A small PPT about book reviews

1. How to write a book review
What do you need to know?

2. Why would we write book
reviews?
TToo sshhaarree oouurr ooppiinniioonn ooff bbooookkss
TToo rreeccoommmmeenndd aa bbooookk tthhaatt wwee lliikkeedd
TToo eennccoouurraaggee ootthheerrss ttoo rreeaadd

3. Look at some
reviews on this
site
http://www.spaghettibookclub.or
g/
WWhhaatt ddoo yyoouu
tthhiinnkk??
CCoouulldd yyoouu wwrriittee
yyoouurr oowwnn bbooookk
rreevviieeww??
WWhhaatt ffeeaattuurreess
ddoo yyoouu lliikkee bbeesstt??

4. P Harry Pootttteerr aanndd tthhee DDeeaatthhllyy HHaalllloowwss-- JJKK RRoowwlliinngg
TThhiiss iiss tthhee llaasstt bbooookk iinn tthhee HHaarrrryy PPootttteerr sseerriieess.. TThhee
mmiinniissttrryy ooff mmaaggiicc hhaass ffaalllleenn aanndd DDuummbblleeddoorree iiss ddeeaadd..
HHaarrrryy,, RRoonn aanndd HHeerrmmiioonnee aarree oonn tthhee rruunn ffrroomm tthhee ddeeaatthh
eeaatteerrss.. BBuutt nnoo mmaatttteerr wwhheerree tthheeyy rruunn tthheeyy aallwwaayyss ggeett
ccaauugghhtt aanndd hhaavvee ttoo fflleeee.. WWhheenn tthheeyy ggeett ccaauugghhtt bbyy tthhee
MMaallffooyyss’’ aanndd VVoollddeemmoorrtt ccoommeess,, iitt iiss aann eeppiicc bbaattttllee bbeettwweeeenn
ddeeaatthh eeaatteerrss aanndd HHooggwwaarrttss wwiizzaarrddss..
IItt wwaass aa tthhrriilllliinngg eenndd ttoo tthhee HHaarrrryy PPootttteerr sseerriieess.. II lloovvee hhooww
wweellll ddeevveellooppeedd tthhee cchhaarraacctteerrss aarree.. TThheeyy''rree mmoorree
iinntteerreessttiinngg tthheenn tthheeyy wweerree iinn tthhee bbeeggiinnnniinngg ooff tthhee sseerriieess..
TThhee wwrriittiinngg mmaakkeess yyoouu ffeeeell lliikkee yyoouu''rree tthheerree.. TThhiiss wwaass oonnee
ooff tthhee bbeesstt bbooookkss II''vvee rreeaadd bbeeccaauussee iitt ccoonncclluuddeess tthhee ssaaggaa
ooff HHaarrrryy PPootttteerr..
II tthhiinnkk tthhaatt aannyyoonnee wwhhoo lliikkeess ffaannttaassyy bbooookkss wwoouulldd lliikkee tthhiiss
bbooookk.. II bbeelliieevvee mmaannyy ppeeooppllee sshhoouulldd rreeaadd iitt.. IItt''ss tthhee bbeesstt
bbooookk II''vvee eevveerr rreeaadd.. IItt hhaass ggoott aaccttiioonn,, ddrraammaa aanndd
ssuussppeennssee.. II tthhiinnkk tthhaatt aann iinnccrreeddiibbllee aammoouunntt ooff ppeeooppllee
sshhoouulldd rreeaadd tthhiiss.. TThhiiss bbooookk wwiillll eenntteerrttaaiinn yyoouu..

5. Holes
Written by Louis Sachar
Reviewed by Phoebe C. (age 11
Stanley Yelnats has never been very lucky. That's because he is under a
curse, a curse that started with his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing great-great-
grandfather. Stanley is unjustly accused of stealing! He is sent to
Camp Green Lake, where there is a dried up lake, and a myriad of holes.
Stanley is forced to dig holes to build character. The holes must be five feet
wide, and five feet deep.
Soon, Stanley realizes that he is not digging holes to improve his
character. Someone is looking for something, hidden somewhere in the dry
expanse that was once a sea-green lake. Then, something happens to his
best friend, and Stanley ends up on the most dangerous and amazing
journey of his life.
I loved this book. It had adventure, romance, and comedy. I think that both
boys and girls would like it, because it's about a lot of different characters.

6. My favorite characters were Kate Barlow and Zero Zeroni. Kate Barlow
was a brave woman with opinions of her own and the love of Onion Sam to
keep her dreams alive. Zero was one of the boys at Camp Green Lake. He
hardly ever spoke, so everyone thought he was stupid. He was really very
smart, and turned out to be a great friend.
When I read this book, I felt many different emotions. Sometimes I
laughed, and other times I cried, and every once in a while I squeaked like
a mouse, scared or excited for the characters as if I were right there with
them.
When I started reading it, I couldn't stop, and my mom had to pry it out of
my hands. It really made me think. I realized how lucky I was, to have a
mother and father, to have warm water, to have clean clothes, and
especially to have the freedom to be friends with any person, regardless of
their color, religion or gender. Wouldn't you be upset if you weren't allowed
to fall in love with someone, just because of the way they looked, or the
religion they were, or the things they believed.

7. Some of the words in this book will never come out of my mind as long
as I live. That's why "Holes" is such a good book.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes adventure, friendship and
superstition. It has a curse, an unusual group of friends, and some
fantastic characters. I think that fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh graders
would like it. Holes is a great book!

8. What do we include in the
review?
AAuutthhoorr
TThhiiss iinnffoorrmmaattiioonn iiss
eeaassyy ttoo ffiinndd oouutt..
TTiittllee
JJuusstt rreeaadd tthhee ffiirrsstt
ppaaggee ttoo ffiinndd tthhee
PPaaggeess
ffaaccttss..
DDaattee ppuubblliisshheedd

9. Your bit!
TThhiiss
iinnffoorrmmaattiioonn
ccaann oonnllyy bbee
wwrriitttteenn iiff yyoouu
hhaavvee rreeaadd tthhee
bbooookk..
SSoommee ooff iitt iiss
ffaacctt bbuutt yyoouurr
ooppiinniioonn iiss vveerryy
iimmppoorrttaanntt ttoooo..
TThhee ssttoorryy
TThhee cchhaarraacctteerrss
HHiigghhlliigghhttss
AAnnyy wweeaakk bbiittss??
UUnnppuuttddoowwnnaabbllee??

10. The story
This is WWHHAATT hhaappppeennss.. TToo hheellpp yyoouu tthhiinnkk aabboouutt tthhee
mmaaiinn eevveennttss,, ffiirrsstt ddrraaww aa ttiimmee lliinnee wwiitthh tthhee bbeeggiinnnniinngg
sscceennee ooff tthhee bbooookk aatt tthhee ttoopp ooff aa ppiieeccee ooff ppaappeerr aanndd
tthhee ffiinnaall sscceennee aatt tthhee bboottttoomm..
EE..gg.. WWrriittee ""HHaarrrryy ssttaarrttss aatt HHooggwwaarrttss"" aatt tthhee ttoopp aanndd
""HHaarrrryy ddeeffeeaattss VVoollddeemmoorrtt"" aatt tthhee bboottttoomm..
YYoouu ccaann aallssoo wwrriittee aa sseenntteennccee aabboouutt WWHHEERREE aanndd
WWHHEENN tthhee ssttoorryy ttaakkeess ppllaaccee.. EE..gg.. AAtt HHooggwwaarrttss sscchhooooll
ooff wwiizzaarrddrryy iinn tthhee pprreesseenntt ddaayy..

11. The characters
Or WHO is in the book. To help you describe the characters, first jot
down these details:
NNaammee ooff cchhaarraacctteerr
RRoollee
AAddjjeeccttiivvee ttoo ddeessccrriibbee
tthheemm
FFoorr eexxaammppllee::
HHaarrrryy PPootttteerr
SScchhoooollbbooyy wwiizzaarrdd
BBrraavvee

12. Highlights
This is where yyoouu ddeessccrriibbee yyoouurr ffaavvoouurriittee ppaarrtt ooff
tthhee bbooookk.. WWaass tthheerree aa ppaarrttiiccuullaarr ppiieeccee ooff aaccttiioonn,,
ddeessccrriippttiioonn oorr cchhaarraacctteerrss'' ssppeeeecchh yyoouu rreeaallllyy
eennjjooyyeedd??

13. Any weak bits?
Were tthheerree aannyy cchhaapptteerrss wwhheerree yyoouu ffoouunndd
yyoouurrsseellff wwiisshhiinngg ffoorr ssoommee aaccttiioonn ttoo lliivveenn uupp tthhee
pplloott?? AAnnyy uunnrreeaalliissttiicc cchhaarraacctteerrss?? AAnnyy
ddeessccrriippttiioonnss oorr cchhaapptteerrss tthhaatt yyoouu ffeelltt wweerree
rruubbbbiisshh??

14. Unputdownable?
Did you grab the bbooookk wwhheenneevveerr yyoouu hhaadd aa ssppaarree
mmoommeenntt?? DDiidd yyoouu rreeaadd iitt rraatthheerr tthhaann ppllaayyiinngg
ccoommppuutteerr ggaammeess oorr wwaattcchhiinngg TTVV?? OOrr ddiidd yyoouu
rreeaadd tthhee ffiirrsstt cchhaapptteerr bbeeffoorree lleettttiinngg iitt ggaatthheerr
dduusstt oonn yyoouurr bbooookksshheellff??