Before starting to write a book review, people often can’t distinguish the difference between book review and book summary. A book review is not about retelling a story, when it comes to fiction book. Basically, a review is a commentary. There are some things to consider because fiction and non-fiction books have differences in its components.
The most important thing is that you should use occasional quotes from the book to support or explain points made in the review. What you should mention at the first paragraph include the title of the book and the author’s name. Or you can mention publishing information and other.
The next paragraph may tell about the characters which can be round or flat. A round character is multiple dimensional. Round characters make a story line more interesting and believable; therefore, the analysis of the author’s use of three-dimensional characters or flat characters is important.
The review should note how the author reveals or develops the theme or themes though the theme of a book may not be written word for word. Mention whether you, as the reviewer, agree or disagree with the author’s themes and why. The author gives support for moral values and actions through the book. Yet, the message isn’t preachy or blunt, but the theme flows throughout the story. The author’s opinions are solid and are ones that young readers need to realize and learn to accept.
The next thing to mention is the elements of plot include introduction, conflict, climax, and conclusion. Give an overview, but do not give away the plot climax or conclusion. Comment how the book affected you and you can say whether the book is interesting, entertaining, or memorable or not. Let the readers know whether you recommend this book or not.
The same thing you should note is commenting the book. It should have correct grammar, spelling, sentence structure, and other components of good writing. Reviews are a form of writing. The suggestions can be arranged differently or combined, and some others can be added. Some can be eliminated, but most of the information needs to be somewhere in the review.