Book Review Assignment Guidelines

The book review assignment will not be due until the final weeks of the course, but I would like to provide the guidelines now.

If you have not already chosen a book to read and review, you should do so soon. Don't feel pressured to pick something literary or highbrow, but do choose something age-appropriate. Harry Potter and Percy Jackson books are too juvenile. Books in the Hunger Games, Divergent, Fifty Shades of Grey, and Twilight series are borderline but acceptable. Most students choose novels, but this is not a requirement. See me if you aren't sure about a book's suitability.

On Tuesday we will discuss a sample book review that may be used as a model for the review you write. The most important guideline is that your review should do more than summarize. Instead, the review should articulate your honest reaction to the book. This might include answers to some (but not all) of the following questions:

• Was the book enjoyable? 
• Was the book believable?
• Was the book easy or difficult to read?
• Did the book challenge the way you think?
• Did it teach you anything new?
• What was the most/least interesting part of the book?

Be sure to provide specific examples from the text to support your claims about the book's enjoyability, believability, ease or difficulty, etc. Remember that your audience is a room full of people who might consider reading your book based on your review. What are the most important things those people need to know in order to decide whether reading the book was a worthwhile experience?  

Reviews should be 500-700 words and formatted according to MLA guidelines. On the day reviews are due, each student will give a short presentation introducing his or her book to the class. Presentations should cover the main points included in the written review. The due date will be announced.