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HOW TO WRITE A REVIEW.

We’d like you to send reviews of the books you read. If you include the information below your reviews might be useful for other readers.

Title

Author

Genre (adventure, psychological drama, romance, science fiction, thriller)

Publisher

Level (elementary, intermediate, advanced)

Brief summary of the plot

Personal opinion (give the book a mark from 1 to 5). Avoid using adjectives such as ‘interesting’, ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Below you have a list of adjectives/expressions you can use:

ELEMENTARY: amusing, boring, brilliant, enjoyable, exciting, funny, great, romantic, simple.

INTERMEDIATE: dull, entertaining, hilarious, moving, predictable, remarkable, shocking, surprising, tragic, unpredictable, violent.

ADVANCED: a cliffhanger, blackly funny, bland, breathtaking, deeply moving, dull, gripping, hard-hitting, heart warming, noteworthy, outstanding, overwhelming, tear jeker, violence pack

Alison tells us another way in which to give a written or oral review.

A Book Review

Reviews are brief accounts of books. Their purpose is to inform readers about the overall plot, characters and themes, while also giving opinions and recommendations about whether it is worth reading the book and to whom it may appeal.

Reviews should include:

Introduction, which gives facts and background information concerning the book and its author.

Main body, usually made up of three parts. The first giving a concise outline of the plot, the second mentioning the main characters and their role in the story and thirdly any relevant themes the book touches upon while it unravels.

Conclusion, which should include any general comments and opinion as well as a positive or negative recommendation supported by reasons. 

The style of the presentation very much depends on your audience, therefore it can either be formal or semi-formal. Present tenses are normally used as well as a variety of adjectives to make the speech more interesting.

Useful language: Recommendations

·         It’s well worth reading

·         It will change the way you think of….

·         I wouldn’t recommend it because….

·         It’s bound to be on the best sellers list

·         I highly/strongly recommend it

·         It’s a highly entertaining read

·         It’s a bore to read

·         It’s certainly at the top of my list of favourites

·         Fans of this author will no doubt be thrilled with this latest edition

·         It’s a must!

·         Don’t bother with this one

·         I definitely recommend that you add this to your collection!

And María Jesús also wants to help you.

Book reports are a good way to check out if you’ve understood the book you’ve just read. If you need some hints on how to write one, here you are a useful website: browse it around and let us know if you’ve found it useful.