Book Report The Gift and Calling of God
I. The Introduction:
Introduce the title, the author, and the subject or theme of the book in the first sentence.
Example: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott recounts the girlhood experiences of Jo March and her three sisters. Get your readers interested in what you are going to say—perhaps with a striking statement, a quotation, or some background information. If the book has a setting (time and place), you might include it.
Example: Set in New England around the time of the Civil War, this classic novel provides a glimpse of daily life in a nineteenth-century American household. Though fictional, it reads like a true story, because the main characters are fashioned after the author’s own family. The character Jo March resembles Louisa herself.
Close your introductory paragraph with a statement of opinion. Choose one aspect of the book— a moral, a concept, or a principle—that made an impression on you. Ask yourself, “What did I learn from this book? Would others benefit from it? And if so, how?” You will discuss this statement in the body of your report.
Example: Though the experiences of the March sisters, one can learn to appreciate the family that God has given him or her.
II. The Body
A. Begin with a short, concise summary (synopsis) of the book, including only the main points or
key events. Limit this synopsis to several sentences.
1. For a fiction book, write a summary of the plot. The plot is the sequences of actions that make up a story. The plot begins with a conflict involving main characters. Sometimes, the conflict involves two people. Other times, the conflict involves the main character and a variety of people and circumstances. In some stories, conflict may be at work with the character.
Example: In the story Little Women, each of the March sisters faces her own conflict with self as she tries to “be good.” After you have stated the conflict, recount the events that develop the conflict to
the point at which one of the opposing forces is about to prevail over the other. This is called the climax. Following the climax, relate the events that resolve the conflict.
2. For a biography, relate the chief incidents in the subject’s life.
3. For a nonfiction book, write a summary.
B. In the succeeding paragraphs of the body, use incidents, details, and quotations that support the
opinion you stated in the introduction. Prove your point.
Example: In the opening scene, the March sisters are bemoaning their poverty when Beth gently reminds them how rich they really are: “We’ve got father and mother and each other.” Though lacking in material comforts, the girls gradually learn to appreciate the treasure they have in a loving home. Mother’s gentle words and Father’s letters from the battlefront remind them of the things that matter in life: relationships, kind words and loving deeds, and personal growth and maturity. Meg learns about the emptiness of material wealth when she visits Annie Moffat and tries to fit in with her frivolous and worldly friends. Jo learns to forgive when Amy burns her precious books. Beth teaches them all about selfless giving when she reaches out to help a poor widow and her children and is stricken with a deadly fever. As each girl struggles with her personal weaknesses, she learns to appreciate more fully the family that God has given her and the values they share.
III. The Conclusion:
A. Begin the conclusion with a restatement of your opinion. (Avoid the temptation to use the
ame wording that you used in your introduction.)
Example: Of the many lessons to be learned from Little Women, the importance of family relationships is one that no reader should miss. Everyone can learn to appreciate his or her siblings and parents from the example set by the March sisters.
B. Give your thoughts about the book, whether they are favorable or unfavorable.
Example: I enjoyed Louisa May Alcotts’s honest portrayal of family life. Like any ordinary family, the Marches had disagreements and quarrels from time to time, but they remained a close-knit, loving family because they recognized and practiced Scriptural principles of family life: the girls honored their parents, loved each other, and sought to live peaceable together.
You may comment on the realism of the characters, the charm of the setting, the effectiveness of the imagery, the aptness of the dialogue, or the naturalness of the action. As a Christian, you must also think about the content. How are evil actions presented? Is evil shown in a way that disgusts the reader? Or is it made attractive to the reader? Are the consequences of evil actions shown to be what the Bible says they will be? In the body of your report, emphasize the moral, the concept, or the principle that impressed you. In the conclusion, evaluate the book according to the criteria above.
NOTE: Keep the number of pages of your Book Report to the required number of pages for your course. Points will be deducted for long elaborate Book Reports. Remember, you are not re-writing the book, you are only giving a report of the book.
