What Are the Ten Things You Use in a Book Report?

Introduction

• The introduction of a short story should be a basic idea of what book the report is about as well as a general attention hook to keep the reader interested in how the book report is going to analyze the piece of literature.

Summarization

• The summary usually goes in the first or second paragraph of the introduction and basically includes a brief overview of the book's plot. This is done to allow readers who might not be familiar with the book to get a brief taste of the book's premise.

Analysis

• In the analysis, the book report should look more deeply into the plot of the book and try to extract any potential themes, motifs, allusions or underlying meanings of the book so the book is more easily relatable by its readers.

Characters

• The book report should also include information about all of the key characters in the book. Though it does not have to contain a deep analysis on every minor character in the book, it should overview the major characters and players in the story.

Setting

• The book report should also brief the reader on the general setting of the book. This is the time and place that the story is set in. For instance, "London, the summer of 1923." The setting will set the tone and general feel for the story.

Conflict

• The main problem and reason for the story is the conflict. The conflict usually takes place between one of the characters and another force present in the story. Any good book report should identify this key aspect.

Climax

• The climax is the pivotal moment in the book that the story is based around. The climax is the point in the book where the characters are met with some kind of adversity and must either overcome it or be defeated by it. Because the climax is the peek of the story's action, it should always be mentioned in a book report.

Resolution

• The resolution is the falling action that comes after the climax. It is what occurs as a result of the climax. This part is equally important because it identifies what effect the climax had and how that affects the theme of the story.

Conclusion

• The conclusion of a book report should summarize the entire book report in a clear and concise way. The conclusion should contain any last minute thoughts about the book without adding new information not expounded upon in the body of the report.

Annotations

• A thorough book report should contain annotations of all sources that you used to draft the report.