Book reports.

I have to write a book report on The Game Change for my AP Government class. I haven't written a book report since elementary school! How do you write an upper-level book report!?!?! Tips and help please!

Your opening sentence will quickly introduce the book’s title and author. The remainder of the first paragraph will introduce broad themes in the text. Example:

            My First Hat, by John Doe, describes a trip taken to the mall with the author’s father to buy the first hat of his own choosing. The chapters are well organized, including the author’s adventures as well as his feelings about them.

From there, you can talk about individual chapters or sections containing multiple chapters. Include basic topics and details relevant to those topics. You do not have to cover everything, just those things related to your introductory paragraph and concept. For example, a different opening paragraph in a review of the same imaginary book could go something like this:

            My First Hat, by John Doe, is an excellent example of the ways that commerce marks development and maturation in modern childhood. This is the story of John’s first memorable experience of exerting the power to buy in the American marketplace and how that power signifies development into adulthood and manhood.

As you can see, the supporting/ body paragraphs that flow from those two introductory paragraphs would be very different. Think about what struck you in the book, and look for incidents of that subject being discussed throughout. Remember, sometimes a book will contradict itself, and that can provide interesting discussion points.