How to Write a Book Review: A Guide for Young Readers

Feb 27

2 min read

On Pageticker, our online reading record, when children finish a book they can choose to write a book review if they wish to. Writing reviews helps develop critical thinking and encourages thoughtful reading. This guide explains one way to structure a book review.

Step 1: Write a brief summary of the book

Start by summarising the story without giving away too many spoilers.

For example:

Tyger by SF Said is about a boy called Adam, who finds a mysterious creature in a dumpster in London. The mythical creature, Tyger, needs Adam and his friend Zadie to save not just Tyger but the world from destruction. He needs them to also look within themselves to harness the unique powers that they process.

Step 2: Describe what they enjoyed

Encourage children to share what they liked most about the book. This could be:

The plot
A favorite characterA specific sceneHow characters change throughout the story

To improve writing skills, they can use complex sentences with conjunctions and connectives.

For example:

I really enjoyed this book for a variety of reasons. Firstly, I really liked the Tyger character as he seemed very mysterious and often seemed hidden in the dumpster when Adam was looking for him.

Secondly, I really liked Adam, as he is so creative and loves to draw. I also enjoy drawing and sometimes feel that I can't dedicate the time I would like to to it.

Step 3: Describe anything they would change

It might be that they don't like everything about the book or they would have liked more time spent with a particular character.

For example:

Although I really enjoyed this book, I wish more of the scenes could have taken place at Maldehyde's Menagerie because it seemed like an interesting place with lots of unusual creatures. I think it would have been intriguing to find out more about them and their unique powers.

Step 4: Summarise thoughts and recommendations

Encourage children to write a couple of sentences which explain their thoughts about the book overall and if they would recommend it to a friend or not and why.

An example of this:

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Tyger because it is unlike any other book that I have read. I like the way it made me think and recognise my unique strengths. I would recommend this to a friend who enjoys fantasy books.

Stay updated with Pageticker

Pageticker is a digital reading record that allows parents to easily log their children's reading progress and share it with schools. Our platform learns about their interests and abilities, helping them discover exciting, age-appropriate books. Interested? Try Pageticker for free now.

If you enjoyed this article, check out some of our others.