Not Just Another Book Report: Book Report Format Ideas

• Write diary entries - Create a diary or journal written by a character in a book. Write five or more entries and include story details that will show you read the book.
• Bring characters to life – Create a life-size portrait of a book character. With your portrait, include writing about the character and descriptions, events, or conflicts from the book the character.
• Make a trait diagram – Choose two of the main characters from your book and compare and contrast traits. Draw a Venn diagram to show these similarities and differences in traits. Or, make a Venn diagram showing similarities and differences between a main character and yourself.
• Interview a Character - Write a series of questions to ask a main character in a book. Then, answer those questions as the character would. Be sure to offer enough information to prove you read the book without revealing every detail.

• Create a travel brochure - If your book takes place in another country, create a travel brochure using pictures you have drawn or found. Use the Internet to look up facts about the country, such as population and culture.
• Build a diorama – Create a three-dimensional scene with people, buildings, plants, and animals of one of the book’s major events. Write a description of the scene.
• Write a theme report – Choose a concept or an idea and use the Internet to further explore it. Then, write a two-page report to share what you learned about the topic.

• Write a book review – Write a book review for the newspaper. Be sure to read some book reviews first. Or, write the book review as a movie review. If one of your classmates read the same book, perform a review for the class. Don’t forget to give a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down." Do you agree or disagree?
• Sell the book - Pretend to be a book publicist. Write and present a one minute speech that will convince other students that they should read the book. This will be very difficult if you did not enjoy the book. If you did not, wait until you give the speech before sharing that with the class!
• Create a card catalog - Make an index card with information about the book. Write the title, author, date published, and a short summary of the book on the front of the card. Write a one paragraph critique on the back of the card. Rate the book using a five-star rating system. For instance, if you really enjoyed a book, give it a five-star rating. These cards should be kept in a card file in the classroom or in the school library to help others select books.

Try one of these different book report format ideas for your next assignment. Your teacher will appreciate not having to read another boring book report!

These formats ideas are adapted from Teachnet.com and Educationworld.com.