The first sentence of any report serves a very important role. Your
introductory sentence must be the "hook" that intrigues your reader and
keeps him or her interested.
You can choose from a number of approaches when it comes to setting the
stage of your essay with an engaging first sentence.
1. Start your essay with a question.
"Have you ever been judged by your appearance? In The Outsiders, S. E. Hinton gives readers a
glimpse inside the tough exterior of a social outcast."
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
You could start with a sentence that makes the experience personal for the reader.
If you start your essay with a question, you can follow with the title and author.
2. Start with an interesting or little-known fact:
"As a young child, Charles Dickens was forced to work in a shoe polish factory. In Hard Times,
Dickens taps into his childhood experience to explore the evils of social injustice and hypocrisy."

It’s easy to find an interesting fact to use as a starting point for your report. Simply find a
biography of your author and then identify a life experience that relates to the particular
work you’re reviewing. Remember to list the biography in your bibliography!
3. Start with the title and setting:
"To Kill a Mockingbird, the award-winning book by Harper Lee, takes place in a small town in
Alabama during a challenging period in American history."

Authors make a deliberate choice when selecting the setting of a book. The location will have
particular significance in a storyline, so you can use the setting as a footstep into the analysis
of an entire book.
4. Start with a meaningful quote:
"'Are there no prisons?' This offhand question was the response of Ebenezer Scrooge when
confronted with the tragic state of hundreds of fellow citizens in Victorian London."

Authors also choose dialogue carefully, and a single phrase from a character can often
represent a major theme in the book. This quote by Scrooge reflects the cruelty that is often
present in a Dickens novel.
5. Start with the author:
"Mark Twain spent much of his childhood on the banks of the Mississippi River, so it is little wonder
that his greatest works took place on and around that famous waterway."

You may choose to find an experience from the author’s real life that had a major impact on
the writer's work. This could be geographic location, health, social status, family experience,
education, or physical characteristics. The author always puts a little of himself or herself
into the work.
6. Start with the theme:
“Digging deep and finding the courage to do what you never thought possible is the driving message
in The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan.

You may want to focus on the life lesson surrounding the story.
BOOK REVIEW/CRITIQUE
1st Paragraph – Introduction
 This paragraph can be on the short side, 3-5 sentences.
 Start with a ‘hook’ – Meaningful quote, Info about author,
Setting, Theme, etc…
 Title and author of the novel.
 The last sentence should state your overall description or
opinion of the story.
2nd Paragraph – Characters
 This paragraph should be at least 5-7 sentences.
 Do not tell about every character in the book, only the main
characters. You might only talk about one character or you
might talk about 2 or 3. It depends on what you want to say.
 Information about distinguishing details, what makes these
characters special.
 2 quotes from the story to back up statements made about the
character. Quotes can reveal actions, thoughts, deeds, or
voice.
 Answer some of these questions:
o Who are they?
o What kind of person are they?
o How did they change?
o Were the characters believable? Why or why not?
 Here are some ideas or sentence starters:
o The story is centered around…
o The main character in the book is…
o A favorite character is…
3rd Paragraph – Plot
 This paragraph will be long, it may even need to be divided into
2 paragraphs.
 The first sentence will identify the type of plot and all the
information following will tie back to that type of plot:
o _____________ has a ________ to _________ type of
plot.
 Information from the story about each element of plot:
o Exposition – The story begins with…
o Rising Action – Throughout the rising action…
o Climax – As the plot neared the climax…
o Falling Action – After __________________...
o Resolution – The resolution revealed the plot when
(by)….
 2 excerpts from the book. An excerpt is more than a quote, it is
several sentences that are included to support your ideas or
give a clear picture of the plot (Do not begin or end the
paragraph with an excerpt).
4th Paragraph – Conflict/Theme/Authors Intent
 This paragraph will be 5-7 sentences and contain ideas that
require you to read between the lines.
 Several sentences that explain the conflict and then elaborate
on why that conflict was important:
o The major conflict in the story was between…
o Throughout the story….
o The author included these problems/issues/conflicts to
show the reader…/to make the reader think about….
5th Paragraph – Summary and Recommendation
 This paragraph sums up all of the ideas, opinions, and
statements from previous paragraphs.
o After reading this novel, it was evident that…
o The reader has a better understanding of…
o This book brought the realization…
o This book made the reader realize…
o This was a __________ book because…
o This story created a feeling of…
BOOK REVIEW/CRITIQUE RUBRIC
POINTS
10 – Perfect! Couldn’t do any
better!
7.5 – Good! Covered all
expectations!
9.5 – Excellent!
6.5 – Attempted but needs
improvement!
8.5 – Above Expectations!
5 – Random thoughts or ideas!
_____/10 Book Review begins with a ‘Hook’ that is effective and
catches interest.
_____/10 Introductory paragraph contains Title & Author and includes
a sentence that sets up the main ideas or themes from the book.
_____/10 Book Review provides a thorough description of character
personality and motivations.
_____/10 Book Review contains 2 quotes and 2 excerpts that are
accurate and of adequate length to reinforce the ideas they are
connected to.
_____/10 Book Review communicates a grasp of the main plot line.
It includes enough information to understand without restating too
many specific details.
_____/10 Book Review touches on all parts of the plot (Exposition,
Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, Resolution). Identifies the
specific type of plot and all events tie back to it.
_____/10 Book Review contains ideas and details not explicitly stated
in the book. Student has ‘Read between the lines’ and explained the
deeper meanings and themes.
_____/10 Book Review identifies the specific type of conflict and
includes details or information that ties back to it.
_____/10 Book Review explains the author’s intent – how the book
relates to real life and the real world.
_____/10 Average length of paragraphs is 5 sentences – enough to
adequately explain thoughts and ideas.
_____/10 Grammar and Punctuation – Complete sentences,
Commas, Periods, and Capital letters when needed.
_____/10 Spelling & Sentence Fluency – Sentences begin with
different words, Sentences vary in length and are smooth when read
aloud, Most words spelled correctly.
_____/120 TOTAL
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