How to write a good book summary
In almost all schools, language and literature classes require students to write summaries (summaries) of books. It is often difficult to decide what to include in your presentation and what to exclude from it. From the presentation, readers can learn about the most important issues and events described in the book by the author. Depending on the teacher's requirements, you may be asked to express your opinion about the book, namely what you liked or didn't like about it. If you do a little preparatory work and write a summary, preparing the presentation should not scare you.
Preparing to write an essay
Choose the right book. The teacher may recommend a book or give you a list from which you can choose a book yourself. If your teacher hasn't pointed you to a particular book, you can apply to the author for assignment writing help or ask your school librarian to recommend something suitable for the assignment.
If you can, choose a book on a topic that interests you, as this will make reading the book more enjoyable for you.
Make sure you understand the assignment. The teacher can give you an assignment or suggest specific details for the presentation. Make sure you follow all recommended guidelines, such as length and content.
Do not confuse presentation with review. The summary describes the content of the book, sometimes it may include your opinion about what you read, but still, as a rule, it focuses on the facts related to the book. A review usually states what the book is about and evaluates how the book affects the reader.
If you have any questions, please contact your teacher. It's much better to ask your own questions when you don't understand something than to try to work your way through work that doesn't match what the teacher expects.
Take notes as you read a book. It will be much easier for you to write your summary if you take notes as you read and don't try to remember everything at the end. As you read, jot down a few notes on the following topics:
Characters. If the book is in the category of fiction (is it a biography or is it a memoir), keep track of who the main characters are. What are they? What are they doing? Are they different at the end of the book from what they looked like at the beginning? Did you like them?
Scene. This category refers mainly to fiction. The setting of the book refers to where and when events take place (for example, the main setting of the Harry Potter novels is Hogwarts School). The setting can have a significant impact on the characters and on the story itself.
Plot. What events take place in the book? Who is doing what? Where in the book (beginning, middle, or end) do important events seem to take place? Are there any turning points in the story in the book where things seem to have changed from what happened before? How was the story resolved? What parts of the book did you like?
Main ideas and themes. This category in fiction will be somewhat different from that in non-fiction. In non-fiction, the main idea may be very clear, such as a biography of a famous historical figure. A work of fiction will likely have a key theme that runs throughout the book. Think about it in terms of what you already learned from this book and what you didn't know before you read it. It will be easier for you to do this if you prepare several notes for each of the chapters.
Quotes. A good presentation not only tells but also shows. For example, if you really liked the author's writing style, you could use a quote in your book summary that shows why you liked the book. A juicy quote that sums up the book would also be a good idea. There shouldn't be too many quotes, but as you read, you can write down all the quotes that catch your attention.
Preparing a draft presentation
Decide how you will organize your presentation. Most likely, the teacher will give you specific presentation requirements. If so, then you should follow them. There are two main ways to organize your presentation:
Organize your presentation by chapter. If you organize your presentation in this way, you will be able to move from chapter to chapter. You may need to cover many chapters in each paragraph.
Pros: You can move in chronological order - this can be useful if you are describing a book with many plot elements.
Cons: This kind of work organization can be more complex if you need to cover multiple chapters in one paragraph.
Organize your presentation by type of element (the "thematic" principle of organization). If you organize your book this way, you might have a paragraph for the characters, a paragraph or two for discussing the plot, a paragraph for the main ideas, and a paragraph for summarizing the book.
Pros: You can fit a lot of story text into a very small space. The paragraphs are clearly separated, so it will be clear to you which topic to discuss in each of them.
Cons: This option will not be appropriate if you need to summarize the content of the book rather than express your opinion about it.
Make an outline. This will help you write your essay. Give your notes a focus that will depend on how you decide to organize the paragraphs.
For chronological organization: Leave each chapter or section of the book with its own segment. Note the most important elements of the story and character development that are shown in each chapter.
For thematic organization: Organize your notes by different elements (characters, plot) and main ideas into different sections. Each of them will become a paragraph.
As you write your first draft, think about the elements that move the story forward, because those are likely to be the most important. If you want, you can add more detail to the text when doing the second proofreading.
Write an introduction (one paragraph). The introduction should introduce the reader to the main idea of the book. It should also include brief information about the main characters and ideas. You don't have to go into details; you just need to give enough information so that the reader knows what to expect from the rest of the presentation.
Provide information related to the publication of the book, including the title of the book, author, year of publication, and genre. Your instructor may ask you to include other information as well. If the book was written by an authority figure, won an award, or became a bestseller, that information should also be included.
If the book is non-fiction, summarize the author's main ideas or goals in writing the book. Formulate a thesis in which you put the essence of the book.
Prepare your main paragraphs. Based on the notes and outlines you've written so far, write the main body of the story, describing the most important elements of the book. If you are working on a long enough piece, you can cover every detail and even every chapter in a nutshell. Instead of telling a story, focus on what you find most important about the book and its characters.
Note that the abstract should focus on what you think is the author's main idea and how that idea is developed in the book. What important points does the author emphasize? What observations or stories from his own experience does he use to support his opinion?
Use the storyline. If you choose to organize your story chronologically, think about how the story progresses. What are the main plot events? Where and when does change occur? Where do surprises or intriguing situations occur, the end of which cannot be predicted?
Organize your story based on where the significant events take place. For example, if you are preparing an outline of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, you could organize your work like this:
Introductory paragraph: Summarizing the contents of the book as a whole and providing information about the publisher.
Main paragraph 1: Summarize Gandalf's plan to have Bilbo Baggins become a burglar for Thorin Oakenshield and a group of dwarves. End with Bilbo choosing to go on an adventure (since this is the main turning point for this character).
Main paragraph 2: Summarize the adventures of Bilbo and the dwarves, when they were almost eaten by trolls, when they were kidnapped by goblins, how Bilbo found Gollum and the Ring of Omnipotence. There are a lot of adventures, and you don't need to talk about them all, instead, choose only the most important ones. You could finish by describing how the Dwarves were taken over by the Wood Elves, as this is another turning point in the story. Bilbo is forced to decide if he is brave enough to save everyone.
Main paragraph 3: Summarize the relationship between the dwarves and the men of Lake-town (Esgaroth), how Bilbo gets to the Lonely Mountain and talks to Smaug, and how dwarves, elves and men fight orcs. This is just the right moment to end this paragraph, because this is the climax of the story, and the reader wants to know how the problem was resolved, or how it all ended.
Main paragraph 4: Summarize how Bilbo tries to stop the battle, the dispute between Bilbo and Thorin, the outcome of the battle, and Bilbo's return home to find that all his possessions are being sold. You can also discuss how the main character, Bilbo, ends up being a different hobbit from Bilbo at the beginning of the book.
Conclusion: Tell us about the main ideas of the book and what you learned from it. You could speculate about the importance of learning to be brave, or how greed is criticized in the book. Then, end the paragraph with your opinion of the book as a whole. Would you recommend it to your friend?
Organize your presentation according to topics. If you choose to organize your writing thematically, you can develop your paragraphs according to the topic rather than letting the plot dictate the structure of your presentation. You will need one or two paragraphs to outline the plot, one paragraph to describe the characters, another paragraph to introduce the main ideas and themes, and in the final paragraph to summarize your opinion about the work as a whole.
Start with a very summary of the plot. Tell us what genre the book belongs to, where the action takes place (Hogwarts, space, mythical past), what the main character of the book is trying to do or find out, how the plot ends.
In the paragraph about characters, you should talk about the main character (or characters). Who are they and why are they important? What do they want to do or learn? What disadvantages and advantages do they have? Do they appear at the end of the book to have changed in some way from what they were at the beginning of the story?
For example, a paragraph about the characters in The Hobbit would focus most on Bilbo Baggins, or the main character in the novel. It will also be necessary to discuss some other important characters: Thorin Oakenshield and the wizard Gandalf. This paragraph should consider the development of Bilbo's character from a character who is afraid of everything new to a hobbit who at the end appears as a brave man who saves his friends.
The paragraph dealing with the main ideas or topics may be the most difficult to describe - in this case, the notes you took while reading the book should help. Think about what lessons the characters have learned. What did this book make you think about? Did she make you ask questions?
You might want to discuss the meaning of feelings in people's lives. You could also discuss the idea that in order to experience the fullness of life, a person must experience both pain and pleasure. Also important is the topic of how to become your own master.
Prepare a conclusion. In conclusion, it is necessary to review the main ideas of the book and express your own opinion about it. You liked the book? Did she please you? Do you agree with the author's ideas and style of writing? Have you learned something that you didn't know before? Give reasons in your favor, use examples or even quotes to support your opinion.
Let the conclusion let readers know whether to read the book or not. Will readers like it? Should they read it? Why yes or why not?
Verification of the presentation
Read your presentation. The structure of the presentation should be clear. It should contain an introduction (with a brief listing of the main themes of the work), a body (which briefly and clearly summarizes the content of the book), and a conclusion (which provides a comprehensive assessment of the book).
As you read the exposition, ask yourself: if you were to introduce this exposition to your friends who have not read this book, would they understand what happened? Could they come to a definite opinion as to whether they would like this book or not?
Check the text for logical transitions. It is necessary to check the presence of logical connections between paragraphs, as well as between individual ideas in each paragraph. These connections help guide the reader further as they become aware of what is happening.
For example, instead of starting a sentence with pronouns (this, this, it, etc.), you can remind the reader what the previous sentence was about. You can also use synonyms to avoid repetition.
Make sure the book's author and character names are spelled correctly, with the appropriate full titles, and the publisher's last name (if your instructor asked you to).
Read the presentation aloud. This will help you find and correct any unclear or poorly written passages. Reading aloud will better help you spot mistakes you missed while reading and proofreading earlier.
Have someone else read your presentation aloud. The best way to know if you really did a good job summarizing important points in a book is by having someone else read your summary. Friends or parents can help you find passages in the story that the reader may not understand.
Do not tell readers what the book is about and what you emphasized before they read the summary. Thus, they will have to focus on what is outlined in your work.
Make sure that the teacher's first and last name (as well as your own name) are listed on the last page of the paper. This is important whether you are submitting your work in print or handwritten video. If you did not indicate your last name in the work, the teacher will not be able to grade you.
Prepare a clean sheet with work. If you are printing your book summary on a computer, load good, clean paper into the printer. If you are writing by hand, write very carefully, in clear letters, on clean paper. Try not to wrinkle or stain the paper until you have turned in your work.
Well done! You did a great job! You can be proud of your work!
