Students who enjoy art can create an eight to 12 panel cartoon strip to retell the most important events in the book. Instruct students to create the cartoon panels on an enlarged piece of folded paper, a poster board or a computer program. Require that students include information about the main characters, setting, plot and plot resolution in the cartoon strip retelling.
Artistically minded students may want to create a poster advertisement as a book report. Show students examples of movie posters as a model. Have students create a poster that includes an illustration of the book's central theme. Require that students include the book's title and author on the poster. Students can list the main characters with a single phrase description at the bottom of the poster. Have students include two informational boxes on the poster. In one box, students write a five-sentence summary of the book. In the other box, students create a list of five reasons why people should read the book.
Students who enjoy performing and social activities can complete a character interview. The character interview may be written or acted out. Have the student pretend to be a news reporter interviewing the book's main character in written or spoken form. Questions should ask the character about the book's setting, character relationships, plot and plot resolution. The student writes the reporter questions and the character answers in the form of a script to turn in or to act out.
Students who enjoy writing can draft a short sequel as a book report. Explain that successful story sequels move forward with main characters that at least initially, act in the same ways as they did before. The setting may remain the same but if not, the author explains the setting change within the story. The first chapter of the sequel should provide information about the plot of the original story woven into the new story so that the teacher can assess comprehension. The remainder of the short-sequel book report is written as a new story.