Book Review Requirements

5th Graders and Parents,

When you finish reading each book, I am asking that you write a thoughtful book review.  Because I am not requiring weekly summaries, you will need to put a lot of effort and thought into your book reviews.  Here is what I expect:

All Fiction, Nonfiction, and Biography/Autobiography:

1)  Length:  The reviews need to be at least one page in length, but no longer than two pages if handwritten.  I realize that typed book reviews will seem shorter (funny how a long story shrinks when typed!).

2)  Section 1:  The first section of your book review should be a summary the book...the characters, the setting, the problem faced by the main characters, and the solution to the problem.  If you feel the book has a strong theme or lesson, you may talk about that, too.

3)  Section 2:  The second section of your book review should be a review, your opinion or critique, of book itself.  This is where you will tell me if you enjoyed the book or not.  Of course, I expect you to support your opinion!  WHY do you like this author or book?  WHAT does the author do to keep you reading?  Do you RECOMMEND the book to others?

Poetry:

1)  Length:  The review needs to be at least one page in length, but no longer than two pages if handwritten.

2)  Section 1:  Because poetry books are collections of poems, it really isn't possible to summarize.  Section 1 should be a review or critique of the collection itself.  Did you like reading the poetry?  What did the author do that made the poems interesting to read?  Let this section be your opinions and your recommendation to others.

3)  Section 2:  Choose one poem to talk about in detail.  Explain why you chose it, why it stood out to you, and what you thought about as you read it. 


Do a quality job and apply what you know about spelling, punctuation, capitalization, sentence structure, and writer's craft to "show what you know!"  At some point, I'd like to make the book reviews available to your classmates so that you can find new authors and books that YOU will enjoy reading! 


Here is an example I wrote about The Invention of Hugo Cabret.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret -  by Brian Selznick

Book Review by Wendy Yount

        The Invention of Hugo Cabret is a story about Hugo Cabret, a young boy who loses his father in a fire and finds himself living with an alcoholic uncle in one of Paris's train stations.  Though living with his uncle is not the happiest experience, Hugo acts as an apprentice and learns how to maintain and repair all of the clocks in the train station.  One day, the uncle doesn't return.  Hugo finds himself alone in the world with nobody to turn to for help.  Because he fears living in an orphanage, he continues his uncle's job, secretly moving through the train station each day.  He even has to resort to stealing food, which he hates to do.  Hugo's story revolves around this situation and his desire to complete a project that his father wasn't able to finish.  With no money, he steals pieces and parts that will allow Hugo to finish this task.  Along the way, he meets people who try to befriend him and others who want to stop him.  Hugo shows tremendous strength of character as he risks everything to reach his goal.  Ultimately, his efforts change his life, but also the lives of others.

          The first time I heard of this story was during last year's Academy Awards.  The movie based on this book won several Oscars, though I suppose I was really inspired to read this at the recommendation of one of my students.  From the very first page, I was hooked!  The author has done a great job of creating suspense and appealing to my curiosity.  It seems as if he knows exactly what to say at the end of each chapter that will keep me reading.  I also like the way he tells this story with pictures as well as text.  Sometimes, I would find myself looking through ten pages of pictures and then finding the written part of the story picking up from there.  Without the illustrations, the story would have gaps.  It is a very unique idea and I found it new and enjoyable.  I would recommend this book to any of my students who are looking for something new and different.  This would also appeal to anyone who enjoys mystery and suspense.  You never know what will happen next!  It is also amazing to find that it is based on a true story!  Read, enjoy, and share with others!  You won't regret it!