Writing book reviews for kids

Here are some tips on writing book reviews for kids:

Fiction

When you are writing a fiction book review, these are some points that you should include:

1. Title and Author — Make sure you include the title and the author of the book. This will help people find the book in the catalogue and read it themselves.
2. Plot — This is what happens in the book. Tell your audience a little bit about what happens in the book. Does the story sound exciting and believable? Is it a story that you can get lost in?
3. Characters — Describe some of the characters in the book. You could write about who your favourite character was, and why. Are the characters believable? Are you interested in finding out what happens to them?
4. Highlights — You could describe your favourite part of the book. Was there a particular piece of action, description, or character’s speech you really enjoyed?
5. Opinion – How many marks out of 10 would you give the book? What age do you think would enjoy it the most? Does it suit boys or girls better?

You could also choose one of these sentence starters and write 3-4 sentences:

• The story took place in…This was important to the story…
• I like/disliked it when…because…
• The character of…changed by the end of the story…
• An important decision made by the main character was…
• A problem the main character had was…
• This book made me think about…
• From reading the book I learned…
• The title of the story was important…
• An exciting/sad/tense/interesting/important part of the book was…

Keep these tips in mind:

• Be detailed – Tell us what you liked or didn’t like. What made it special?
• Be accurate – Make sure to get the title, author and character names right, and make sure you double check your spelling and punctuation.
• Don’t spoil it – Please don’t give away the ending! Tell readers enough about the book to get them interested, but keep them hanging so they want to read the book.

Here is a sample that you could use:
Title of book:
A book that I have just read is _____________(title) by______________(author).
I liked it because…
My favourite character was…
My favourite part of the book was…
I would recommend it for…
I give it ______ marks out of 10

Non-fiction

If you are reviewing a non-fiction book that you’ve read, your review will look slightly different:

• Title and Author
• Subject – write a sentence or two about the subject of the book you’re reviewing.
• Summary – tell the audience, in your own words, about what the author had to say about the subject. Pick the most important points.
• Opinion – express your thoughts about the book. What was the most interesting thing you learned about the book’s subject? Was the information clear?

Good luck with your reviews!