Book Review

It is so easy to tell a class read a book and come and tell me about it, but how do they go about it? What is important and what not?

A review is a short article that is written about something that has been published or displayed, such as a book, artwork or movie. People read reviews in order to find out whether they should read the book, go to the art exhibition or see the movie. A review can also be an evaluation of something: of a person’s performance at work, of a particular job, or of a situation. (Southey and Howard, 2013)

A book review is a short article about a book. It tells other people what you thought about a certain book. If you thought a book was good, then your review will encourage others to read it. If you thought it was bad, then your review will discourage them from reading it. (Grant et al., 1995)

You obviously first have to read the book. Make notes of the following before returning the book if you borrowed it from the library or a friend:

·           The title and author:  This will appear in the heading, or in your introductory paragraph of your speech.

·           Publisher and date of publication

·           The genre:                  Fantasy, adventure, romance, contemporary, mystery, horror, thriller, science fiction...

·           The setting:                Time and place

·           Plot:                            Describe just enough of the plot to get the reader interested but don't go into too  much detail or give away major developments or the ending. DO NOT RETELL THE STORY OR GO INTO DETAIL! If you do that, there will be no reason for them to read the book.

·           Themes:                     Comment, e.g. love, war, betrayal, forgiveness, rich vs poor, appearance vs reality...

·           Characters:                Have you identified with a character, and why.

·          Own response:           Briefly describe how the book/story/plot/characters made you feel and why.

·           Recommendation:      Say who you think would enjoy this book most.

 The language you use is also very important. Remember punctuation, tenses, concord, word order, etc.

EXAMPLE

 Review of Kes by Barry Hines. Penguin, 1986

Billy is a young, teenage boy in a poor English working-class family. His father has walked out on the family, his mother has to work all day, and his older brother, Jud, gives him a hard time. At school he always seems to be in trouble, and life is generally unpleasant for Billy.

The Billy gets Kes, a small bird, and an unusual friendship develops. Kes changes Billy in unexpected ways. For the first time Billy has a focus in his life, an interest.

Barry Hines has written a story that is sad but inspiring: it is about poverty but also about growth. Young people will enjoy this story tremendously, but adults too should not miss it.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Grant, N., Mawasha, A., Ralenala, M., Mlotshwa, J. and Brennan1995, P., 1995. Advanced with English Grade 9. 2nd ed. Cape Town: Maskew Miller Longman (Pty) Ltd, pp.140-141.

Lutrin, B. and Pincus, M., 2007. English Handbook and Study Guide. 3rd ed. Birnam Park: Berlut Books, pp.112-119.

Southey, L. and Howard, M., 2013. English for Life Grade 9 Learner's Book for Home Language. 1st ed. Cape Town: Best Books, p.124.

Feel free to use the following tool to assist.