Book Report Student Examples

Poem Write a poem or song that is at least 16 lines (3-4 stanzas) and based on your novel. It must include at least four of the following: Alliteration, Simile, Metaphor, Rhyme, Onomatopoeia, Repetition, Personification Example

Quote to Live By Essay: Choose a quote from a character. Write a 5 paragraph essay explaining why it would or wouldn't be a good motto by which to live your life. Give context to the quote and give support/evidence to your claim about the quote.

Book Talk: Give a book talk for the class, explaining author, characters, or the beginning plot. The writing about these elements should total at least three paragraphs. Finally, read an exciting, interesting passage from your book. Stop reading to leave the audience hanging.

Curtis, Christopher Paul. BUD, NOT BUDDY. New York: Delacorte Press, 1999. Print.

VISUAL DISPLAY- For a prop I would find an old beat up suitcase and inside I would place a made up flyer announcing the limited engagement of “Herman E. Calloway and the Dusky Devastators of the Depression!!!!”

ENAGE THE AUDIENCE- I'd follow with questions similar to these: If you were an orphan what worldly possessions would mean the most to you? If you your father was alive would you try to go find him? If you were treated terrible in a foster home would you run away? Does anyone know what the depression time period was like? Would you take a ride with a complete stranger?

READ AN EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK- I would read to the students a short portion about this scene starting on page 108. Bud meets Lefty Lewis on his way to find his father and can't decide if he is a vampire or not. Lefty Lewis eventually gets Bud to Grand Rapids and they find Herman E. Calloway.

BOOK SUMMARY- "Hi my name is Bud, not Buddy," is the way ten-year old Bud Caldwell introduces himself. His mother named him Bud and now that she is dead he isn't going to let anyone call him otherwise. Tired of living in foster homes Bud sets out to find his father, Herman E. Calloway of the famous Herman E. Calloway and the Dusky Devastators of the Depression band. Unsure of exactly where to find his father, Bud relies on a few old flyers, the Bud Caldwell Rules and Things for Having a Funner Life and Making a Better Liar Out of Yourself, and self determination to make his way from Flint, Michigan to Grand Rapids. Along the way Bud confronts his own fears including a car driven by a vampire. Once he arrives in Grand Rapids, Michigan Bud finds the man he thinks is his father, or is he...?

Letter to a Movie Producer: Write a 1 page+ letter to a movie producer trying to get that person interested in making your book into a movie. Explain why the story, characters, conflicts, and theme would make a good film. Suggest a filming location and the actors to play the various roles.

Open Mind Diagram: Create a diagram of a character’s mind that reveals that character’s motivations and mindset. Must include: 3 images that symbolize the character, 12 descriptive/statement words, & 3 quotations from that character.

Scrapbook: Make a scrapbook that displays all the major literary elements of your novel. Must include definitions and examples of plot, character, setting, point of view, types of conflict, problem, solution, protagonist, antagonist, and theme.

Figurative Worksheet: Create a figurative language worksheet based on your novel. Make sure you include Hyperbole, Simile, Metaphor, Onomatopoeia, Imagery, and Personification. You may create it however you would like (matching word and example, crossword puzzle, etc.).

Teach This Book! Write a one page application for this book to be taught in schools. State the educational significance (why teach this book?). Address the grade level difficulty and appropriateness of content. Make a claim about what skills can be taught with the book. Defend any controversial language or subject matter.

(Book title, grade level, genre)

Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science is a nonfiction book by author John Fleischman, written on a 6-8th grade reading level, and taught in 7th grade language arts

(Summary of the work)

Phineas Gage, a railroad worker, was blasting rock near Cavendish, Vermont in 1848 when a thirteen-pound iron rod was shot through his brain. Miraculously, he survived to live another eleven years and become a textbook case in brain science. At the time, Phineas Gage seemed to completely recover from his accident. He could walk, talk, work, and travel, but he was permanently changed. According to his Vermont doctor, Gage was “no longer Gage,” meaning that the old Phineas was dependable and well liked, and the new Phineas was unpredictable and crude. His case astonished doctors in his day and still fascinates doctors to this day. What happened and what didn’t happen inside the brain of Phineas Gage will tell you a lot about how your brain works and how you act human.

(Educational significance of the book; Why teach this book?)

The junior high language arts program does not currently teach any nonfiction books, so this nonfiction book will fill that need. This book also allows for cross-curricular learning in science and social studies. Secondly, presenting an argument with evidence is a skill that students will see demonstrated in the text and could practice themselves during research, similar to the research gathered in order to tell the story of Phineas Gage.

(Potential problems with the work, and how these can be handled) (Ex. Appropriate content for grade level or controversial language or subject matter):

This book may already be read in 6th grade because of its lower reading level and short length. Subsequently, some students may have already read the book and desire a next text. The book could be supplemented with brain science articles to make it more meaningful for those students who have already read it.

(Alternative books an individual student might read)

Advanced students who have already read Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science, could read another nonfiction book involving scientific discoveries made because of research on real people. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is one such book. It tells the story of a woman whose blood samples were used in research after her death. This book would be an alternative option for advanced students who have already read Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science.

Trivia Game: Create a trivia game that reviews the major literary elements of your novel. It has to be able to actually be played in class. Must include: plot, character, setting, point of view, types of conflict, problem, solution, protagonist, antagonist, and theme.

Article Report : Select an article on a topic that relates to your book. Write a one-page report explaining how the article relates to the book, summarizing: Who? What? Where? When? and Why? Also identify the author’s purpose of the article. Attach the article and citation.

Interview: Write a one page scene (at least) where a character from your book is interviewed. Use dialogue with thoughtful questioning so the character has the opportunity to discuss his/her thoughts and feelings about his/her role in the story and write responses that character would realistically give.

Playlist: Create a playlist of songs that could be the soundtrack to your novel. Must have at least 10 songs, including title and artist. You must also explain in 3+ sentences per song when and why the song fits. Focus on how the songs could develop the mood of the scenes.

Plot Diagram: Draw a plot diagram and describe the exposition, rising action (including three conflicts), climax, falling action, and resolution of your book. Use vivid details explain each plot point.

Letter to the Author

Dear Gayle Forman,

People often ask young musicians what inspired them to work hard. Most respond by giving a name, or a recording, but I respond with the name of a book. It's a novel called If I Stay, and without it, I wouldn't be the person I am now.

Since I was young, I have been told that I am extremely talented in music. I have been playing violin since I was 6, and now that I'm 13, it's safe to say that I owe over half of my life to the thrill of it. Music is in my family; my grandmother was a touring opera singer, my mother was a violinist, and my father plays bass in a band called Drood. I grew up loving music, soaring, enjoying it…But when it came down to practicing, I always hit the ground. It was excruciating. I was gifted, but I felt like I was being pushed to do something I didn't want to do. As a little kid, my mother would have to yell at me, as I grew older, I got punished. Nobody could truthfully say that I had any motivation.

In the summer before seventh grade, I bought a copy of your book, If I Stay. I was hooked immediately. I related tremendously to the main character; we both came from musical families, we both were normal adolescent girls who happened to have a passion for music, we both were somewhat shy, and we both felt deep love for everyone around us. The only thing different about us was that she, Mia, had dreams – she wanted to successfully audition and get into The Julliard School, she wanted to perform, she wanted to love – and I had no music related dreams whatsoever at the time.

After a heart-wrenching afternoon spent in my room reading the entire book, I came down, with tears dripping down my face, and told my dad that I needed to use his computer. I looked through the book and found every classical piece listed, and then, I listened to them. I felt the emotions. I was haunted by Beethoven's Cello Sonata No. 3, I felt glory with Yo-Yo Ma's Le Grand Tango, and was exhilarated by Gershwin's Andante Con Moto e Poco Rubato. And that was when I discovered how truly beautiful and personal music really is. From that moment forward, I knew exactly what I wanted to do, who I wanted to be. I wanted to be Pippa Scroggins, the girl who plays the violin, with incentive as she practices, who pleases her teacher, who feels the music as she plays, who puts meaning behind the notes. I wanted to love music with all my heart.

That year was a great one. After a summer of passion, I came back to school full of fire. I pushed myself. I achieved more than I thought. This previous summer, I went on to study in New York, an accomplishment I am very proud of. Currently, I am having a struggle with tendonitis in my wrist, which has prevented me from practicing as much as I normally would, but I intend to overcome it. I believe that Mia Hall could do it; I believe that I can too.

Now, I have incentive. I plan what I want to accomplish, whether it be over the course of two hours or two years. I know that I truly have purpose. I know what I want to achieve. Thank you for shaping me, Gayle Forman.

Pippa

Book Trailer

Create a book talk or video trailer. Explain the author, genre, characters, and the beginning plot. *For the book trailer- It should be at least one minute.

https://animoto.com/play/mE0wOu9mTlZgTNAB6fpmKQ?autostart=1

https://animoto.com/play/zOT69UUwWkckCG3qbuRhwQ

http://youtu.be/ga0Oxki9SQY

Diorama

Create a 3D diorama of a pivotal scene from your book showing the setting in a polished format. Represent the characters involved in the plot development. Write 1+ paragraph explaining the scene, what led to the scene, and how the scene is essential to the book. Present the diorama and written portion to the class.

Diorama Explanation Example: The book Holes by Louis Sachar tells the story of Stanley Yelnats, a boy who has bad luck due to a curse placed

on his great- great-grandfather and is sent to Camp Green Lake, a juvenile detention camp, for a crime he did not commit. Stanley and the other boys at the camp are forced to dig large holes in the dirt every day. This 3D diorama depicts the huge person-sized holes dug each day at Camp Green Lake, isolated in the desert. Stanley eventually realizes that they are digging these holes because the cruel camp warden is searching for something. As Stanley continues to dig holes and meet the other boys at the camp, the narrator intertwines three separate stories to reveal why Stanley's family has a curse and what the warden is looking for in the holes.

Hero’s Journey Poster: Mark the hero’s journey of the novel on a poster timeline/diagram. Include at least 12 steps: ordinary world, call to adventure, refusal of the call, mentor, crossing threshold, tests, allies, enemies, approach, ordeal, reward, road back, resurrection hero, return with elixir.

Character Diary: Write a multiple entry (3+) diary that one of the story's main characters might have kept before, during, and after the book's events. Remember that the character's thoughts and feelings add to point of view.

Book Review: Write a book review for a magazine. Your critique should judge the overall book based on the how the characters are portrayed, the quality of the storyline and interest garnered. Your critique should total at least five paragraphs with an introduction and conclusion.

Character Essay: Write a 5-paragraph essay explaining how and why a character in your novel is similar or different from you. Make sure that you include all the elements of an essay and write formally (This means you follow ALL my rules for writing).

Character Speech: Write a speech comparing the story’s protagonist and antagonist of your novel to those of another novel’s main characters. Your speech must contain your opinions about all the characters.