How to Write a Historical Book Review Monday, January 27th, 2020.
Due Dates: one page summary and title page Monday, February 3rd, 2020.
two pages that describe three likes and three dislikes, Monday, February 10th, 2020.
-jot notes
- summary
-likes
-categories
-dislikes
- S.E.E Chart
-title page (your name, the name from the book, the author and a scene from the book)
Step #1: Take jot notes or record briefly what happened in each chapter
or series of diary entries, if it is a fictitious historical diary.
-jot notes
- summary
-likes
-categories
-dislikes
- S.E.E Chart
-title page (your name, the name from the book, the author and a scene from the book)
Step #1: Take jot notes or record briefly what happened in each chapter
or series of diary entries, if it is a fictitious historical diary.
Step #2: Use the notes to construct a summary or a few paragraphs on your book
You might use a time line to record the events, but try not to go into too much detail.
You might use a time line to record the events, but try not to go into too much detail.
Step #3: List all the things that you liked in the book and make note in which
chapter or page(s) the events occurred.
chapter or page(s) the events occurred.
Step 4: Try to place them into categories that apply to literature.
Here are a several things that make or break a book.
DO NOT WRITE VAGUE STATEMENTS. EACH POINT MUST BE FOLLOWED
BY A SPECIFIC EXAMPLE AND DETAILS. Please include the page number after
your example.
Here are a several things that make or break a book.
DO NOT WRITE VAGUE STATEMENTS. EACH POINT MUST BE FOLLOWED
BY A SPECIFIC EXAMPLE AND DETAILS. Please include the page number after
your example.
Step 5: After you have chosen 3 things that you dis-liked.
Decide on which category it falls into or how you would describe what
you disliked in a statement.
Decide on which category it falls into or how you would describe what
you disliked in a statement.
Step 6: Put together your paragraph using your chart.
(S.E.E. Statement Example Elaboration) Add some transitional words
(First, Second, Furthermore, Above all…). Edit your work.
(S.E.E. Statement Example Elaboration) Add some transitional words
(First, Second, Furthermore, Above all…). Edit your work.
Step 7: Create a title page for your book review.
Step 8: Submit.
Here is what we look at when we evaluate a book: plot, character, conflict/struggle, theme/messages ,setting, the use of repetition or reoccurring words or phrases for emphasis or symbolism, the types of struggle (person against person, persons against self, person against nature or person against the supernatural), developed or undeveloped characters (i.e. reasons for characters distinct motives or beliefs), the level of background information/historical information or lack of background information/historical information, how effective was the initial crisis which got the plot to develop, the series of events that leads to the climax and how effective or possible were they, the end should resolve initial conflict or initial crisis, the most important chapter of the book and why, the main character has a moment of self-realization or an ‘epiphany’ that the main character has in the story, the level of suspension of disbelief or how the author was able to make something unbelievable rather believable, the characters demonstrate their personalities through their actions, the characters represented bigger ideas (abstract concepts such as love, hate, jealousy, bigotry or forgiveness, the unique style or sense of humour of the author), the writer’s distinctive voice or use of clichés (overused expressions, ideas, characters, or stories), the level of realism in terms of soliloquies (personal conversations to oneself made by a character) and the level of realism in terms of dialogue between characters, the level of symbolism and imagery in the novel i.e. Aminata carried a copy of Gulliver’s Travels which symbolized or represented how his life like the main character lived in lands where one can be vulnerable, cohesion or how it stuck together, the types of word or vocabulary choice being to simple or complexed, the level of imagination and originality used by the author, the number of oxymoronic/contradictory/illogical events (things that contradict or do not make things logical), anachronistic events i.e. these are historically inaccurate things such as the story using gunpowder when it was not widely used or invented when the story takes place, the sense of mood developed (i.e. gloomy or utopian), the use of foreshadowing or how the author provides clues as to what was going to happen in the story (i.e. a black raven appears before someone dies); the use of metaphors, similes or personification in the story; the chronology, narration or telling of the story and how easy or difficult it was to follow, things that could have been done differently or what was lacking i.e. the closure or lack of closure to the novel
