Writing a One-Paragraph
Summary of a Novel
A template and guide
using Gary Paulsen's
Hatchet as an example
novel.
Writing a Summary
When you are writing a response to
literature essay or a book review, you
should summarize the action of the
book, but that should not be the entire
report. One big mistake student's
make on an essay or report is to just
write a big, long, boring summary.
Writing a Summary
To keep from ruining your essay with
a too-long summary, follow this
template to keep your plot events in
order, show that you read the story,
and lead the rest of your essay into
what is important, the analysis of the
story.
Summary Template
In the (genre) novel (title) by (author),
(protagonist name)
learns/changes/grows through (theme).
Example:
In the adventure novel Hatchet by Gary
Paulsen, Brian grows through
perseverence.
Summary Template
• In the exposition of the novel,
(character name) is a (age) (gender)
who is (a character trait or situation).
Example
• In the exposition of the novel, Brian
is a teenaged boy who is flying to
meet his newly divorced father.
Summary Template
As the conflict develops, (character
name faces the challenge of (name
the major conflict of the story).
Example
As the conflict develops, Brian faces
the challenge of survival when the
pilot of the plane has a heart attack
and dies.
Book Report Summary
• In the rising action of the story,
(character name) (what the character
does). Then (something else happens).
Later, (one more event).
Example
• In the rising action of the story, Brian
crash-lands the plane into a lake. Then,
he eats too many berries and drinks too
much water and gets sick. Later, he
builds a shelter and learns to fish and
hunt for food.
Summary Template
• The climax of the story happens
when (character name) faces the
greatest challenge when (event that
turns the story around).
Example
• The climax of the story happens as
Brian faces the greatest challenge
when a tornado destroys everything
he has created and stored for
survival.
Book Report Summary
• The falling action tells of (character
name) (action).
Example
• The falling action tells of Brian being
rescued after turning on a
transmitter that he finds in the
plane’s survival kit.
Book Report Summary
• In the resolution, (character name)
(how he is at the end of the story).
Example
• In the resolution, Brian returns home
a stronger person mentally and
physically, and adjusts to his parents
divorce.
Summary Put Together
• In the exposition of the novel, Brian is a teenaged boy
who is flying to meet his newly divorced father. As the
conflict develops, Brian faces the challenge of survival
when the pilot of the plane has a heart attack and dies. In
the rising action of the story, Brian crash-lands the plane
into a lake. Then, he eats too many berries and drinks too
much water and gets sick. Later, he builds a shelter and
learns to fish and hunt for food. The climax of the story
happens as Brian faces the greatest challenge when a
tornado destroys everything he has created and stored for
survival. The falling action tells of Brian being rescued
after turning on a transmitter that he finds in the plane’s
survival kit. In the resolution, Brian returns home a
stronger person mentally and physically, and adjusts to
his parents divorce.