1. Sam Tanenhaus- Editor, NY
Times Book Review
A book review is a description, critical analysis, and an evaluation on the
quality, meaning, and significance of a book- not a retelling. Do not tell
us the plot. The idea is if you are effective at critiquing and analyzing the
book, then you will influence your audience to read the story for
themselves (or not). You can agree or disagree with a book and pinpoint I write book
elements that are well done and other aspects that are deficient. reviews for a living
• Mention the genre (you have already done this on the book page of your
independent reading wiki) and be very sure to state whether this is fiction or
non-fiction.
• Identify the narrative (point of view).
• Who is the author and does he/she have any particular insight towards the
subject matter (does something about their background make sense that they
would write this book)?
• Provide a (very) concise summary of the book. *** Do not be a spoiler. Simply
provide basic background information about:
- Setting
- protagonist & principal characters
- conflict (not the resolution)
• What is the author’s style? Is it written informally (I.e. trying to sound like a
teenager)? What is the author’s tone (does he/she try to make a greater
statement about a universal concept)?
• Does the book have a specific theme?
• What is the mood? LINK to an extensive list of mood and tone words.
• Does the author effectively employ specific literary devices/structural elements-
characterization, word choice, dialogue, imagery, metaphor, motif?
• On what levels, if any, have you connected with the book?
• Does the book achieve its goal? If it’s meant to be humorous and light, or
compelling and accusatory, or an exposé, is it successful?
• Would you recommend this book for reading and if so, to whom?
Have a look at the following book reviews (you will read all three of these from grades
8-10). Compare our guidelines from above and identify how they have implemented
these basic components.
8- The Outsiders – by an anonymous middle school student
9- Of Mice and Men- review by Linda Linguvic
10- To Kill a Mockingbird- Alix Wilber

2. 8- The Outsiders – by an anonymous middle school student
The Outsiders was a fascinating novel depicting the life of a boy struggling to survive in
poverty without parents. Having only two brothers to look up to, Ponyboy had to often
fend for himself. While trying to stay out of trouble with the Socs, boys from the
wealthier side of town, Ponyboy learned to depend on himself and keep his eyes close
on his goals even with the many distractions he faced. Many times during this story,
Ponyboy got into situations that ended up in fights. While being either strangled,
threatened with a knife, or plainly just beaten up, Ponyboy learned to live a hard life.
He was rescued in the nick of time, by his brothers, many times. Being the smartest and
most focused Greaser of the gang, he set his sights beyond what the average Greaser
could imagine. His goal was not to be the best street fighter in the gang but to get an
education. He imagined a life free of the hatred between the Greasers and Socs, a
life without fear and violence. Many Greasers could not live like that, but Ponyboy
could. Ponyboy was different. This story takes us though the winding journey of conflict
and heartache in not only Ponyboy's life, but in the lives of those closest to him.
I recommend this book to people who would like to know what life in an inner city
environment is like. This book will be exciting for all young adults for it addresses topics
interesting for this age group. The action and fast paced tempo in the fights,
hideaways, and rescues will bring excitement to any reader. This novel will teach any
of its readers to be grateful for what they have and due to the many suspenseful
moments throughout this novel, it will captivate the reader. I give this book an A+.
Of Mice and Men - review by Linda Linguvic
John Steinbeck wrote this classic gem in 1937. It's been a Broadway play and there
have been several adaptations of it in movies and TV. I was generally familiar with the
story but this was the first time I actually read the book. Wow! I was completely blown
away! This is the story of a two lonely and alienated men who work as farm laborers,
drifting from job to job in California. Lennie is gentle giant, physically strong but
mentally retarded. George guides and protects Lennie but also depends on him for
companionship. Together, they have a dream to someday buy a little farm where they
can grow crops and raise rabbits and live happily ever after. This, of course, is not to
be as the title suggests. "The best laid plans of mice and men" is a line in a poem by
Robert Burns, which describes how a field mouse's world is destroyed by a plow.
Steinbeck's narrative voice is seemingly simple in his descriptions of nature of as well as
the details of the bunkhouse. His characterizations of the people are magnificent. We
meet the other workers, all loners, and appreciate the beauty of the unique friendship
between Lennie and George. We meet Candy, the old man who is outliving his
usefulness. We meet Crooks, the black stable hand, shunned by the men and

3. therefore turning to books for companionship. We meet the cruel Curley who taunts
Lennie into a fight. And we meet Curley's wife, another lonely soul who uses her
femininity to get the wrong kind of attention.
There's tension in every word and I found myself holding my breath, knowing that
something awful would happen, my eyes glued to the page, the world of Lennie and
George deeply etched into my consciousness. I was pulled right into the story, wanting
to shout warnings as I saw the inevitable consequences. The ending was incredibly
sad, but yet satisfying. It couldn't have ended any other way. It's a small book, only 118
pages long. But it is a masterpiece and I will never forget it. I give it my highest
recommendation.
10- To Kill a Mockingbird – review by Alix Wilber
"When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the
elbow.... When enough years had gone by to enable us to look back on them, we
sometimes discussed the events leading to his accident. I maintain that the Ewells
started it all, but Jem, who was four years my senior, said it started long before that. He
said it began the summer Dill came to us, when Dill first gave us the idea of making
Boo Radley come out."
Set in the small Southern town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the Depression, To Kill a
Mockingbird follows three years in the life of 8-year-old Scout Finch, her brother, Jem,
and their father, Atticus--three years punctuated by the arrest and eventual trial of a
young black man accused of raping a white woman. Though her story explores big
themes, Harper Lee chooses to tell it through the eyes of a child. The result is a tough
and tender novel of race, class, justice, and the pain of growing up.
Like the slow-moving occupants of her fictional town, Lee takes her time getting to the
heart of her tale; we first meet the Finches the summer before Scout's first year at
school. She, her brother, and Dill Harris, a boy who spends the summers with his aunt in
Maycomb, while away the hours reenacting scenes from Dracula and plotting ways to
get a peek at the town bogeyman, Boo Radley. At first the circumstances surrounding
the alleged rape of Mayella Ewell, the daughter of a drunk and violent white farmer,
barely penetrate the children's consciousness. Then Atticus is called on to defend the
accused, Tom Robinson, and soon Scout and Jem find themselves caught up in events
beyond their understanding. During the trial, the town exhibits its ugly side, but Lee
offers plenty of counterbalance as well--in the struggle of an elderly woman to
overcome her morphine habit before she dies; in the heroism of Atticus Finch, standing
up for what he knows is right; and finally in Scout's hard-won understanding that most
people are essentially kind "when you really see them." By turns funny, wise, and

4. heartbreaking, To Kill a Mockingbird is one classic that continues to speak to new
generations, and deserves to be reread often. --Alix Wilber