Argument Writing: Book Review Template
Name_________________________
1. Intro paragraph:
a. Background / Summarize the story
i. NO OPINION. JUST THE FACTS!
ii. Be as brief/concise as possible
iii. Be sure to include the title and author’s name
b. Statement of Opinion / Thesis– Did you like it or not? (1 sentence)
2. Body Paragraphs: Reasons for your opinion, each supported with an example
a. Minimum of two solid reasons
b. Each reason gets one paragraph (Topic sentence, 2 examples with context
and an explanation of the examples’ effects, concluding sentence)
3. Concession Paragraph: Acknowledge the opposing argument
a. “I know some people might argue that…”
b. provide an example
c. “BUT…” (reinforce your position)
4. Conclusion: Restate your opinion in different words and summarize your points.
***You must find two professional reviews of your novel and use quotations from
them as examples to support your points in your body paragraphs. You can also use
examples from the text of your novel of things that you do or don’t like about it.
I. Background / Summary of Plot:
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Statement of Opinion (1 sentence – this will be the last sentence in your intro):
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II. Reasons Supported by Examples:
a. Reason #1:
i. State your reason for either liking or disliking the book. This
should be based on the WRITING in some way – plot, character
development, setting, writing style, tone, word choice, etc.
ii. Example#1 – Transition + context + example + citation
For example, in the first section of the book, the author writes, “…” (124).
iii. Commentary/explanation of effect (2 sentences):
(This is frustrating because… OR I like this quality because….) – remember to remove
this phrase from your final paper so your commentaries don’t all sound the same!
iv. Example #2 – same as above
v. Commentary/explanation of effect (2 sentences):
vi. Concluding sentence (summarize the points you made in this
paragraph)
b. Reason #2:
i. State your reason for either liking or disliking the book. This
should be based on the WRITING in some way – plot, character
development, setting, writing style, tone, word choice, etc.
ii. Example#1 – Transition + context + example + citation
For example, in the first section of the book, the author writes, “…” (124).
iii. Commentary/explanation of effect (2 sentences):
(This is frustrating because… OR I like this quality because….) – remember to remove
this phrase from your final paper so your commentaries don’t all sound the same!
iv. Example #2 – same as above
v. Commentary/explanation of effect (2 sentences):
vi. Concluding sentence (summarize the points you made in this
paragraph)
III. Concession Paragraph: Acknowledge why some people may disagree with you,
provide an example, BUT explain why your opinion outweighs that argument.
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IV. Restate your opinion in different words and sum up your points. (1 paragraph)
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