Even if you like reading, doing a book report can be scary. What if you forget something important from the story? What if what you write isn’t what the teacher wants?
Don’t panic. I used to be a teacher, and I want to help you make your first middle school book report a success.
Let’s talk.
Read Your Teacher’s Instructions
When your teacher assigns a book and a book report, read the instructions first. This is an important step because:
- You learn what you need to do.
- You can ask questions if you don’t understand something.
Asking questions is really important because not understanding something can trip you up later. You want to know exactly what to do before you start reading the book. Why? Knowing what to do helps you read with purpose.
Read with Purpose
When you read for fun, it’s nice to get lost in a story and relax. However, when you read for a book report, you need to ‘perk up’ and read with purpose. This requires a bit of work, but it really isn’t that hard at all.
Here’s how to read with purpose.
Looking again at your instructions, jot down what things you’ll need to find in the story to do your report. These details may include:
- The setting
- The main characters
- What characters say, do, or think
- What problem the characters need to solve
- How the characters solve the problem
- How the characters change throughout the story
You may need to focus on other things, too. One way to make sure you don’t forget them is to circle or highlight them in the instructions.
Now you know what to do, it’s time to read!
Every few pages, pause and jot down details that will help you with your report. If you wait until the end of the book, you may forget a bunch of important stuff.
Here’s a handy table you can use to organize your thoughts! You can change it any way that will best help you with your report.
Example table
HINT: If your book doesn’t have a lot of chapters, pause every 7–10 pages to take notes. At the top of the table, make sure to put down which pages you’re discussing.
Turning Your Notes into Your First Middle School Book Report
Congratulations on reading a book and writing down organized notes! Believe it or not, the hardest part of your book report is already done. It’s now time to turn your hard work into a stellar book report.
Go back to your teacher’s instructions. For the last time, make sure you 100% know what they want you to do. This step is important because a book report can be a lot of things, such as:
- An essay
- A presentation to your class
- A map of the main characters’ journey
- A comic about what happens
- A diary entry from the main character’s point of view
- A skit where you play the part of the main character
- And many more!
If your teacher gives you a choice of options, pick the one where you can use your creativity to the fullest. Don’t be afraid if you think someone else could draw a better picture or tell a better story. Being creative will make your book report the most fun it can be, and you’ll be proud to show it off to your teacher and class.
With that in mind, dive in!
General Book Report Tips
If your teacher assigned you a regular book report — a five-paragraph essay — here are some success steps you can follow. You can tweak these suggestions to your teacher’s instructions.
Step #1: Grab the Reader’s Attention
In your first sentence, consider asking a question that your book explores. For example, if you read a book about surviving in the wilderness, a good opening sentence would be, “Does everyone have what it takes to survive in the wilderness?” A gripping question like this makes readers wonder what happens next.
You can then introduce the main character and their journey, things you’ll explore in your body paragraphs.
Step #2: Include Evidence in Each Body Paragraph
Every body paragraph should include at least one piece of evidence. A piece of evidence can be a quote from the book or describing something that happened. Here’s a good way to write a body paragraph:
- Sentence 1: Introduce the idea that the paragraph covers. “The book’s first chapter focused on Jimmy struggling to survive in the wild.”
- Sentence 2: Include evidence from the book that supports sentence 1. “‘It took Jimmy all afternoon rubbing sticks together to make fire, but he did it.’”
- Sentences 3–4: Discuss how this event revealed something about the main character. “Jimmy not giving up showed how strong he was. Many people wouldn’t be as brave as Jimmy was in that moment.”
Again, these are all suggestions. Don’t forget that your teacher’s instructions come first!
Step #3: Finish Strong
A final paragraph does a few things. It should:
- Restate the book’s plot.
- Discuss how the book affected you as a reader.
- Discuss what you learned from the book.
Step #4: Follow Formatting
You may also have to format your essay the way your teacher wants. Double-check your instructions. Did your teacher want you to:
- Double-space your essay?
- Use one-inch margins?
- Indent the first line of every paragraph?
- Cite your book at the end of your essay?
Checking Your Book Report
You just finished your book report. Did you really?
No matter the assignment, you want to make sure your book report is the best it can be. But how can you tell? Here’s how.
- Double check that you followed all the instructions. This is the most important thing.
- If you got to use your creativity, ask yourself whether you could improve anything. Only you can answer this question truthfully.
There is one other thing to talk about. Your teacher may have given you a rubric. A rubric is a guide your teacher will use to grade your book report. If you have a rubric, use it to review your work. Did you meet all of the rubric’s expectations? If so, you’re going to get a great grade! If not, it’s time to go back and do a little fixing.
Final Thoughts
If you follow the advice in this guide, you will do your best on your first middle school book report. If, for whatever reason, you don’t get the grade you wanted, learn from the experience. Talk with your teacher about what you can do better next time. There is always a next time.
That said, good luck with your first middle school book report!
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