General and Extra Credit Book Report Guidelines


The standard format should be followed for all book reports unless other instructions have been given.

1) The students name should always be on the report either at the beginning or the end.

2) The title and the author of the book should be at the beginning of the report.

3) Each of the main characters should be described in a minimum of one paragraph. This means you are not to just list the characters, but write sentences that give the reader a picture of what each character is like.

4) The setting of the events in this story should be described in a minimum of one paragraph. The setting includes a description of the time in history that the story is taking place in, the scenery or surroundings that most of the story is taking place in, the time of year that the story is taking place in, and any other places that are important to the story. Again the setting should be describe in such a way as to help the reader of this report get a picture of where the story is taking place.

5) The plot of the story should be described in a minimum of three paragraphs. This section of the report is where you are to tell what is happening throughout the story. What is the problem or situation the main characters are in and how to they solve the problem by the end of the story. Tell the events of the story in order of how they happen in the story and tell what happens in the end.

6) At the end of your book report, you must give a one-paragraph opinion of the book. This is where you have the opportunity to discuss why you liked or disliked the story. I would like you to give examples from the story to support your opinion.

If you choose to do any extra credit reports throughout the year, they need to be done in this fashion no matter what the style of book report that has been assigned for the month.