep?).

Some questions to keep in mind as you are reading:

What is the book’s argument?
Does the book do what it says it is going to do?
Is the book a contribution to the field or discipline?
Does the book relate to a current debate or trend in the field and if so, how?
What is the theoretical lineage or school of thought out of which the book rises?
Is the book well-written?
What are the books terms and are they defined?
How accurate is the information (e.g., the footnotes, bibliography, dates)?
Are the illustrations helpful? If there are no illustrations, should there have been?
Who would benefit from reading this book?
How does the book compare to other books in the field?
If it is a textbook, what courses can it be used in and how clear is the book’s structure and examples?

It can be worthwhile to do an on-line search to get a sense for the author’s history, other books, university appointments, graduate advisor, and so on. This can provide you with useful context..

Making a Plan

Book reviews are usually 600 to 2,000 words in length. It is best to aim for about 1,000 words, as you can say a fair amount in 1,000 words without getting bogged down. There’s no point in making a book review into a 20-page masterpiece since the time would have been better spent on an academic essay that would count for more on your c.v.

Some say a review should be written in a month: two weeks reading the book, one week planning your review, and one week writing it.

Although many don’t write an outline for an essay, you should really try to outline your book review before you write it. This will keep you on task and stop you from straying into writing an academic essay.

Classic book review structure is as follows:

Title including complete bibliographic citation for the work (i.e., title in full, author, place, publisher, date of publication, edition statement, pages, special features [maps, color plates, etc.], price, and ISBN.
One paragraph identifying the thesis, and whether the author achieves the stated purpose of the book.
One or two paragraphs summarizing the book.
One paragraph on the book’s strengths.
One paragraph on the book’s weaknesses.
One paragraph on your assessment of the book’s strengths and weaknesses.

Writing the Review

Once you’ve read the book, try to spend no more than one or two weeks writing the review. Allowing a great deal of time to fall between reading the book and writing about it is unfair to you and the author. The point of writing something short like a book review is to do it quickly. Sending a publication to a journal is always scary, sitting on the review won’t make it less so.

Avoiding Five Common Pitfalls

Evaluate the text, don’t just summarize it. While a succinct restatement of the text’s points is important, part of writing a book review is making a judgment. Is the book a contribution to the field? Does it add to our knowledge? Should this book be read and by whom? One needn’t be negative to evaluate; for instance, explaining how a text relates to current debates in the field is a form of evaluation.
Do not cover everything in the book. In other words, don’t use the table of contents as a structuring principle for your review. Try to organize your review around the book’s argument or your argument about the book.
Judge the book by its intentions not yours. Don’t criticize the author for failing to write the book you think that he or she should have written. As John Updike puts it, “Do not imagine yourself the caretaker of any tradition, an enforcer of any party standards, a warrior in any ideological battle, a corrections officer of any kind.”
Likewise, don’t spend too much time focusing on gaps. Since a book is only 200 to 500 pages, it cannot possibly address the richness of any topic. For this reason, the most common criticism in any review is that the book doesn’t address some part of the topic. If the book purports to be about ethnicity and film and yet lacks a chapter on Latinos, by all means, mention it. Just don’t belabor the point. Another tic of reviewers is to focus too much on books the author did not cite. If you are using their bibliography just to display your own knowledge it will be obvious to the reader. Keep such criticisms brief.
Don’t use too many quotes from the book. It is best to paraphrase or use short telling quotes within sentences.

For further advice about writing for publication, see Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve Weeks: A Guide to Academic Publishing Success by Wendy Laura Belcher (University of Chicago Press, 2019).

Writing the Academic Book Review

I no longer teach this course , but you might want to think about teaching it, so I provide the information here.

This workshop aids students in actually writing and publishing a book review for a peer-reviewed journal. At the first session, students receive instruction on why graduate students should (or should not) write book reviews, how to choose a book for review, how to chose a journal for submission, how to read a book for review, how to plan and structure a book review, and five common pitfalls of reviewing. Students also form small groups to discuss the book each plans to review.At the second meeting, students bring a draft of their book review for exchange and feedback. At the third meeting, students arrive with a final version of their essay to submit to an editor for publication.

This workshop is sometimes offered by a particular journal with the editors serving on a panel the first night to provide students with specific advice for submitting reviews to their journal. I did such a workshop for Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies , with the editors Chon A. Noriega and Alicia Gaspar de Alba.

Session 1, Week 1

Introduction to book reviewing
Selecting an appropriate book to review
Five essential elements of any book review
Typical errors graduate student reviewers make

Session 2, Week 10

Assignment: First draft due
Discussion of the writing process and challenges
Exchanging and critiquing first drafts
Some instructions on revising

Session 3, Week 16

Assignment: Final draft due
Working with editors and the publication process
Refreshments

How to Write Critical Reviews

When you are asked to write a critical review of a book or article, you will need to identify, summarize, and evaluate the ideas and information the author has presented. In other words, you will be examining another person’s thoughts on a topic from your point of view.

Your stand must go beyond your “gut reaction” to the work and be based on your knowledge (readings, lecture, experience) of the topic as well as on factors such as criteria stated in your assignment or discussed by you and your instructor.

Make your stand clear at the beginning of your review, in your evaluations of specific parts, and in your concluding commentary.

Remember that your goal should be to make a few key points about the book or article, not to discuss everything the author writes.

Understanding the Assignment

To write a good critical review, you will have to engage in the mental processes of analyzing (taking apart) the work–deciding what its major components are and determining how these parts (i.e., paragraphs, sections, or chapters) contribute to the work as a whole.

Analyzing the work will help you focus on how and why the author makes certain points and prevent you from merely summarizing what the author says. Assuming the role of an analytical reader will also help you to determine whether or not the author fulfills the stated purpose of the book or article and enhances your understanding or knowledge of a particular topic.

Be sure to read your assignment thoroughly before you read the article or book. Your instructor may have included specific guidelines for you to follow. Keeping these guidelines in mind as you read the article or book can really help you write your paper!

Also, note where the work connects with what you’ve studied in the course. You can make the most efficient use of your reading and notetaking time if you are an active reader; that is, keep relevant questions in mind and jot down page numbers as well as your responses to ideas that appear to be significant as you read.

Please note: The length of your introduction and overview, the number of points you choose to review, and the length of your conclusion should be proportionate to the page limit stated in your assignment and should reflect the complexity of the material being reviewed as well as the expectations of your reader.

Write the introduction

Below are a few guidelines to help you write the introduction to your critical review.

Introduce your review appropriately

Begin your review with an introduction appropriate to your assignment.

If your assignment asks you to review only one book and not to use outside sources, your introduction will focus on identifying the author, the title, the main topic or issue presented in the book, and the author’s purpose in writing the book.

If your assignment asks you to review the book as it relates to issues or themes discussed in the course, or to review two or more books on the same topic, your introduction must also encompass those expectations.

Explain relationships

For example, before you can review two books on a topic, you must explain to your reader in your introduction how they are related to one another.

Within this shared context (or under this “umbrella”) you can then review comparable aspects of both books, pointing out where the authors agree and differ.

In other words, the more complicated your assignment is, the more your introduction must accomplish.

Finally, the introduction to a book review is always the place for you to establish your position as the reviewer (your thesis about the author’s thesis).

As you write, consider the following questions:

Is the book a memoir, a treatise, a collection of facts, an extended argument, etc.? Is the article a documentary, a write-up of primary research, a position paper, etc.?
Who is the author? What does the preface or foreword tell you about the author’s purpose, background, and credentials? What is the author’s approach to the topic (as a journalist? a historian? a researcher?)?
What is the main topic or problem addressed? How does the work relate to a discipline, to a profession, to a particular audience, or to other works on the topic?
What is your critical evaluation of the work (your thesis)? Why have you taken that position? What criteria are you basing your position on?

Provide an overview

In your introduction, you will also want to provide an overview. An overview supplies your reader with certain general information not appropriate for including in the introduction but necessary to understanding the body of the review.

Generally, an overview describes your book’s division into chapters, sections, or points of discussion. An overview may also include background information about the topic, about your stand, or about the criteria you will use for evaluation.

The overview and the introduction work together to provide a comprehensive beginning for (a “springboard” into) your review.

What are the author’s basic premises? What issues are raised, or what themes emerge? What situation (i.e., racism on college campuses) provides a basis for the author’s assertions?
How informed is my reader? What background information is relevant to the entire book and should be placed here rather than in a body paragraph?

Write the body

The body is the center of your paper, where you draw out your main arguments. Below are some guidelines to help you write it.

Organize using a logical plan

Organize the body of your review according to a logical plan. Here are two options:

First, summarize, in a series of paragraphs, those major points from the book that you plan to discuss; incorporating each major point into a topic sentence for a paragraph is an effective organizational strategy. Second, discuss and evaluate these points in a following group of paragraphs. (There are two dangers lurking in this pattern–you may allot too many paragraphs to summary and too few to evaluation, or you may re-summarize too many points from the book in your evaluation section.)
Alternatively, you can summarize and evaluate the major points you have chosen from the book in a point-by-point schema. That means you will discuss and evaluate point one within the same paragraph (or in several if the point is significant and warrants extended discussion) before you summarize and evaluate point two, point three, etc., moving in a logical sequence from point to point to point. Here again, it is effective to use the topic sentence of each paragraph to identify the point from the book that you plan to summarize or evaluate.

Questions to keep in mind as you write

With either organizational pattern, consider the following questions:

What are the author’s most important points? How do these relate to one another? (Make relationships clear by using transitions: “In contrast,” an equally strong argument,” “moreover,” “a final conclusion,” etc.).
What types of evidence or information does the author present to support his or her points? Is this evidence convincing, controversial, factual, one-sided, etc.? (Consider the use of primary historical material, case studies, narratives, recent scientific findings, statistics.)
Where does the author do a good job of conveying factual material as well as personal perspective? Where does the author fail to do so? If solutions to a problem are offered, are they believable, misguided, or promising?
Which parts of the work (particular arguments, descriptions, chapters, etc.) are most effective and which parts are least effective? Why?
Where (if at all) does the author convey personal prejudice, support illogical relationships, or present evidence out of its appropriate context?

Keep your opinions distinct and cite your sources

Remember, as you discuss the author’s major points, be sure to distinguish consistently between the author’s opinions and your own.

Keep the summary portions of your discussion concise, remembering that your task as a reviewer is to re-see the author’s work, not to re-tell it.

And, importantly, if you refer to ideas from other books and articles or from lecture and course materials, always document your sources, or else you might wander into the realm of plagiarism.

Include only that material which has relevance for your review and use direct quotations sparingly. The Writing Center has other handouts to help you paraphrase text and introduce quotations.

Write the conclusion

You will want to use the conclusion to state your overall critical evaluation.

You have already discussed the major points the author makes, examined how the author supports arguments, and evaluated the quality or effectiveness of specific aspects of the book or article.

Now you must make an evaluation of the work as a whole, determining such things as whether or not the author achieves the stated or implied purpose and if the work makes a significant contribution to an existing body of knowledge.

Consider the following questions:

Is the work appropriately subjective or objective according to the author’s purpose?
How well does the work maintain its stated or implied focus? Does the author present extraneous material? Does the author exclude or ignore relevant information?
How well has the author achieved the overall purpose of the book or article? What contribution does the work make to an existing body of knowledge or to a specific group of readers? Can you justify the use of this work in a particular course?
What is the most important final comment you wish to make about the book or article? Do you have any suggestions for the direction of future research in the area? What has reading this work done for you or demonstrated to you?

Academic and Professional Writing

This is an accordion element with a series of buttons that open and close related content panels.

Analysis Papers

Reading Poetry

A Short Guide to Close Reading for Literary Analysis

Using Literary Quotations

Play Reviews

Writing a Rhetorical Précis to Analyze Nonfiction Texts

Incorporating Interview Data

Grant Proposals

Planning and Writing a Grant Proposal: The Basics

Additional Resources for Grants and Proposal Writing

Job Materials and Application Essays

Writing Personal Statements for Ph.D. Programs

Before you begin: useful tips for writing your essay
Guided brainstorming exercises
Get more help with your essay
Frequently Asked Questions

Resume Writing Tips

CV Writing Tips

Cover Letters

Business Letters

Proposals and Dissertations

Resources for Proposal Writers

Resources for Dissertators

Research Papers

Planning and Writing Research Papers

Quoting and Paraphrasing

Writing Annotated Bibliographies

Creating Poster Presentations

Writing an Abstract for Your Research Paper

Thank-You Notes

Advice for Students Writing Thank-You Notes to Donors

Reading for a Review

Critical Reviews

Writing a Review of Literature

Scientific Reports

Scientific Report Format

Sample Lab Assignment

Writing for the Web

Writing an Effective Blog Post

Writing for Social Media: A Guide for Academics

IMAGES

Examples Of Book Reviews For College
Examples Of Book Reviews For College
Writing a Book Review Can Be Easy if You Use Our Template
💐 Writing a review of a book example. GUIDE FOR WRITING SCHOLARLY BOOK
10+ Book Review Templates
(PDF) Sample of Book Review

VIDEO

Quantitative Reasoning for Primary|Lantern Steps Quantitative Reasoning Example Book 5
University Bookstore employee shares book suggestions
Quantitative Reasoning Solutions for Primary|Lantern Steps Quantitative Reasoning Examples Book 4
20 books everyone should read (recs from an author)
Rebecca
the best 10 books I've read last year

COMMENTS

PDF Academic Book Reviews
An academic book review provides the main ideas, and since published book reviews typically have a limited word count, the summary should remain brief. Analysis and Significance. Compare the book and its argument with the other literature on the topic. Discuss its contribution to past and current research and literature.
17 Book Review Examples to Help You Write the Perfect Review
Emily W. Thompson reviews Michael Doane's The Crossing on Reedsy Discovery: In Doane's debut novel, a young man embarks on a journey of self-discovery with surprising results. An unnamed protagonist (The Narrator) is dealing with heartbreak. His love, determined to see the world, sets out for Portland, Oregon.
10+ Book Review Examples for Students of All Academic Levels
The first step is to plan and create an outline that includes all the points that you will have to cover in the review. Don't forget to include all the information about the characters, plot information, and some other parts of the chosen book. The three parts of a book review are: 1. Provide a Summary.
Book Reviews
This handout will help you write a book review, a report or essay that offers a critical perspective on a text. ... A great place to learn about book reviews is to look at examples. ... Charlottesville: University Virginia of Press. Sova, Dawn, and Harry Teitelbaum. 2002. How to Write Book Reports, 4th ed. Lawrenceville, NY: Thomson/Arco.
Academic Book Reviews
Structure the review like an essay with an introduction, body, and conclusion. A typical book review might look like this: Introduction—Possibly explain what attracted you to read the book, or discuss the problems or issues the book addresses and why it is a timely topic. Summary of the book's argument and main point—Be brief.
Start Here
Example thesis relating the book to course themes: George Orwell's 1984 provides insight into three course themes: critical thinking as a form of resistance, the role of misinformation in totalitarian societies, and the connection between privacy and personal freedom. The review that follows argues that the novel's engagement with these ...
Research Guides: Book Reviews: Writing a Book Review
Writing a Book Review. A book review is a description and a critical evaluation of a book. It gives a summary of the content and assesses the value of the book focusing on the book's purpose, contents, and authority. Check the guide, How to Write a Book Review (Dalhousie University) for a step by step approach to writing critical book reviews.
Writing a Book Review
For example, a book that is presenting original research about a topic may require a different set of questions to ask yourself than a work where the author is offering a personal critique of an existing policy or issue. ... Colorado State University; Book Reviews. The Writing Center. University of North Carolina; Hartley, James. "Reading and ...
Writing Academic Book Reviews: A Comprehensive Guide
When writing an academic book review, adopt a formal and scholarly tone and avoid overly casual language or personal opinions. Maintain clarity and precision in your writing, articulating your arguments cogently and providing evidence to support your claims. Additionally, adhere to the conventions of academic writing, including accurate ...
How to Write a Book Review: The Ultimate Guide
The real value of crafting a well-written book review for a student does not lie in their ability to impact book sales. Understanding how to produce a well-written book review helps students to: Engage critically with a text. Critically evaluate a text. Respond personally to a range of different writing genres.
18+ Book Review Examples for Various Academic Levels
Book Review Template. Here is a good book review example for 4th-grade students: "Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White — A Heartwarming Tale of Friendship. "Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White is a heartwarming tale of friendship that takes us to Zuckerman's farm, where a special pig named Wilbur forms an unlikely bond with Charlotte, a clever ...
How to Write Academic Book Review
After concluding, list the references using the academic book review guidelines on the type of referencing provided by your university. Example of an Academic Book Review. Some students confuse writing a scholarly review with a research paper. A scholarly book review format is different from that of a research paper writing. It has specific ...
Writing Resources
All reviews begin with bibliographic information: the author's name, the book's full title, place of publication, publisher, edition, date, pagination, and cost, if known. In no more than two paragraphs, introduce the book. Give your initial appraisal of the work, including your key observation on the text.
Book Reviews
By contrast, book reviews are most often a college assignment, but they also appear in many professional works: magazines, newspapers, and academic journals. They typically range from 500-750 words, but may be longer or shorter. A book review gives readers a sneak peek at what a book is like, whether or not the reviewer enjoyed it, and details ...
How to write a book review: format guide, & examples
Step 1: Planning Your Book Review - The Art of Getting Started. You've decided to take the plunge and share your thoughts on a book that has captivated (or perhaps disappointed) you. Before you start book reviewing, let's take a step back and plan your approach.
Writing Academic Book Reviews
Note: This information is geared toward researchers in the arts and humanities. For a detailed guide on writing book reviews in the social sciences, please check the USC Libraries guide to Writing and Organizing Research in the Social Sciences, authored by Dr. Robert Labaree.. When writing an academic book review, start with a bibliographic citation of the book you are reviewing [e.g., author ...
PDF Book Reviews
Reviews can consider books, articles, entire genres or fields of literature, architecture, art, fashion, restaurants, policies, exhibitions, performances, and many other forms. This handout will focus on book reviews. Above all, a review makes an argument. The most important element of a review is that it is a commentary, not merely a summary.
The Only Book Review Templates You'll Ever Need
Blog - Posted on Thursday, Nov 11 The Only Book Review Templates You'll Ever Need Whether you're trying to become a book reviewer, writing a book report for school, or analyzing a book, it's nice to follow a book review template to make sure that your thoughts are clearly presented.. A quality template provides guidance to keep your mind sharp and your thoughts organized so that you can ...
Book reviews
Book reviews are common ways for academics to evaluate each others' contributions to the field of research, especially in the arts and social sciences where publishing in books is more usual than publishing in journals. A good review is more than just a summary of the contents. It should include your view on what the purpose of the book is and ...
Book Reviews: What Should An Academic Book Review Look Like?
Academic Book Reviews are written for two main readers, the academic scholars and specialized readers. ... This can lead to a choppy review offering examples that jump around the text. Conclusion. End on a positive note but don't lie or embellish; ... 800 University Way Spartanburg, SC 29303 864-503-5620 | 864-503-5611.
How to Write a Book Review
Reading the Book. It is best, when writing a book review, to be an active reader of the book. Sit at a desk with pen and paper in hand. As you read, stop frequently to summarize the argument, to note particularly clear statements of the book's argument or purpose, and to describe your own responses.
Here's a Good Book: Hints on Writing a Book Review for Academic
English Medium Instruction by Ernesto Macaro, Professor of Applied Linguistics at the University of Oxford's Centre for Research and Development on English Medium Instruction, is therefore a much needed book. Indeed, Macaro's book addresses all the fundamentals as well as many other critical topics related to EMI.
How to Write Critical Reviews
To write a good critical review, you will have to engage in the mental processes of analyzing (taking apart) the work-deciding what its major components are and determining how these parts (i.e., paragraphs, sections, or chapters) contribute to the work as a whole. Analyzing the work will help you focus on how and why the author makes certain ...

Good Book Review Examples to Help you Write a Great Review

Academic Book Review Examples

How to Write a Book Review - Examples

Frequently Asked Questions

Was This Blog Helpful?

Write a Book Review

More writing resources

Get assistance

Example thesis relating the book to course themes:

Example thesis evaluating the book’s contribution to the field:

Paragraph Order

Chronological

Book Reviews

Additional Resources

Further Reading

Recent Posts

Writing Academic Book Reviews: A Comprehensive Guide

Since 2006, Oxbridge Essays has been the UK’s leading paid essay-writing and dissertation service

Understanding the Purpose

Structure of an Academic Book Review

Introduction

Summary of the Book

Critical Analysis

Writing Style and Tone

Tips for Writing an Effective Academic Book Review:

Elevating Academic Discourse Through Insightful Book Reviews

Essay exams: how to answer ‘To what extent…’

Editing Services

Additional Services

Our Company

Terms & Policies

Payment Methods

How to Write a Book Review: The Ultimate Guide

WHAT IS A BOOK REVIEW?

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A BOOK REVIEW?

WHY BOTHER TEACHING STUDENTS TO WRITE BOOK REVIEWS AT ALL?

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A BOOK REVIEW AND A BOOK REPORT?

BOOK REVIEW STRUCTURE

FEATURES OF A BOOK REVIEW

A COMPLETE UNIT ON REVIEW AND ANALYSIS OF TEXTS

ELEMENTS OF A BOOK REVIEW

BOOK REVIEW KEY ELEMENTS

EDIT AND REVISE YOUR BOOK REVIEW

Teaching Resources

BOOK REVIEW GRAPHIC ORGANIZER (TEMPLATE)

101 DIGITAL & PRINT GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS FOR ALL CURRICULUM AREAS

Book and Movie review writing examples (Student Writing Samples)

BOOK REVIEW VIDEO TUTORIALS

OTHER GREAT ARTICLES RELATED TO BOOK REVIEWS

Transactional Writing

How to write a text response

How to Write a Compare and Contrast Essay

How to Write Excellent Expository Essays

Book Review Examples to Help You Get Started

Good Book Review Examples for Students

Book Review Examples for Middle School Students

Book Review Examples For High School Students

Short Book Review Examples for Fiction Books

Book Review of Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

Non-Fiction Book Review Examples

Keep reading

How to Write Academic Book Review – a Complete Guide

What Is an Academic Book Review?

Summary of Argument

Scholarly Book Review Format

Main Steps to Write an Academic Book Review

Making a Plan

Writing a Book Review

Initial Steps

Organizing the Review

Questions to Consider

Analysis of Content

Evaluation of Content

Tutor Appointments

Site Search

Writing a Book Review

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

Before You Read

As You Read

When You Are Ready to Write