In the last blog about review writing, we talked about writing movie reviews (https://learn2write.co.uk/Blog/post/a-review-on-your-mind-today). What movies have you watched lately? For the second part of the series, let us look into writing book reviews.
Part 2: Review of a book
For a book review, we start by mentioning the name of the book and the author. In addition, we mention the genre of the book (adventure, mystery, fantasy, historical, etc). While reviewing the book, we might also want to mention if the book is an individual one or a part of book series. Consider the following example:
Wearing the Sorting Hat!
‘Alohomora!’ folks—open your mind and heart to dive into the world of magic (Alohomora—means unlock in magic world). Originally published in 2007, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone tops the charts of favourite books (between the age group of nine- to twelve-year-olds) even today. It has undergone many revised editions (to include an attractive book cover). Interestingly, the book was adapted into a movie too, and it gained so much popularity that all the books were adapted as movies. When the book was first released, author J.K Rowling became nothing less of a movie star. ‘Choo, choo’—there comes the Hogwarts train to take you into the whimsical land of adventure, fun and magic, where everything seems possible: facing demons, three headed monsters, drinking magic potions, flying on brooms, encountering ‘friendly’ ghosts (and some not so friendly), mystery mirrors and much more.
Note that the review begins with a mystery word to attract readers’ attention. It also informs readers about the name of the book, genre and name of author. For the body paragraphs, take the readers through the plot (not revealing key details), some characters and the parts of the book that you liked as well as disliked.
The protagonist of the book is a ten-year-old boy named Harry Potter and his so-called mundane, frustrating life with the humans (referred to as Muggles—rather has a catchy ring to it, doesn’t it?). Harry thinks his life at Privet Drive is all he could ask for; however, one day, out of the blue, a surprise awaits his eleventh birthday. The brilliant unravelling of the character's background to the magical world is somewhat emotional, yet uplifting. The book carries on to reveal Harry's friendship with Ron and Hermione (other characters from the book), who later turn out to be more like family (that Harry never had).
What's hilarious is when Harry is confronted with countless magical questions, he freezes. Every page in the book contains some intriguing details, a mystery plot and suspense at every turn that makes it difficult to put the book down. The world created by J. K Rowling comes alive and the words start dancing, just like the Hogwarts stairs (and its many mysteries).
However, my personal favourite (but otherwise understated) is how a boy, named Neville Longbottom (funny name, right. On that note, all the names in the book are quite catchy too), stands up for his beliefs despite hesitations. Rightly, the principal, Albus Dumbledore at the end states that, “It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends".
A few plotlines, however, seemed dragged. For example, Harry's many night adventures using the invisibility cloak (yes, that’s a real and rare thing in Harry’s world) and every time escaping the starry eyes of Mrs. Norris (the watchman’s cat). Or, how easily Harry realises the key to make a gigantic three-headed monster sleep (key to revealing the mystery). Hermione, being the intelligent one, could be the one that figures the three-headed monster mystery. Anyway, the magical details, intriguing plot, interesting characters and lively dialogues outweigh the negatives.
If you have not read this book yet, you are surely missing the lighter side of life and letting your imagination live in a box. Even if you are not a fan of magic or fantasy, this book is something you'd not want to miss. Not just that, the book carries a serious message: never be afraid to experiment, be bold, and value the importance of relationships. In my opinion, the book deserves a 4.5/5. Grab a copy today; the Sorting Hat awaits. What is a Sorting Hat you ask—you’d have to read the book to find out!
In the body paragraphs, a few details of the plot are revealed, along with the names of characters. To make it more interesting, you could even include some magic words or talk about the world of Quidditch and even include some quotes. Furthermore, note that some points about the parts that the reviewer dislikes are also mentioned, but ultimately the reader is swayed in favour of the book (which is the author’s intention). Thus, the goal of the review is achieved— to inform and persuade.
Have you read this book called Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll? This is another classic and quite a famous one.
Falling through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world, Alice is unafraid to explore the unknown: be it drinking the potion to shrink enough to explore life in the rabbit garden or eating a slice of cake to grow to an enormous size. The book wonderfully weaves through its words and reflects the message of bravery.
Would you like to give the book a read and try writing a review about it? Go ahead. Try it!