book review for grade 5

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5th grade reading books for children aged 10-11

Books for grade 5. This list of recommended reading books for grade 5 has been curated and compiled by teachers and librarians to appeal to elementary school children in the 5th grade, aged 10-11. There is a range of exciting and thought-provoking books to suit all abilities, including easy readers and more advanced texts. This list of 5th-grade reading recommendations contains titles by Erin Entrada Kelly, Jason Reynolds, Kate Messner, James Patterson, Madeleine L’Engle, Tod Olson, Christine Day, R.J Palacio, E.B. White, and more.

Books for Grade 5 – our recommendations

We dream of space by erin entrada kelly.

Siblings Cash, Fitch, and Bird navigate the challenges of family turmoil, school and life in the midst of waiting for the exciting upcoming ‘teacher in space’ shuttle launch. Set against the backdrop of the Challenger disaster in 1986, this award-winning middle-grade novel explores themes of family, identity, and never giving up on your dreams. A memorable read.

Wretched Waterpark by Kiersten White

The Sinister-Winterbottom twins, Theo and Alexander, and their elder sister, Wil, spend the summer at Fathoms of Fun Waterpark in this creepy middle-grade horror. Strange things happen, park officials vanish, and the twins are plunged into danger. Will they solve the clues and unravel the mystery? It’s ideal for pupils who enjoy “A Series of Unfortunate Events.”

Stamped (for Kids) by Jason Reynolds & Ibram X. Kendi

Through engaging storytelling, Stamped (for Kids) encourages young readers to talk about racism, social justice, and equality. It explores the history of racism and antiracism in the United States with clear arguments and examples, making complex concepts accessible for 5th graders. Ideal for book clubs.

I Can Make This Promise by Christine Day

A middle-grade story of self-discovery. Edie finds a box in the attic – full of letters – and a photo of a woman that looks like her. But her mother, who was adopted, refuses to explain further. So begins a quest to find the truth, full of difficult moments, tragedy and revelations. An important book that provides a good starting point to discuss the 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act.

Historical | Diverse

The Red Tree by Shaun Tan

Filled with beautiful and evocative images, and sparing yet moving text, this picture book captures the sense of hopelessness and despair that children can sometimes feel. After walking through dark and disturbing landscapes, a beacon of hope appears in the shape of a red leaf. When dawn breaks, a red tree is revealed as a symbol of hope and renewal.

Picture book

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

When a mysterious stranger arrives at the Wallace household, Meg and Charles’ world is changed forever and they set out on a quest to find their missing father. A great science fiction mystery story.

Science Fiction | Classic

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

A fascinating story told from the point of view of Ivan, a captive gorilla. One day, after years in a cave, Ivan sees life differently when a baby Elephant arrives at the zoo. A great story about friendship.

Animal story

Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli

Magee is an orphan child who lives with his aunt and uncle. One day he decides to run away and start on a series of heroic and unexpected achievements which change his life and his town forever.

Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren

The classic story of Pippi, who has wild hair and an even wilder, sassy outlook on life, getting up to all sorts of mischiefs. A very funny book and ideal for reluctant readers.

Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

A stunning set of stories about the orphaned Baudelaire children and the increasingly dark situations they manage to scrape through, including avoiding the money-grabbing clutches of the evil Count Olaf.

Adventure | Mystery

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

An inventive and slightly scary graphic novel about a young girl looking for new adventures who gets caught up in a strange situation that requires all her courage to escape from.

Graphic novel

The Borrowers by Mary Norton

A modern classic about little people who live unnoticed in the walls and under the floors in a country house. Charming, this book is a great read full of twists and turns.

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

The original and timeless pirate adventure story, full of cliffhangers and plot turns. A thrilling read from start to finish and full of unforgettable characters.

Adventure | Classic

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

A classic fantasy and allegory story, written at the turn of the 20th century. The timeless story of Dorothy, The Cowardly Lion, the Tin Man, Scarecrow, Toto, The Wizard and the Wicked Witch of the West will still resonate with middle-grade children. There’s also a series of lesser-known sequels.

Classic | Fantasy

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

When Jess and Leslie become friends through a shared love of track running, they spend time creating an imaginary world – Terabithia. But when Leslie goes there without Jess, something terrible happens and life will never be the same. A modern classic.

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

A touching and thought-provoking story about Auggie, who wants to be like everyone else but struggles with how the other fifth graders react to his unique face. A great book to help children empathize with differences and understand the importance of inclusion.

Descendants series by Melissa de la Cruz

This gripping and imaginative spinoff from the Disney movies Sleeping Beauty and Maleficent is set in the world of Maleficent. High fantasy adventure and strong characters dominate this series which is great for reluctant readers who can watch the films first.

Fantasy | Adventure

Narnia series by C.S. Lewis

C.S. Lewis’s classic series of children’s fantasy books – best known for The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe – has captivated young readers for generations. Fantasy, good vs evil, and adventure underpin these parallel world adventures where the lead characters are middle-grade children. This is an ideal 5th-grade reading book series for the classroom.

Fantasy | Classic

A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park

This beautifully written novel flits between two characters and time periods – Nya, a girl in 2008 and Salva, a boy in 1985. Both live in Sudan, searching for their families and safety from war.

The Tapper Twins by Geoff Rodkey

Set in the modern digital world, the Tapper Twins Claudia and Reese are always looking to prank each other in school and online. A very funny and easy-to-read graphic/illustrated novel but also thought-provoking.

The Water and the Wild by K.E. Ormsbee

Elliot is ill and gets more and more sick by the day. Lottie doesn’t know what to do until she discovers a route to another world through the roots of an old apple tree. Although there’s plenty of danger, she hopes to find a magic cure.

The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks

A must-read modern classic for middle-grade children. Omri was hoping for a little more than a cheap plastic toy for his birthday. But through unexpected and old magic, the toy is turned into a real person. Can Omri keep him secret?

Just My Luck by Cammie McGovern

Benny isn’t enjoying school. He doesn’t have a friend, isn’t good at bike tricks and blames himself for things that have gone wrong at home. When he thinks things can’t get any worse, he slowly realizes his caring nature is all that he needs to survive. A great book to inspire resilience.

School story

Lost in the Pacific by Tod Olson

A gripping survival story set in WW2. When a USAF bomber runs out of fuel over the Pacific Ocean, a great war hero on a top-secret mission is in great danger. The only option is to ditch in the sea. Can the crew survive? This is a great 5th-grade reading book for reluctant readers.

Historical | Adventure

The Mechanical Mind of John Coggin by Elinor Teele

John Coggin runs away from home with sister Page to avoid a life in the family coffin-making business. But soon they find themselves in great danger. Darkly humorous, with strange and colorful characters. Ideal for grade 5 readers interested in science and making things.

Humor | STEM

Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen

When Mary’s family move from the city to a farmhouse in the country, her life changes completely, and she is drawn into a simpler, kinder world full of adventure and awe. Full of happiness, this book is ideal for children interested in the outdoors and wild places.

Treasure Hunters by James Patterson

Fast-paced, with short chapters and gripping plots, this series of adventures is ideal for reluctant readers in grade 5. Think Clive Cussler style page-turners for ten-year-olds in grade 5.

Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy

A unique series of books about a skeleton private investigator with an attitude who solves mysteries and fights crime. Edgy, but fun and easy to read. A gripping series for grade 5 readers.

Horror | Mystery

The What on Earth Timeline Collection by Christopher Lloyd

These visually stunning and huge foldout books can either be used as wall charts or room-length friezes. They are full of facts and illustrations that children can walk around to read. Quite unique, the books cover history, nature and science topics in vast detail. This is an ideal 5th-grade reading book for the classroom.

Non fiction

Stuart Little by E.B. White

Stuart Little is a mouse who has lived with his family in New York his entire life. But when his best friend Margalo disappears, he ventures outside to search. By the author of Charlotte’s Web . Perfect to read aloud in grade 5.

Classic | Animal story

Call it Courage by Armstrong Sperry

Set in the Pacific islands of Polynesia, Maftu – the son of a great chief – is afraid of the ocean. When a storm comes, he is determined to show everyone his courage. Inspiring and timeless. A great 5th-grade class reader.

Garden Princess by Kristin Kladstrup

Adela is a princess who would rather be a gardener than part of the royal family. When she visits the enigmatic Lady Hortensia’s spectacular garden, she realizes there’s something very strange about her plants – which flower even in fall and winter. An atmospheric and interesting novel.

Middle-grade novel

Half Upon a Time by James Riley

Jack, the son of Jack and the Beanstalk Jack, meets Princess May from the land of punk in his journey to fix his family’s bean-thieving reputation. A very funny and interesting fantasy world take on the classic children’s folk tale.

Fantasy | Fairy tale

Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers

Annabel cannot bear her mother, sister and brother; chores and being told off. Longing to be an adult, one day she wakes up as her mother! But her dreams of watching TV all the time and eating whatever she likes don’t quite work out as planned.

Humor | Middle-grade novel

The Seventh Wish by Kate Messner

Charlie wishes she could catch a fish so big it would pay for an amazing dress for the next dance competition. But when she hooks a magical speaking fish that can grant wishes, things don’t go to plan at all in this hilariously funny family story of resilience and independence. A great story for grade 5 book clubs.

Fantasy | Humor

The Green Ember by S.D. Smith

Rabitts Heather and Picket live in a world of power struggles, good vs evil, dynasties, treachery, and revenge in this clever combination of aminals, fantasy and quest. An ideal 5th-grade reading book for children who like animals.

Animal story | Fantasy

Almost Home by Joan Bauer

Sugar’s life is turned upside-down by the death of her grandfather and her father’s gambling. But when a new family and rescue dog Shush comes into her world, Sugar finds new and inspiring ways to survive. A heart-warming and fulfilling read.

Atlas Obscura by Joshua Foer

A stunning nonfiction guide to lesser-known wonders of the world. Stunning and vibrant illustrations make this bound to appeal to more reluctant readers. A great addition to every 5th-grade library.

Narrative non fiction

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter is an ideal series to hook a middle-grade child on reading. Easy to read and fast-paced, these gripping fantasy wizard school adventures develop in plot complexity and characterization throughout the seven books.

Click the buttons below to purchase all of the books in this 5th-grade book list, as well as classroom sets of any of these books and many more, from Bookshop.org. Or buy the 20 most popular titles from this list from Amazon – ideal for gifts or stocking your school library. If you are ordering from outside the US, have a look at our ‘worldwide orders’ page which makes this process easy.

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100 Best Books for 5th Graders (10-Year-Olds)

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Does your 10-year-old boy or girl in fifth grade need a good book? Find good  middle grade  books for 5th graders with my recommendations and reviews, plus topic and genre tags to help you easily pick your 5th grader’s next favorite book. 

Middle Grade Books for 5th Graders

When I was a child and even when I started teaching elementary school 30 years ago, we called any book with chapters a chapter book. In recent years, that term has changed to ONLY apply to beginning chapter books for kids in grades 1 to 3.

For children who are in grades 4 – 7, and ages 9 – 12, we use the term middle grade when talking about the fiction and nonfiction books written for this age group. (Tweens.)

What are the best books for 5th graders?

The best books for 5th graders are whatever books appeal to them!

Reading builds reading skills (in most cases), so we want to encourage reading any kind of material that interests them, whether it’s nonfiction, fiction, a graphic novel, or an audiobook! (Yes, audiobooks count as reading, and so do graphic novels.)

This book list shares great books that meet the following criteria:

• well-written
• entertaining
• interesting storyline 
• memorable, complex characters with an arc
• emotional resonance (funny, sad, heartfelt, and so forth)
• appealing and relatable to a middle grade reader (mirrors into a reader’s life)
• addresses topics and issues facing the 5th grader, such as divorce, friendship, learning differences, anxiety, caring for animals, and other themes
• opens a window or door into the lives of someone else — generally in the genres of historical fiction or realistic fiction 

Each child is unique and will progress differently in their reading abilities. Use the book list and reviews as a starting point for finding their next right book.

What if I need easier books?

If you need  easier books , go to my  Best Books for 4th Graders   or  High Interest, Lower Comprehension Books  for 5th graders.

What if I need harder books?

If you need  harder books , go to my  Best Books for 6th Graders, 11-Year Olds   or  Challenging Books for Young Advanced Readers .  If you want to search by all ages, visit my  book lists by age page .

What’s a good book series for 5th graders?

Looking for 5th grade middle-grade book in a series? Visit my recommendations for  book series  for 5th graders . There are many good books in a series that get young readers hooked on a good book.

Don’t forget to look online,  Kindle Unlimited , or the  Libby app  to find ebooks. I like ebooks for 10 year old or any tween because they’re accessible and free.

What read alouds books are good for 5th graders?

Find 33 favorite read aloud books for 5th graders  here.

I like books with discussion-worthy topics, cozy themes, and rich language . While I think it’s great to read any book aloud, not all books are created equal when it comes to the vocabulary, pacing, plot structure, and predictability. 

For example, I read aloud both Harry Potter and Percy Jackson to my daughters. They both were great books to read but I noticed a huge difference in the language the two writers used. Rowling’s language was more complex with rich vocabulary words. For me, that made the reading-aloud experience more enriching to my children’s language learning than Rick Riordan’s books. However, both books engaged my kids and it was only a personal preference. We loved both book series.

In addition, read aloud time can be a wonderful way to introduce your readers to new books . Look for different genres than the child would normally pick for themselves. What  historical fiction books  for 5th graders could you try? What  mystery books  for 5th graders would interest them? How about  fantasy  or  adventure books ? 

Probably the only format of book I don’t recommend reading aloud is a graphic novel. For me, it’s too tricky unless you have a reader on your lap and you can point to the pictures. Your 10-year-olds aren’t going to want to sit in your lap — nor will they fit. Maybe it would work if you read side by side? Let me know if you’ve done this successfully!

What about book club books?

I have a list of book club recommendations for 5th grade  here  but you can really choose any book from the list below.

Summer Reading Recommendations

Have you seen my 5th-grade  summer reading list ? It will give teachers, parents, librarians, and grandparents good book ideas for their soon-to-be 5th graders.

What are good nonfiction books for 5th graders?

How about a list of  excellent NONFICTION books for 10-year-olds ? It’s important to include nonfiction books for 5th graders — kids need a diet of fiction and nonfiction! They must learn how to read informational texts to be successful in the higher grade levels.

SHOP THIS LIST

Download a free pdf book list of the top books for 5th graders:

Best Middle Grade Books for 10-Year-Olds (5th Graders)

Max in the House of Spies: A Tale of World War II  written by Adam Gitwitz Suspense, excitement, danger, and a dash of humor , this is the story of Max, a super-smart  Jewish  boy sent from Germany during WWII to safety in England on the Kindertransport.  He’s joined by two personality-filled mythical creatures, a dybbuk and a kobold, living on his shoulders. Once in England, Max’s sole focus is returning to Germany to help his parents. But first, he must convince the British government to train him as a spy. But the mythical creatures DON’T want to return to Germany, so they try to thwart Max’s spy training efforts!

The Liar’s Society  written by Alyson Gerbe r THRILLER /  MYSTERY Wetherby is a girl whose sailing skills land her a scholarship at the prestigious Boston School, the school her deceased father attended Boston School. But she gets in on a lie. At the school, Jack is a rich kid whose driven, perfectionist father owns everything, including an island. He and Weatherby get paired up in a sailing team. Both kids are invited to be part of a secret society, which turns out to be made up of other kids who’ve lied, cheated, and stolen, like Jack and Wetherby. Is it the school’s infamous secret society?  Excellent pacing, a compelling story, and rising tension make this a page-turner filled with secrets, truths, and danger. A must-read!

From the Desk of Zoe Washington  by Janae Marks REALISTIC On her 12th birthday, Zoe, a girl who loves to bake, discovers a letter to her from her incarcerated biological father, Marcus. She decides to write him back, even daring to ask him about the murder he’s in jail for — did he really do it? Marcus writes to Zoe that he’s innocent and he can prove it, which sets Zoe on a quest to find out the truth for herself, even if her mom and stepdad forbid it. She enlists the help of her Grandma and her best friend, Trevor.  You won’t be able to put down this winsome story with a heroine you can’t help but adore; a story that illuminates social justice with themes of family, friendship, and love.

City Spies  by James Ponti ADVENTURE When Sara, a foster kid and hacker, gets in trouble again, her new so-called lawyer recruits her to be an MI6 spy.  Sara joins a team of other kids, trains quickly, and is immediately sent undercover to break open a big case in Paris. I don’t want to spoil anything, but I predict you’ll  love every second of this action-packed  story! It’s filled with great characters and an interesting twisty plot. You won’t be able to put this  series  down.

Amari and the Night Brothers  by B.B. Alston FANTASY Fantastic fantasy world-building, excellent writing, a  strong female  heroine of color, and a surprise plot twist ending are just a few of the reasons you’ll love this book.  On top of that, you’ll find an exciting action-packed, suspenseful story about Amari whose brother vanishes mysteriously. He sends her a message that she’s a magician and should attend a special school. There, she discovers she’s a magician with outlawed dark magic but she’s determined to stay in the school and find her brother.

New Kid  by Jerry Craft REALISTIC This middle grade graphic novel is the  Newbery award winning book for 2020 !  Jordan’s parents make him go to a private school across town where he’s one of the only kids of color.  Besides having the tricky business of navigating friendships, he now must deal with the two separate worlds of his neighborhood and his school along with racism and balancing academics with his artwork. This story feels truthful, relatable, and important for 5th graders.

Snow & Rose  by Emily Winfield Martin FANTASY Snow and Rose are two sisters who with their mother live in the woods after their father disappeared in those same woods.  The girls befriend both a young boy from a mushrooming family and a large bear. But danger arrives with the Huntsman and a sinister Little Man who seeks to enchant them or kill them. Surprisingly,  this is a MARVELOUS Grimm story with a happy ending!

A Place to Hang the Moon  by Kate Albus HISTORICAL FICTION In this heartwarming historical fiction story, close-knit siblings long for a forever home.  Evacuated from London during WWII these siblings need to find a new home. Unfortunately, their placements are horrid. It’s only the library and the kind librarian who help them survive the bullying and hunger. Unfortunately, the librarian is deemed “unsuitable” to be their foster mother since her missing husband is German. When things go from bad to worse in their latest home, can the children fight for a home with the librarian no matter what the town thinks?

Out of My Mind  by Sharon Draper REALISTIC One of the best, life-changing middle grade books you’ll ever read. Narrated by Melody, we learn what it’s like for her, a girl who  with cerebral palsy who can’t speak or take care of herself.  No one except her parents thinks that she’s smart. Then one day, she gets a chance to prove how smart she is. Heartbreaking. Real. Inspiring. Beautifully written.

Dust by Dusti Bowling REALISTIC / FOOD ALLERGIES Avalyn, a spelling bee fanatic, lives in dry Arizona, which is supposed to be better for her asthma–until Adam moves to town, bringing pain and throat-clogging, asthma-attack-inducing dust storms. She wonders if her superpower is sensing energy– like Adam’s negative energy. As she investigates and observes Adam, she and her friends continue to be relentlessly bullied at school. She also struggles with the challenges that come with food and environmental allergies. This story deftly addresses abuse, bullying, asthma, and allergies. The author’s note in the back gives readers advice on what to do if they suspect abuse.

Awkward  by Svetlana Chmakova REALISTIC GRAHPIC NOVEL (series) My daughter found this book SO RELATABLE — just like she struggles with confidence and speaking up, so does the main character, Peppi.  This well-done graphic novel tackles the issues of friendships and confidence , among other things. (So glad I’m not in  middle school  anymore.) We highly recommend this graphic novel.

Refugee  by Alan Gratz HISTORICAL FICTION This book is a tween  must-read middle grade book about what refugees experience.  Follow three distinct stories about being  displaced from your country, on the run, and in danger.  First is a young Jewish boy who escapes from Nazi Germany on a ship to Cuba. Next is a Cuban girl in the 1990s who flees in a homemade raft to the United States. Finally, is a story about a Syrian boy whose home is bombed in a country at war. Gatz skillfully connects all three stories with a satisfying, realistic conclusion.

Medusa (The Myth of Monsters, 1)  written by Katherine Marsh FANTASY /  MYTHOLOGY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR MEDUSA. Ava and her brother are forced to attend a  special boarding school, Accademia del Forte, for descendants of the  Greek monsters   meant to reform them and the other monstrous students. When the school takes away Ava’s new friend Fia’s voice, Ava, a descendant of Medusa, starts to question who the monsters really are…and if the stories of the gods and goddesses are true. To help her friend Fia get back her voice, Ava and their fury friend Arnold travel to meet Medusa, then Hecate, Hestia, and Metis. They learn that Zeus retold the stories to favor him and to oppress powerful women.  Get ready for a twisty, exciting feminist mythological adventure that will make you think twice about accepting the stories you are told.

Sing It Like Celia  written by Mónica Mancillas REALISTIC /  LATINE I loved this book so much! When Salva’s mom doesn’t come home, her dad brings her to a campground on his work trip where he’s reporting on a woman who is imprisoned because she’s undocumented. Salva feels sad, mad, and scared not knowing about her mom and living with a dad she barely knows. Even still, she meets friends and gets the chance to sing in a band.  Like Celia, who keeps on singing even when she’s nervous and afraid, Salva stands up to a mean girl, faces the difficult truth about what happened to her mom, and fights for justice for the incarcerated mom . The writing is outstanding, the emotional arc is moving, and the ending is perfect. BUY ON AMAZON BUY ON BOOKSHOP

MYSTERY Simon is sick of his influencer parents always moving to the next cool place. He wants The Tangerine to be a home where he can stay and make friends for once.  But when the building has a jewelry theft, Simon needs to find the culprit to convince his parents it’s a safe place to live.  He and a new friend investigate for her podcast. He grows connected to the people in the building and finally tells his parents how he feels. It’s an interesting mystery with lovable characters that middle grade readers will enjoy.

TIME TRAVEL It’s 1999 and Michael is an anxious and lonely kid in the projects who meets a strange boy named Ridge from the future.  Ridge tells Michael and his babysitter, and that he accidentally used a time travel invention without permission. As they learn more about Ridge, they become very worried when Ridge gets a cold, a germ that doesn’t exist in his time period, and he gets sicker and sicker. How can they help Ridge get home and get help? It’s a  unique coming of age story  that zips along as you try to imagine yourself in Michael’s and Ridge’s situations.

Explorer Academy Vela: The Sailor Cipher  written by Trudi Trueit, illustrated by Kadijah Khatib ADVENTURE In this new series, we follow Sailor’s adventures on a new and improved boat called Vela. But just as she’s about to start classes, Sailor learns that her sister is missing, and it might be due to her work for a top-secret organization. Despite worrying about her sister, Sailor goes undercover to find the mole in the secret organization, keeps attending classes, and hides her powers of animal communication like her grandmother directed her when she was young.  Action, intrigue, and adventure — plus great illustrations and writing make this a stand-out first book of a new must-read series.

My Not-So-Great French Escape by Cliff Burke Rylan lives on a farm in France, befriending other international kids, milking a goat named Bijou, growing a garden from scratch, and discovering the truth about his father, who’d abandoned him years before. The growth that Rylan experiences is incredible; readers will be cheering him on as he forges his path, experiencing hard-earned, painful truths about his former friend and his dad and finding wonderful new lessons about what he values.

Explorer Academy: The Nebula Secret  by Trudi Trueit ADVENTURE (series) This is National Geographic’s first fictional book series with full-color illustrations that hits the spot with an exciting mix of science, technology, adventure, and mystery. Newly accepted into the prestigious Explorer Academy for science and exploration, Cruz realizes that someone is trying to kill him; someone who doesn’t want him finding out about his mother’s mysterious research and untimely death.  You’ll love the cool tech, amazing friendships, plot twists, and the intriguing premise.

Finally Seen  by Kelly Yang REALISTIC This middle-grade novel explores the importance of books as mirrors and doors, the challenges of immigration, the realities of racism, and book banning.  Lina’s lived with her Lao Lao for the last five years but she moves to join her dad, mom, and little sister in LA, leaving her beloved Lao Lao behind in a nursing home. But, it’s not what she expected and she’s embarrassed when she struggles with English words and surprised at her family’s financial struggles. Even still, Lina’s bright spots are a kind ESL teacher, the graphic novels she reads and writes, and her new friends, Finn and Carla. 

More Good Books for 5th Graders

Misfit Mansion by Kay Davault July MISFIT MANSION is a heartwarming story about what it means to be family, even if you’re not related by blood. The “horrors” who live at the titular mansion have been told that its’ too dangerous to venture outside into the human world. But a young creature named Iris wants to give humans another chance. If you’re looking for a book about found family, learning from prejudice, and friendship, you’ll love this book for 5th graders.

The Girl Who Drank the Moon  by Kelly Barnhill FANTASY Wonderfully crafted and imagined, this  2017 Newbery winner  is a  fairy tale about a good witch who rescues the town’s many abandoned (sacrificed) babies, one of whom she adopts and names Luna.  It’s also the story of the baby’s magical, bereaved mother, a wicked witch who feeds off sorrow, a woodcarver who wants justice, and most of all, a girl named Luna who grows up to be amazing.

Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life  by James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts, illustrated by Laura Park FUNNY (series) Rafe’s goal in  middle school  is to break every single rule. You can imagine how his plan will go, right?  A funny middle grade book filled with cartoon-like illustrations, this story will crack you up.   BOX SET HERE .

The Adventurers Guild  by Zach Loran Clark and Nick Eliopulos FANTASY Zed and Brock don’t want to be chosen for the Adventurers Guild. Nobody does.  Unlike the mages or merchants guild, the adventurers must leave the safety of their walled city to fight the monsters who live on the outside.  Unfortunately, Zed and Brock are picked as Adventurers. And before they can finish training, Zed, Brock, and others are sent outside the city on a fact-finding mission that uncovers treachery, fiendish beasts, and Zed’s untapped magic. Imaginative world-building, intriguing plot twists, and complex characters kept me enthralled from page one!

The Graveyard Book  by  Neil Gaiman MIDDLE GRADE FANTASY Bod lives in the graveyard with an assortment of ghosts and other cemetery creatures who raise him  after Bod’s parents are killed when Bod was a baby. Bod’s guardian Silas cares for him, feeds him, and teaches him about the human world. Despite the scary-sounding title, the scariest part is in the first chapter when Bod’s parents get murdered and I suspect most 5th graders can handle or skip over that part.

5 Worlds: The Sand Warrior  by Mark Siegel, Alexis Siegel, Xanthe Bouma, Matt Rockefeller, and Boya Sun  SCI-FI  /  GRAPHIC NOVEL Gorgeous artwork sets the tone for an otherworldly story of five worlds that are falling into chaos.  When one world attacks another, Oona Lee, a sand dancer, rescues two boys and they journey on a mission to light the unlit Beacons in order to save the worlds. But, they face a dark force and a devastating betrayal. A perfect science fiction adventure read for 5th graders.

Isaiah Dunn is My Hero  by Kelly J. Baptist REALISTIC  After Isaiah’s dad dies, his mother stops working and starts drinking too much. The family of three now lives in a smokey motel where Isaiah watches his 4-year-old sister when his mom is passed out. Isaiah finds strength and inspiration in his father’s journaled stories about Isaiah Dunn Superhero and eventually, he begins to write poems again in his own journal.  With themes of grief, family, poverty, poetry, the power of writing, and friendship — this is a beautiful middle grade book.

Crabgrass Comic Adventures  by Tauhid Bondia  FUNNY   / GRAPHIC NOVEL You will LOVE the  friendship adventures of Kevin and Miles.  These stories are fun, hilarious, relatable, and entertaining.

Front Desk  by Kelly Yang REALISTIC /  IMMIGRATION Mia and her parents have struggled ever since moving to America from China. When her parents take a new live-in job at a motel, they end up working around the clock for very little pay. Mia helps out by working at the front desk. She befriends the weekly tenants and uses her English skills to write letters advocating for other people in tough spots. This book is more than a memorable coming-of-age immigrant story,  it’s also about tolerance and diversity .  A must-read book for 5th graders for the writing, the characters, and the plot.

Daughter of the Deep  by Rick Riordan SCI-FI ADVENTURE Action, intrigue, plot twists, and super-cool technology!  Ana is the only surviving relative of Captain Nemo. When her school is attacked, she and her crew need to find the Nautilus and the school’s secret base while trying to evade their enemies. You won’t be able to put this book down– run out to get it as soon as possible — it’s a page-turning adventure that will appeal to all boys and girls.

What Are the Best Books for 5th Grade Kids? Read These!

Skyborn Sparrow Rising  by Jessica Khoury FANTASY Ellie is an orphan Sparrow girl in a world of avian-human caste system who flees the orphanage so she can compete for a coveted spot in the knight training school. She travels with a group of thieves and their friendship and adventures open her eyes to who is actually honorable and heroic. She also discovers that the stolen gargol eye has powerful healing properties.  A courageous main character and complicated companions, an interesting world, and lots of surprises adds up to a compelling read.

Cress Watercress  by Gregory Maguire, illustrated by David Litchfield  ANIMAL FICTION This is a beautiful story about family, community, and grief.  After the death of her father, Cress and her family move from their cozy burrow into the Broken Arms oak tree ruled by a cranky Owl. There, Cress helps her mom collect moths to pay their rent, leaving her mom time to work and gather ingredients for her sickly brother’s tea. As Cress navigates her new environment, the natural world, and the stories around her, it helps her understand her inner world, especially how grief waxes and wanes like the moon’s cycles. This is one of the best books for 5th graders with its gentle storyline and lavish illustrations!

Kelcie Murphy and the Academy for the Unbreakable Arts  by Erika Lewis FANTASY Fast-paced with an interesting premise, this Celtic mythology book is about a foster child attending a magical school while searching for answers about her mysterious heritage.  Foster kid, Kelcie,  has been living in the human world. When she arrives at the Academy, she discovers that she’s a Saiga, a mistrusted elemental whose legacy includes a dangerous traitor. She makes friends and learns about her unique powers. But why are monsters attacking the school looking for her?

Measuring Up  by Lily LaMotte, illustrated by Ann Xu REALISTIC / COOKING A beautiful story of food, a close-knit, multigenerational family, finding your place in a new culture and country, and staying proud of your heritage… Cici moves to the U.S. from Tawain and wants her A’má to come, too. She hopes to win the grand prize in a cooking contest and use the money to buy her A’má a plane ticket. Cici wants to cook American food like her cooking contest partner…She learns from  Julia Child  but in the end, Cici returns to her Tawainese roots to win the contest.

Edge of Extinction The Ark Plan  by Laura Martin ADVENTURE (series) Action from the first page in a dangerous world where cloned dinosaurs have taken over the world.  Sky and her fellow humans live below ground in safety with Noah as their supreme ruler. Sky finds a secret note with cryptic instructions on how to find her dad and leaves the underground city in order to find him. Barely outside a day, she and her friend Shawn are attacked by hungry dinosaurs but are rescued by a boy who lives in a treetop enclave. Soon, Sky realizes that everything she believed to be true is wrong.

Winterhouse  by Ben Guterson, illustrated by Chloe Bristol MYSTERY Elizabeth, an orphan, is unexpectedly sent to a large, stately hotel with a kind, grandfatherly proprietor for Christmas vacation. There,  she discovers a magical book, a sinister couple, a family mystery , and a new friend who loves puzzles as much as she does. The writing is mesmerizing, the mystery is fascinating, and the characters are enchanting.

Table Titans Club  written and illustrated by Scott Kurtz REALISTIC  GRAPHIC NOVEL In one of the best D&D books I’ve read, Valeria has the worst first day, prompt ing the D&D TTRPG group “Table Titans” to invite her to join their campaign.  Val loves the group who learns they’ll need a new club sponsor soon. To get the grumpy PE teacher to sponsor their club, they must try out for the wrestling team. Only Val makes the cut– and she’s GOOD! Actually, she’s amazing at wrestling. She confronts another girl named Kate who is jealous because she’s wanted to be included in the Table Titans club. Their physical altercation might get them both expelled and kicked out of their clubs, so she’s shocked at who saves them…and that Kate might not be so bad after all.

Beneath the Swirling Sky (The Restorationists) written by Carolyn Leiloglou, illustrated by Vivienne To FANTASY Vincent’s little sister Lili wanders INTO a painting–and doesn’t come out! His cousin Georgia leads him through paintings, corridors, and museums to find Lili. At the same time, she explains their family’s talent –they travel into paintings to protect the art from other nefarious travelers. They track Lili to where she’s been kidnapped by a mysterious Lady. But they are captured, too. Exciting with unique world-building, this art-filled, faith-implied, illustrated adventure will captivate 5th grade readers from cover to cover.

Reading Journal for Kids

102 pages of fun!

Write reviews for books! Draw, imagine, and write more about the books you read. This is a wonderful journal to get kids excited about what they read!

The Shape of Time (Rymworld Arcana) by Ryan Calejo SCI-FI / TIME TRAVEL Our hero, Antares, is kidnapped and taken to a prison in another world. He meets two other prisoners who explain that his world is flat and surrounded by a world outside the edges called Rymworld. Rymworld is in peril from a group of mystics who seek to control time. Antares escapes prison with his friend, Magdavellía. They race to find the mysterious star artifact and, possibly, Antares’ missing parents. Detailed, creative world-building, this is a thrilling adventure that many kids will love.

Allergic  by Megan Wagner Lloyd and Michelle Mee Nutter REALISTIC A well-done middle-grade graphic novel about a child with allergies!  Maggie is devastated that she’s allergic to the puppy she’s finally allowed to get. What’s more, her new fifth-grade class must get rid of their class pet because of Maggie’s allergies –which makes everyone mad at her. Then, her new friend gets a puppy which Maggie interprets this her new friend not wanting to be friends anymore. The story ends with Maggie helping with her new baby sister and feeling like she doesn’t need an animal pet anymore.

Nightmares!   by Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller, illustrated by Karl Kwasny FANTASY (series) Charlie’s dad remarries and moves Charlie and his younger brother into their stepmother’s frightening purple mansion. Charlie begins to have horrible nightmares that blur between reality and dream. When the nightmare witches steal Charlie’s little brother,  Charlie and his friends must venture into the nightmare world,  face their fears , and hope they can save his little brother  and the entire world before it’s too late.

The Unforgettable Logan Foster  by Shawn Peters ADVENTURE Logan is a neurodivergent, orphan main character who is fostered out of the orphanage by a friendly new couple, Gil and Margie. Then, Logan and his neighbor, a super cool older girl named Elena, discover that his foster parents are actually superheroes who get double-crossed and captured by an evil villain.  In an exciting, fast-paced adventure, Logan and Elena use their wits and strength to save his foster parents and other supes from the villains and the traitor.

Boo Hag Flex written by Justina Ireland SCARY / SHORT MIDDLE GRADE In a story within a story, after Tasha’s mom dies, she’s sent to stay with her grandmother and deadbeat dad. Mostly Tasha hangs out with her new friend Ellie. The girls soon realize that a boo hag is killing the old folks at the trailer park and Tasha’s grandmother is next. They read in a hoodoo legends book how to stop the boo hag, but they could never imagine who the boo hag is. Tasha will need her wits and bravery to save her grandmother and stop the murderous creature trying to live forever. It’s a quick read with an interesting plot and believable, likable characters.

Survival Scout Tsunami  written and illustrated by Maxwell Eaton III  SCIENCE  GRAPHIC NOVEL This hybrid (fiction/nonfiction) visually appealing graphic novel is about a girl and her skunk who experience an earthquake.  The girl’s dialogue plus nonfiction informational sections explain the science of what’s happening. Alongside the skunk, readers will learn about plate tectonics, tsunamis, landslides, and much more about the science and preparedness related to earthquakes and tsunamis. 

More to the Story  by Hena Khan REALISTIC Jameela is one of four girls in a Pakistani-American family. She’s passionate about journalism, but in her enthusiasm, she hurts a new friend when she writes something he isn’t comfortable sharing with the world. While she digests these hard-earned lessons, she learns that her beloved little sister has lymphoma.  Khan skillfully weaves a story of family, culture, community, and social justice that is sure to become a modern-day Little Women-type classic.

The Supervillain’s Guide to Being a Fat Kid  by Matt Wallace COMING OF AGE / BULLYING A n outstanding, surprisingly philosophical, poignant story about dealing with bullies, growing in confidence, and the complexities of human beings.  Matt doesn’t think he can survive three more years of middle school bullying, so he writes supervillain Master Plan who is also a “gentleman of size”, asking for help. Surprisingly, Master Plan emails back with helpful, sage advice but is Master Plan actually looking out for Max or for himself?

Blue Stars The Vice Principal Problem  written by Kekla Magoon and Cynthia Leitich Smith, illustrated by Molly Murakami REALISTIC GRAPHIC NOVEL, 172 pages In this engaging, realistic graphic novel, two cousins who barely know each other, Riley and Maya, start sharing a room at their grandma’s house in a big city. Riley is confused because Maya doesn’t act like she doesn’t want to be friends. But Maya misses her parents, who are in Japan, and she has different interests than her extroverted cousin Riley.  Eventually, the two girls realize that they have a common enemy– the school vice principal who is threatening to cut school clubs, sports, arts, and the library in favor of more detention.

Smile  (Also:  Drama, Sisters  ) by Raina Telgemeier REALISTIC / GRAPHIC NOVEL Raina writes about her life with  humor, amazing art, and relatable stories.   Smile  is about Raina’s unfortunate accident which leads to oral surgery and braces and her ongoing life challenges with friends, family, and boys. What kid can’t relate to all of this?  BOX SET HERE .

Masterminds  by Gordon Korman SCI-FI (series) Eli and his friends discover that their utopian town is a large-scale, illegal science experiment to determine if kids cloned from criminal masterminds can be good when raised in the right environment.  Eli and his cloned friends know they can’t stay in their town of lies anymore but how can they escape when the minute they reach the border, they experience violent pain and guards surround them? And if they do escape, what will they do next? My kids and I love this amazing, action-packed adventure.

Skyriders  by Polly Holyoke FANTASY Kie is a courier for the kingdom, riding on her skyrider, a small but fast winged horse.  Her Uncle taught her the old ways of fighting the chimerae. Fearing a full chimarae invasion, her uncle sends Kie to the capital to convince the leaders to use the old ways of fighting. But she’s dismissed by the leaders who insist on their new ways — which will eventually get them killed. Meanwhile, Kie learns she can mindspeak to all skyrider steeds which helps when she and her friends (including the prince and princess) must save the city themselves. Readers will love this exciting story with an interesting plot and a brave but reluctant heroine.

Unicorn Legacy Tangled Magic  written by Kamilla Benko FANTASY If you like fantasy stories like I do, you don’t want to miss this engaging story about a girl named Olivia without the magic of her family’s guild. She sneaks away to a newly formed Unicorn Academy, where her magic is revealed: she’s not a Tiller; she’s a Spinner! The other guilds represented at the school include Gemmers and Forgers, and the school hopes to unite the separated guilds in this one-year experiment.  Olivia is an outcast almost immediately when her sister and her nan are accused of trapping unicorns, but she befriends a girl named Violet without magic, and together, they try to prove her sister’s innocence by finding the actual unicorn-trapping culprit.  A mesmerizing story with a plot twist I did NOT see coming!

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Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus  by Dusti Bowling REALISTIC  (series) Aven Green is used to making up creative stories for why she doesn’t have any arms.  Especially now in Arizona where her parents are the new managers of a rundown theme park. She befriends a boy at school who has  Tourette Syndrome. They investigate a mysterious storage shed which leads them to a mystery involving Aven’s past.  This story is about restorative friendship, facing your fears, and discovering your true (significant) potential.   I loved the physical and mental diversity shown with so much strength and compassion. 

Starfish  by Lisa Fipps REALISTIC / BODY IMAGE & SIZE /  VERSE Heartbreaking and inspiring, this poignant story in verse shows a girl who learns, after years of fat-shaming and bullying, to be proud of herself.  Ellie’s nickname is Splash because of her size but she loves swimming. And her biggest bully? Her mother–who won’t buy her new clothes because she thinks it encourages Ellie’s weight gain and is pushing for gastro-bypass surgery. Not even Ellie’s dad stands up to her mom’s cruel treatment of Ellie. Fortunately, Ellie finds an understanding therapist who helps her move from powerless to powerful. 

Miles Morales: Shock Waves  by Justin A. Reynolds & Pablo Leon SUPERHERO In this Spider-Man graphic novel adventure, Miles Morales is faced with a problem.  As he struggles to juggle both his superhero and civilian lives at the same time, a fellow student’s father suddenly goes missing with just a few too many connections to strange supernatural activity in the area.  Can he figure out what’s going on and save this innocent civilian? 

The Last Gate of the Emperor   by Kwame Mbalia and Prince Joel Makonnen SCIENCE FICTION Set in a futuristic Ethiopian empire, this  exciting adventure  grabs your interest and keeps it through wild twists and turns that feature heroic main characters!  Yared gives his real name during an augmented reality game and soldiers come for him revealing everything he believed about his life to be a lie…including his identity. Yared partners with another game player, the Ibis, to escape the troops and the giant monster and find the truth. The two clever, quick-witted kids face incredible danger, insurmountable odds, and a galaxy-spanning war but Yared has been trained for this and he is ready to fight. 

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle SCI-FI (series) I’ve read this middle grade book so many times, I can’t count — many times with my classes as a read aloud book for 5th grader students– and every time it’s just as fantastic. (That doesn’t always happen with books.)  A Wrinkle in Time  is a remarkable,  well-written adventure in space that deals with the overarching theme of good vs. evil.  Meg, her brother Charles Wallace, and her friend, Calvin travel in space and time to find her scientist father who disappeared while researching tesseracts.  BOX SET HERE.

Charlie Hernandez and the League of Shadows   by Ryan Calejo FANTASY / ADVENTURE Charlie Hernández’s house burns down, his parents go missing, and he is sent to a foster home. But it’s when he grows HORNS, the WINGS, and meets the MYTHS in real life — like calacas, mukis, and El Justo Juez,  he’s really freaked out. Fortunately, a persistent classmate Violet Rey (also his crush) helps Charlie follow the clues to find out what happened to his parents and that Charlie might be the prophesied Morphling who is meant to save the world.  A perfect balance of action, dialogue, & description in an exciting fantasy adventure.

In a Glass Grimmly   by Adam Gidwitz FAIRY TALE  (series) I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this fabulous story — we’re on our second time through already.  We love the message, the fairy tale mash-up, the humor, . . . everything!  More Grimm tales await in the harrowing, hilarious adventure of Jack and Jill.

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library   by Chris Grabenstein ADVENTURE (series) Kyle and a few classmates win a sleepover at the town’s newly created library  by game-creator Mr. Lemoncello. The silly Mr. Lemoncello devises a fun way to get OUT of the library — you can only get out if you solve the puzzles around the entire library. Will the kids work together or will it be every child for himself?

Ghost  by Jason Reynolds REALISTIC (series) Ghost accidentally gets on a track team and it’s life-changing.  His coach becomes a mentor and father figure who pushes Ghost to take responsibility for his mistakes (stealing sneakers) and to start dealing with the ghosts of his past. Well-written and hopeful about growing up and growing into yourself.

All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook  by Leslie Connor REALISTIC A  coming-of-age story both heartbreaking and hopeful…  Perry is well-loved by his mother and her friends. . . in prison. That’s where Perry has lived since he was born eleven years ago. But in an unexpected and unpleasant turn of events, his best friend’s stepfather, the new District Attorney, forces Perry to leave his prison home. Perry decides to research the inmates’ life stories, hoping that somehow they’ll be helpful in reuniting him with his mother.

Cucumber Quest 1: The Doughnut Kingdom  by Gigi D.G. GRAPHIC NOVEL  /  FANTASY  ADVENTURE When the kingdoms of Dreamside need a hero, his parents send Cucumber, a not-adventurous or brave magician. Fortunately, his heroically inclined little sister, Almond, arrives just in the nick of time to save Cucumber the first of many dangers.  Together, they set off to find the Dream Sword and stop the evil queen and her Nightmare Knight.  Adapted from the  Cucumber Quest webcomic .

Hither and Nigh  by Ellen Potter  FANTASY Guaranteed to enthrall with masterful storytelling and wildly inventive world-building,  Hither and Nigh  draws you into a magical, multi-layered story of adventure and heart.  When Nell is forced to join the Last Chance Club or be expelled from school, she’s surprised when the  students get lessons in magic! This begins Nell’s search for her missing brother. Her search leads to the magical world of Nither and poachers who kidnap non-magical children with big imaginations. 

Tornado Brain  by Cat Patrick MYSTERY / NEURODIVERSITY When Frankie’s former best friend, Colette, vanishes, Frankie searches for her. As she does, we see how complicated it is to be in her brain. Loud noises, changes, touch, and so many things affect her intensely.  The mystery of Colette’s whereabouts keeps every moment of the story suspenseful.  Frankie and her twin sister piece together Colette’s last known locations. As they do, Frankie accepts herself and forgives Colette and her sister.

El Deafo  by Cece Bell and David Lasky REALISTIC / GRAPHIC NOVEL In this award-winning graphic novel, Cece Bell shares the story of growing up with a hearing impairment, using a very bulky hearing aid, and finding her place in the world . Funny and moving, this is a beautiful coming-of-age story of courage and determination.

Restart  by Gordon Korman REALISTIC After a bad fall, Chase has no memory of who he is or was.  But he soon realizes that he was a cruel troublemaker. Now he must decide who he’ll be from now on. Because he’s enjoying his new life in the film club and the new (“nerdy”) friends he’s made. This thought-provoking novel shows kids that our choices and behavior make a difference.

Lifeboat 12  by Susan Hood HISTORICAL FICTION / VERSE Thinking Hitler will invade England next, Ken’s family sends him to safety in Canada. But, Ken’s ship is torpedoed and sunk only days into the journey  Written in verse, this is a moving account of bravery as Ken, several other kids, a priest, the ship’s only woman, and members of the crew spend weeks adrift at sea in an ill-stocked lifeboat.  You’ll read about their swollen feet, dehydration, and starvation as well as the stories and songs that helped keep the kids distracted and somewhat hopeful. Ultimately, you’ll be left with a sense of amazement at the resiliency of the human spirit.

Brick Dust and Bones by M.R. Forunet GHOST STORY Marius Grey is a 12-year-old Cajun Cemetery Boy and student. But he’s also working nights as a monster hunter to earn mystic coins for a  really  important spell that will bring his mother back to life…and time is running out. In desperation, Marius decides to hunt one of the most dangerous monsters in the swamp, a rougarou, even though his only friend, a monstrous mermaid, doesn’t want Marius to risk his life. The story is compelling and entertaining, with a heroic main character who loves his mom more than anything. You won’t be able to put this one down!

Dead City  by James Ponti PARANORMAL (series) Molly’s recruited to hunt  zombies  in New York City, just like her mother, who is dead. Or is mom actually a zombie? And why is she trying to contact Molly?  This is a great action-adventure-mystery series with a zombie focus.

Ride On  by Faith Erin Hicks REALISTIC / GRAPHIC NOVEL Norrie loves horses and the low-key stables where she works and rides. When the new girl Victoria rejects her offer of friendship, it takes Norrie a lot to try again. But the only boy at the stables connects to Victoria to their friend group’s favorite science fiction show and they find common ground, forgiveness, and mutual support.  It’s a beautifully knit-together, relatable middle grade story of friendship, horses, being yourself, and growing in confidence.

Atlantis: The Accidental Invasion  by Gregory Mone SCIENCE FICTION Lewis’s dad believes that Atlantis still exists. Lewis ends up on a journey with his dad and his dad’s research assistant, Hanna. Meanwhile, an Atlantian girl sneaks away from home and passed the guards to see if there could be life above the ocean. When their fates collide, the excitement at each other’s existence is short-lived because the Atlantian Eraser guards capture Lewis’s dad…and then Lewis and Hanna.  Interesting, action-packed, and filled with cool tech!

The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart  by Stephanie Burgis FANTASY  (series) After a food mage turns Aventurine, a dragon, into a human using a magical chocolate drink, she develops a passion for chocolate.  Unrecognized by her dragon clan, Aventurine travels to the nearest city to apprentice herself to a chocolate shop. She’s a brave, adventurous girl who makes her chocolate dreams come true with help from a new friend and kind employers. Will she be as brave when her dragon family attacks the town? Enjoyable from the first page, this fantasy book is a delight to read. (Best read with chocolate!)

Whale of the Wild  by Rosanne Parry, illustrated by Lindsay Moore ENVIRONMENT / OCEAN / ANIMALS Two orca siblings separated from their families, trying to find food and their seasonal home.  When a Tsunami hits and they both are lost from their pod, Vega, a stranger, and her little brother travel together towards recognizable landscapes and hopefully, food. As they journey, they meet other orca pods with different customs and who eat different foods, as well as other sea creatures. (This is all explained in the author’s note — which is fascinating!) When they’re with the Vanished Ones, Deneb gets hurt protecting Vega. She becomes even more determined to get Deneb to safety and food.

The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street  by Karina Yan Glaser REALISTIC Like The Penderwicks, you’ll fall in love with this quirky, wonderful family from the first page. The Vanderbeekers’ landlord wants them out by the end of December but the Vanderbeeker kids are determined to change his mind, even though he hates noise, kids, and their family. But it’s almost Christmas and their efforts are only making things worse. What will they do?  Charming and heart-warming.

The War That Saved My Life  by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley HISTORICAL FICTION (series) One of the BEST children’s chapter books EVER!!!  Ada and her brother escape their mother’s abuse when the London children are evacuated during WWII and go to live with a grieving woman in a small country town.  It’s difficult for both the woman and children to trust but slowly the trust grows and all three regain something lost — hope and love. I can’t recommend this book and it’s sequel( The War I Finally Won ) enough, it just touched my heart at such a deep level.

Prairie Lotus   by Linda Sue Park HISTORICAL FICTION Park writes a wonderfully touching multilayered story about a young half-Asian girl’s life during western expansion, frontier times.  After Hana’s mother dies, her father moves the two of them to a small midwestern town. Park sets the scene with care and you’ll see a realistic portrayal of life in the 1880s from the point of view of someone who is experiencing racism. Despite many unfair things, Hana stays resilient and determined to graduate from school and help her father in his shop.

Chupacarter  by George Lopez and Ryan Calejo  FANTASY Fast-paced, exciting, well-written, and dynamically illustrated about friendship and monsters!  Jorge is bullied at his new school but makes a new friend outside of school –a  chupacabra  named Carter. But Carter ISN’T a monster, and the friends have a lot in common like loving candy, climbing trees, and playing hide-and-seek. Even still, Carter needs to reunite with his chupacabra family, especially because Jorge’s school principal is hunting him. So, Jorge and his two new school friends come up with an ingenious plan to get Carter to safety–but will they be too late? 

Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation  by Stuart Gibb ADVENTURE The story starts out fast and furious with Einstein’s death and a huge secret he accidentally says in German… Then it goes to the present day when  the CIA asks a super genius 12-year-old girl named Charlie to help find the missing and dangerous “Pandora” theory of Einstein’s.  You will fall in love with Charlie—she’s a creative thinker and a survivor who despite all her knowledge still can act like a child yet also outwit bad guys in amazing ways. Terrorists, Moussed, cross-world travel, and mathematical clues combine with excellent writing to make the perfect action-adventure spy story starring a female protagonist you’ll love!

Dad’s Girlfriend and Other Anxieties by Kellye Crocker REALISTIC / ANXIETY I loved this book so much that I read it in one sitting! Ava’s dad surprises her with a visit to his girlfriend in the mountains of Colorado. This is a big problem for Ava because 1) a GIRLFRIEND? and 2) the mountains are DANGEROUS! (Ava knows!) Even though the Girlfriend’s daughter Z is nice, Ava wants to go home, so she sabotages the trip. But they don’t go home and Ava ends up hurting her new friend Z and her new ally, the Girlfriend, who is keeping a big secret. This is an emotional, multi-layered story of change, family, growing up, and living with anxiety with a main character you will adore.

Night Raven: The Moonwind Mysteries written by Johan Rundberg, translated by A.A. Prime HISTORICAL MYSTERY An excellent, page-turning mystery set in 1880s Sweden about an orphan girl named Mika whose survival skills include an eye for detail, connections, and deductions! After an abandoned baby is dropped into her arms in the middle of the night, a police detective recruits her to assist him in identifying a dead body and then investigating a prison cell — all in pursuit of a copycat serial killer. But Mika realizes it’s not a copycat. In a dangerous game of cat and mouse, she and the detective need to avoid the corrupt prison officials and the serial killer. This observant heroine is my favorite kind — resourceful, aspirational, and interesting. I can’t wait for more books in the series. (Sensitive readers: Includes the word cr*p.)

Ahisma  by Supriya Kelkar HISTORICAL FICTION What an incredible, passion-filled story. Anjali’s parents join the freedom movement against the British government. Through her parents,  Anjali begins to see her world differently including the poverty-stricken caste of many people call “the Untouchables”.  Other Indian families do not like the changes her family is making. Then, Anjali’s mom is thrown in jail! You won’t be able to put this book down!

Dungeon Club Roll Call written by Molly Knox Ostertag and illustrated by Xanthe Bouma REALISTIC / GRAPHIC NOVEL 8th grader Olivia and her best friend Jess love the tabletop RPG game Dungeons and Dragons. Jess is a loner and only wants one friend Olivia, their Dungeon Master. But when Olivia starts a D&D club, Jess gets mad that Tyler joins. She is mean to him and kills him in the game. (Jess didn’t like Tyler because in 6th grade, to avoid being called gay, he said they were going out.) Jess’s father helps her see the power of friends to fight monsters and she apologizes to Tyler and makes room for more friends in her life. A great life lesson, stunning artwork, a tabletop RPG game, what’s not to love!?

Your Pal Fred  by Michael Rex  SCI-FI  / GRAPHIC NOVEL Fred is a robot who brings kindness (and STICKERS!) to a  dystopian  world he makes better in this funny, warmhearted, and interesting story.  When Fred discovers that two warlords are capturing innocent people to fight as soldiers for them, Fred knows what he has to do–ask the two bad guys to try peace. He irritates and surprises everyone he meets with his cheerfulness and positive attitude, even when he’s caught and “tortured” with drumming, which, of course, he loves. His character oozes charm, you can’t help but love him, Will Fred succeed in his seemingly impossible mission? 

The Accidental Apprentice  by Amanda Foody FANTASY A fantastic, magical journey of self-acceptance, a bewitching plotline, and irresistible characters.  When gathering mushrooms, Barclay accidentally becomes a Lore Keeper bonded with a mythical beast. Even though he doesn’t want to be a Lore Keeper, Barclay is forced out of his hometown by scared villagers. He travels with another Lore Keeper named Violet to a town where he tries to get rid of his mark by first entering a competition. All the while, he struggles with the unexpected joy of the wild Beast bond and the guilt for enjoying it. He’ll soon have to make a choice — cut out the Beast or embrace his new life.

The Last Last-Day-of-Summer  by Lamar Giles, illustrated by Dapo Adeola ADVENTURE / MAGICAL REALISM/  FUNNY If you’re a fan of wild and wacky stories, this is the book for you. Cousins Otto and Sheed accidentally stop time, freezing all the people in the town. Mostly.  Because a sinister Mr. Flux on a gigantic beast can move about as can all the people related to time like A.M. and P.M.and Father Time. Throw in some unexpected plot twists and excellent writing and it adds up to a delightful adventure that just proves you should be careful what you wish for…

Swim Team  by Johnnie Christmas REALISTIC  / GRAPHIC NOVEL Bree and her dad move to Florida where she has to take Swim 101 at school . But she ditches because she can’t swim and is afraid. luckily, her neighbor and babysitter is a former swim team captain, and she teaches Bree how to swim. When Bree accidentally makes the swim team, she learns about teamwork and friendship. This is a wonderful feel-good story about failure, perseverance, and teamwork.

Unteachables   by Gordon Korman REALISTIC This book is everything you’d want —  funny, sensitive, well-written, brilliantly paced, relatable, and poignant.  The middle school assigns the worst teacher, Mr. Kermit, to a class of the so-called worst kids –the class known as the unteachables. Mr. Kermit is totally uninterested in teaching. Then something surprising happens…Mr. Kermit starts to care just a little. And that opens the gates to even more caring and a big life change. When Mr. Kermit gets a notice that he will be fired, the students have a plan to save his job.

The Endling: The Last  by Katherine Applegate FANTASY (series) The conquering human ruler, Murdano, hunts and kills all the large, dog-like Dairne. All except Byx. In hopes to find a safe place and maybe the Dairne’s mythical homeland, Byx sets off on what becomes a dangerous, exciting adventure filled with new friends like Tobble who is a wobbyk.  I love this uniquely imagined fantasy world about friendship, differences, betrayal, and family.

Sanity & Tallulah  by Molly Brooks  SCI-FI / GRAPHIC NOVEL Sanity and Tallulah are two good friends who live on a space station.  Sanity is a brilliant inventor — but her newest (illegal) creation, a three-headed kitten named Princess Destroyer of Worlds has escaped and is living up to her name — destroyer. The friends look for their missing kitten but instead discover a big problem that will destroy the space station. I love the space station setting, the super-smart problem-solving main characters, and the non-stop action.

The Girl Who Speaks Bear  by Sophie Anderson FANTASY When Yanka’s legs turn into hair bear legs and paws, she leaves her foster mother’s home in the village to find answers in the forest.  Her quest for answers leads her to a wolf she met as a baby bear, a Yaga girl and mom and their house on chicken legs, her grandmother, the Bear Tsarina, and eventually, a dangerous task to kill a dragon and save the wish tree so that Yanka can ask for her friend Sasha’s life to be spared… It’s a Russian-folktale-infused story with themes of family, belonging, identity, selflessness, and the power of stories.

Other Words for Home  by  Jasmine Warga REALISTIC Written in evocative yet readable  verse , f ollow a young Syrian girl who moves to the United States.  Jude’s journey is one of growing up, being brave, and discovering. Readers will see how Jude finds her way– relating to other ESL students in their safe classroom space, finding new friends, getting her period and starting to wear a headscarf, and even performing in the school play. Her insights on life in America help us understand what it’s like to be an  immigrant , experiencing this country for the first time. Beautiful!

Keeper of the Lost Cities  by Shannon Messenger FANTASY / ADVENTURE (series) A new favorite action-packed, fantasy series of elves, danger, and magical creatures !! Twelve-year-old Sophie doesn’t fit in her world, maybe because she’s a Telepath and not even human. She leaves the human world for the Elvin world where she faces danger from both worlds. She hopes she’ll be safe if only she can regain the lost memories of her past.  BOX SET HERE.

The Ruins of Gorlan: Ranger’s Apprentice  by John A. Flanagan FANTASY (series) Will is apprenticed to become a Ranger, a job he’s unsure about. But as he develops a relationship with his master and learns what being a Ranger is all about (spying for the kingdom), he begins to embrace his new life. When an old enemy of the kingdom sends out dangerous beasts to attack Will’s master, Will is instrumental in getting help and killing the creatures.  Action, fantasy, adventure, friendship, excellent writing — this book has it all!  

The Crossover  by Kwame Alexander REALISTIC / VERSE Because this is written in  verse , this is a fast-paced read but packs a big punch.  Basketball player and twin Josh narrates his life in quarters, just like the game he plays.  He writes about missing his twin when his twin, Jordan, gets a girlfriend; about getting in trouble when he hits Jordan in the face with a basketball; and about watching his father as his heart fails. This is a coming-of-age, gripping story about a boy who is just trying to figure out life like most boys at age 12.

Lightcasters  by Janelle McCurdy  FANTASY After the Reaper King’s soldiers attack her forever dark city and capture her parents, Mia, her brother Lucas, plus two other friends flee the nefarious soldiers toward her grandparent’s in the capital city.  To make it through the dangerous Nightmare Plains, Mia reluctantly bonds with not one but two wild umbras, creatures made of shadows and starlight, and learns she’s one of the mythical Lightkeepers,  foretold to defeat the Reaper King. Unique, super cool world-building, fantastic storytelling, and perfect pacing, this is one book you won’t be able to put down!

Space Case  and  Spaced Out  by Stuart Gibbs SCI FI (series) review written by 11-year old JJ This series is AMAZING–  a murder mystery on the moon . I can never turn down a good, realistic sci-fi PLUS murder mystery. It has it all! It occurs in 2040 when the second-in-command dies. He had walked out the airlock (to the moon’s surface) with his space suit on wrong– he died in seconds. Everyone thinks he might go crazy, but Dashiel Gibson suspects differently. Murder.

Thirst   by Varsha Bajaj REALISTIC Set in Mumbi, this is a deftly narrated, hope-filled story of the inequities around water with themes of advocacy, education, and community.  12-year-old Minni’s community has access to water only a few hours per day with severe water shortages. When Minni is forced to leave school to work as a maid, she sees the water (and other) iniquity first-hand and discovers that the family’s dad is the water mafia boss. Her decision and action to report him makes a difference — and gives us hope that one person can make a difference.

Katie the Catsitter  by Colleen AF Venable, illustrated by Stephanie Yue SUPERHERO If you like mystery, adventure, and CATS, you won’t want to miss this entertaining graphic novel!  Katie desperately wants to join her friends at their summer camp so to earn money, she gets a job for her neighbor Madeline catsitting 217 cats. But, something is VERY weird because these are super-smart cats with destructive behaviors and powerful abilities, not to mention that Katie finds evidence that her neighbor might be the supervillain, Moustress. Then, when the Moustress gets captured, Katie decides she and the cats must take action and save their friend.

Amal Unbound  by Aisha Saeed REALISTIC  / PAKISTAN Amal’s life is turned upside down when she offends a regional Pakistani overlord and is forced to leave her home and school to work in his home as a servant — indefinitely. She finds her inner strength and fights back, freeing herself and the other household slaves. The author deftly sets the scene of rural Pakistan.  Readers will feel transported, feel the injustice, and cheer for Amal’s bravery.

Recipe for Disaster  by Aimee Lucido REALISTIC Hannah, a girl who loves  cooking and food , wants to figure out what being Jewish means…and have her own bat mitzvah. Since her mom forbids her to be Jewish, she secretly studies. As she pursues her lessons, other things aren’t going well in her life…her dad and brother argue all the time, her BFF dumps her, and her new friend Vee experiences anti-Semitism graffiti on her house.  A heart-warming story about family, faith, forgiveness, and learning to define yourself instead of letting others define you.

Ophie’s Ghost  by Justina Ireland HISTORICAL FICTION A page-turning historical ghost mystery about racism, justice, bravery, and friendship.  Ophie sees ghosts everywhere, even in her new house job with her mother. At her new job, she meets a beautiful, charming ghost named Clara who was murdered but can’t remember it. Ophie wants to discover the truth and help her new friend. But ghosts don’t have good intentions and will do anything, including possessing someone, to get their revenge. Ophie needs to be careful…

Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish  by Pablo Cartaya REALISTIC Marcus is an entrepreneurial kid who makes the most of his intimidating size. He’s also very protective of his brother with Down syndrome who faces bullying at school. When Marcus gets suspended, his mother takes the two brothers to Puerto Rico, the home country of their father who abandoned them years before. Even though they are only meant to visit relatives, Marcus hopes to find his father. However,  he finds a loving, extended family, the difficult truth about his dad, and a growing sense of his own identity.  Remarkable.

Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer  by Kelly Jones, illustrations by Katie Kath MAGICAL REALISM  (series) We loved this book so much, it’s one of our favorites. The book is written as letters from a girl named Sophie, who is newly living at the farm of her deceased great-uncle Jim. She writes to her dead abuelita, her dead great-uncle Jim, and Agnes of the Extraordinary Chickens catalog. While her parents are figuring out their new lives, Sophie figures out the farm. Specifically, the  magical chickens who seem to have telekinesis, invisibility, and carnivorous chicks . But a neighbor chicken thief is also interested in Jim’s chickens, too — and Sophie must stop her. Exceptional writing, characterization, and plot!

The Monster Missions  by Laura Martin  DYSTOPIAN If you like adventure, fast-paced action, cool world-building, and heroic kids, then read this  post-apocalyptic adventure when all the humans live on ships. After she rescues her ship from a sea monster, Berkley gets the choice of prison or a mysterious monster hunting. submarine. When their sub is hijacked by pirates, she must use the sea creatures in the aquarium tanks to stop them. In particular, the brilliant and mischievous– an octopus named Elmer. 

Indian No More  by Charlene Willing McManis and Traci Sorell HISTORICAL FICTION Indian No More  is an emotional, important story  about when the U.S. government arbitrarily made certain  Native American  tribes no longer tribes without reservations or legal rights.  It also shows the historical landscape of prejudice and stereotypes towards people of color. I love the close-knit, loving family based on the author’s own life, a family who values each other and their survival. This book is a must-read and must-own for all schools and libraries and would make an excellent book club selection.

Harry Potter series  by J.K. Rowling FANTASY The best-selling children’s book of all time, this series gets kids hooked on reading for so many reasons: the brilliant storytelling, a complex and entertaining plot, relatable characters, rich language, essential life lessons about friendship and bravery, and more.

All’s Faire in Middle School   by Victoria Jamieson REALISTIC  / COMING OF AGE / GRAPHIC NOVEL Growing up, Imogene (aka. Impy) always loved her family’s part in the Renaissance Faire . . . that is, until middle school. Even though she gets her dream to work in the faire as a squire, she also just wants to be like the other girls at her school, too. Her journey is painful and honest as she figures out who she wants to be. It’s narrated as a hero’s journey which, with the faire background and middle school drama, feels perfect. Beyond being a terrific coming of age story, I’m sure this book will interest tween readers in Renaissance festivals themselves.

Number the Stars  by Lois Lowry HISTORICAL FICTION Lowry does an excellent job at writing about WWII in a way that isn’t too scary or inappropriate for kids.  Annemarie’s best friend hides Annemarie’s Jewish family.  The tension is high as the Nazis are everywhere in Denmark looking for Jews and Jewish sympathizers. It’s challenging for Annemarie to hide knowing that every day she might be caught and sent to a death camp. Finally, the family escapes to Sweden where they will be safe from the Nazis.

Brave  by Svetlana Chmakova BULLYING / GRAPHIC NOVEL Jensen is the miserable target of the school’s bullies’ attacks.  Friends, Jenny and Akilah think that they can use the newspaper to help him, but their plans without Jensen’s consent hurts their friendship. The ups and downs and challenges of Jensen’s life (that he relates to a video game) as he struggles with self-esteem, stop the bullies, and finds his place in the world.

Wink  by Rob Harrell REALISTIC A standout cancer story based on the author’s life for readers who like humorous but emotion-filled stories.  When Ross is diagnosed with a rare kind of tumor, he immediately starts radiation treatment. School becomes pretty challenging because his eye is goopy, he has to wear a hat, and his hair starts falling out in clumps– among other things made funny with his cartoon drawings. A goofy, kind-hearted radiation tech gets Ross interested in alternative punk music, and in order to impress a girl, Ross asks the tech for guitar lessons. Turns out, the guitar and his new music, help Ross both express his frustrations and find his joy, leading to some surprising results — like a new, unexpected friend.

Legacy and the Queen  by Annie Matthew, created by Kobe Bryant FANTASY / SPORTS This uniquely imagined story is also beautifully written and 100% enchanting.  Legacy lives at an orphanage with her father and the other orphans but she longs to compete in tennis. When she gets the chance, she leaves to try out for the country’s elite tennis academy. Once she’s there, Legacy’s country background makes her an outcast but that also helps her discover two true friends, her inner magical power, and the dangerous truth of what’s actually going on at the Academy.

Chronicles of Narnia   by C. S. Lewis FANTASY (series) I think you already know about these amazing books but if you don’t, they’re absolutely engaging fantasy adventures set in a different world of magic and magical animals that will hook your kids into reading.  BOX SET HERE.

The Land of Stories   by Chris Colfer FANTASY (series) An addictive series you won’t be able to put down!  Fairy tales come alive when Alex and Conner (brother and sister) find themselves trapped in the fairy tale world.  Their only way home is to find the ingredients for a Wishing Spell. Finding them will be dangerous, mysterious, and life-changing. The characters are memorable, unique, and familiar all at the same time. Kids love these books. (So do I.)  BOX SET HERE.

Rump  by Liesl Shurtliff FRACTURED FAIRY TALE (series) In this powerful story from Rumplestiltskin’s perspective, you’ll read how Rump discovers who he is and grows into his potential. It takes some work but Rump learns he’s trapped in his mom’s magical “rumple” which requires him to make straw into gold for any trade that another person offers. This is what the miller takes advantage of, leaving Rump without options or any control. With the help of his troll friends, his friend Red, and his aunts, Rump finds a way to stop the magical curse and give the queen back her child.

Green Lantern Legacy  by Minh Le, illustrated by Angie Tong SUPERHERO GRAPHIC NOVEL Excellent! Before Tai’s Vietnamese grandmother dies, she gives him her Jade ring. He wears it and discovers that he’s a Green Lantern who must protect the earth from evil like Sinesteo. Not long after, he discovers that the rich guy trying to take over the neighborhood for redevelopment turns out to be a Yellow Lantern working for Sinesteo. Lots of action, intrigue, and humor!

The Books of Elsewhere: The Shadows  by Jacqueline West FANTASY/GHOST (series) This is an awesome book series about a house that seems to be haunted; with  paintings that lead to other worlds, and mysteriously cryptic, talking cats.  Olive soon learns that the previous owners had trapped many people in the paintings, including a boy Olive befriends. The plot’s twistings kept me wondering what was happening, and my kids and I loved the main character’s gumption and her supportive side-kick cats.

The Royal Guide to Monster Slaying  by Kelley Armstrong FANTASY (series) The story is an exciting adventure filled with surprises, mythical creatures, and new friendships. It’s not a cliffhanger, but it does leave the door open for another book. (I can’t wait!)

Fish in a Tree  by Lynda Mullally Hunt REALISTIC / DYSLEXIA Both Ally and her older brother have hidden that they can’t read — until Mr. Daniels helps Ally learn to read and discovers her true value. It’s such a beautiful, emotional story that will help kids who might not understand how it feels to have dyslexia.

Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy  by Karen Foxlee FANTASY Stuck in a museum with her sister and father who is working on a sword exhibit, Ophelia’s curiosity leads her to a locked room where a boy has been trapped for thousands of years. But Ophelia doesn’t believe magic. Except, she kind of does.  This is a breathtaking journey of loss, acceptance, hope, and friendship and a cool homage to the Snow Queen fairy tale.  I loved it so much that I wrote about it for the  first Read Brightly book club pick .

Percy Jackson and the Olympians   by Rick Riordan FANTASY (series) Greek gods still exist and so do their kids, half-bloods, or demigods, who have incredible abilities. Unfortunately for these kids, monsters are out to kill them. But, they are also the only ones who can save the world from a war between the Greek gods the Titans. Percy goes to Camp Half-Blood where he is trained to protect himself… that is until he’s sent on a dangerous quest.  Betrayal, adventure, plot twists, and incredible mythological world-building make these books kids can’t put down.  

The Worst Class Trip Ever  by Dave Barry HUMOR (series) While on a class trip to Washington D.C., Wyatt and his best friend, Matt, are positive they’ve discovered a plot to blow up the White House.  Wyatt’s crush, Suzanna, helps the friends make a plan, and as you can imagine, disaster and hilarity strike. I totally loved this book and know your kids (especially those who like humor) will as well.

Land of the Cranes  by Aida Salazar REALISTIC / DEPORTATION /  IMMIGRATION Written in verse, this timely story of  immigration  and deportation follows 9-year-old Betita who lives in the United States but ends up in detention.  Detention is traumatic for her, with horrible conditions and racist guards. Betita relies on her father’s story of cranes, using this overarching metaphor to talk about her clipped wings and her song. She draws and  writes poetry  to send to her Papi which she gives to a lawyer to pass along and tell her story. Powerful and important.

Willa of the Wood  by Robert Beatty HISTORICAL FANTASY Set in the time of early American settlers, this is a beautiful story about a  night spirit who is still connected to the powerful wood magic of her ancestors.  When Willa accidentally discovers that her clan is keeping human captives and forbidden technology, her Faeran clan leader wants her dead. Fleeing the danger of her home, Willa cautiously observes a human man, slowly learning to trust him. When she realizes that one of his children was one of the human captives she saw, Willa knows she must return to her clan and make things right.

The First Rule of Punk  by Celia C. Perez REALISTIC / COMING OF AGE An excellent, diverse, page-turning coming-of-age story , this is about a girl who is half-Mexican on her mom’s side and half-punk rock on her dad’s side, both of which are cultures prominently featured in the story and her life. Malú’s unhappily forced to move to Chicago with her mother, where she eventually finds her place when she starts a Latin-flavored punk band. Malú discovers herself and what the first rule of punk actually is…

Belly Up  by Stuart Gibbs MYSTERY / HUMOR (series) Was the FunJungle’s hippo murdered? Teddy and Summer think so. M ystery, adventure, and humor will keep your readers on the edge of their seats  in this unique story with quirky characters perfect for 10-year-old readers.

A Long Walk to Water  by Linda Sue Park REALISTIC BIOGRAPHY / HISTORY Sudan’s reality, past and present, collide in this beautifully written true story.  In 1985, we follow the harrowing journey of a young boy who, after his village was attacked, walks miles and miles to a refugee camp. In 2008, we learn about a girl who must walk two hours morning and night to get fresh water. Their stories are compelling; you won’t be able to put this down, nor take peace and clean water for granted again. 

Pay Attention, Carter Jones  by Gary D. Schmidt REALISTIC / FAMILY, COMING-OF-AGE Genius story crafting and meaningful life lessons . When his grandfather’s butler arrives to help out  6th grade  Carter’s family, sharing his passion for the game of Cricket, filling a void the family didn’t know they had. Butler gives Carter purpose, structure, and belonging. “M ake good decisions and remember who you are, ” he often reminds Carter and Carter’s sisters. Along this journey, Carter learns to pay attention to his life and to who loves him.

The One and Only Ivan  by Katherine Applegate REALISTIC (series) Narrated by a gorilla named Ivan, this story about friendship, love, and compassion grabs your heart immediately.  Making it even more compelling, it’s  true ! Ivan is kept in a cage in a run-down mall for 27 years without seeing another gorilla. He’s friends with a stray dog named Bob, a full-grown elephant named Stella, and Ruby, a newly purchased baby elephant. When Stella begs Ivan to make sure Ruby doesn’t grow old in their cages, Ivan finds his courage.

Camp  by Kayla Miller REALISTIC / GRAPHIC NOVEL Both my daughter and I thoroughly enjoyed this meaningful graphic novel from the author of  Click  (a story we also loved). It’s not just about a summer camp experience but also about the challenges of friendship, particularly when you have a friend who is clingy, wants to be your only friend and is jealous of other people. That is hard for Olive! She wants to be Willow’s friend but she also likes other people.  The story feels honest and relatable as well as being a helpful road map to how you might handle your own friendships.

It’s the End of the World and I’m in My Bathing Suit  by Justin A. Reynolds ADVENTURE When he’s forced to stay home from the beach party because he needs to do his laundry since every single stinky piece of clothing, is dirty, Eddie hurries through the washing with quick cycles–until the power unexpectedly goes out.  Eddie leaves the house to investigate and finds four other kids but NO ONE ELSE. No parents. No kids. NO ONE.  It’s all very mysterious and suspenseful, especially when the street lights turn back on — without the electricity coming back on. What is going on? Cliff hanger alert– I can’t wait for book two!

Crenshaw  by Katherine Applegate REALISTIC After having lost their home and living in their van for 3 months, the family is now about to lose their apartment. Although Jackson’s parents don’t tell him this, he knows the signs. He knows why they’re having a yard sale. He knows it’s not his dad’s fault for having MS but he’s mad and worried and alone. It isn’t until Crenshaw shows up and pushes Jackson to speak the truth to his parents that Jackson learns that he’s not facing this alone. Oh, and who is Crenshaw? He’s  Jackson’s large, imaginary cat friend from when he was little, returned to help Jackson in his time of need.

The Last Kids on Earth  by Max Brallier, illustrated by Douglas Colgate PARANORMAL (series) This story makes zombie apocalypse sounds like a fun adventure.  Jack and his best friend, Quint, live in an upgraded, well-defended treehouse where they plan to first rescue his crush June (she doesn’t need rescuing being quite capable) and then fight zombies. Illustrations throughout make this even more appealing to read and imagine. Delightful. Who would have thought?!  BOXED SET HERE.

The Evil Wizard Smallbone   by Deliz Sherman FANTASY Runaway, Nick, leaves his horrible uncle only to get stuck with an evil wizard who calls him foxkin and won’t let him leave. If he tries anything against the rules, Nick gets turned into something– a spider and a rock, for example. Once he’s resigned to his new life, Nick finds a lot to like, especially learning magic from the wizard’s books and then helping the wizard protect the Smallbone town from the Evil Wizard Fidelou.  This is a magical story about kindness, friendship, and growing up.  

Rules  by Cynthia Lord REALISTIC I highly recommend reading this meaningful, coming-of-age story about 12-year old Catherine. Read it in your classroom and with your children to develop empathy and compassion for children who have autism.  Catherine’s worked hard to help her autistic brother, David, learn the rules about life.  But now that she has new friends, she’s feeling more embarrassed than compassionate.

In These Magic Shoes  by Yamile Saied Mendez MAGICAL REALISM A tenderhearted, beautiful story about family, asking for help when you need it, racism, and grit.  When their mom doesn’t return home from work, Minerva steps up to care for her siblings and herself. At school, Minerva tries out for the Peter Pan musical and speaks up against the play’s racism. At home, her sisters talk about the fairies they see just like the fairies from her mamá’s stories. Finally, Minerva contacts her mom’s estranged mother, their abuela, for help because the kids are out of food and money and desperately need help.

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien SCI-FI/ ADVENTURE (series) This is a must-read, excellent Newbery-winning book about  amazing lab rats with intelligence  who escape from the lab and form their own community. This was always one of  my fifth graders’ favorite read-alouds .

The Penderwicks  by Jeanne Birdsall REALISTIC (series) The close-knit Penderwick sisters and their father spend their  summer vacation  in a rented cottage on an estate called Arundel. Theirs is an  unplugged world of summertime magic  filled with play and pretend and a new friend — Jeffrey Tifton, the son of the estate’s owner.

The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler   by E. L. Konigsburg MYSTERY Like the  Harry Potter books , I’ve read this book so many times, often as a read-aloud for my students, because it’s so well-written and interesting.  This is a wonderful adventure of two siblings who run away from home and live at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC where they discover a mystery . While unraveling the clues about of who created the angel statue, the brother and sister duo discover that a Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler will help them with more than the mystery, but with growing up and going home, too.

Roller Girl  by Victoria Jamieson REALISTIC / GRAPHIC NOVEL Roller Girl  shows the  struggles of friendship and finding your place in the world  as Astrid works hard to become a better roller derby skater, reconciles her friendship with her best friend, and develops a new one. (I recommend going to a roller derby event with your kids to help them know more about this cool sport for girls — it’s such a blast and would be helpful for reading this book, but not essential.) Well-written and relatable.

Way of the Warrior Kid  by Jocko Willink, illustrated by Jon Bozak REALISTIC The Way of the Warrior Kid  is a self-help book of sorts wrapped in a fictional story that is engaging and interesting to read.  Marc’s Navy SEAL Uncle Jake stays for the summer and in that time, transforms Marc’s life in three months.  Marc starts out as a discouraged bad-at-math, weak, average kid who gets picked on by a bully but he decides to take his uncle’s advice and try a different approach. Marc learns discipline, persistence, daily habits, and even how to learn — and it transforms his life.

Tune It Out  by Jamie Sumner POVERTY  /  SPD  /  FOSTER CARE 12-year-old Lou and her mom live in a truck. While her mom works as a waitress, Lou hangs out or sings for money even though she dreads performing. One evening, underage Lou drives in a snowstorm to pick up her mom from work and gets into an accident Lou gets sent to foster care with an aunt. In her new home, Lou goes to a fancy private school where she’s assessed with Sensory Processing Disorder. She starts to get help from an occupational therapist and a sensory diet, understanding herself better, and learning to trust her kind aunt and uncle.

Nooks and Crannies  by Jessica Lawson MYSTERY Nooks and Crannies  is an intriguing story about a young girl with horrible parents. Just before she’s about to be sent to an orphanage, she learns that she just might be a rich someone’s heir and have the chance to live happily ever after. Once at the Countess’ home,  she must use her detective skills to figure out what is going on with the heir mystery, the disappearing kids, and the scary Countess.  My daughter LOVED this book.

Saving Fable  by Scott Reintgen FANTASY (series) Book lovers — don’t miss this wildly imaginative story about a girl named Indira who has always wanted to be chosen to go to the Protagonist Preparatory, a school for side characters and protagonists  where they hope one of the Brainstormers will introduce them to an author. As we become acquainted with this creative world where (book)Marks and DogEars roam the streets, the story grows into an exciting adventure and puzzling mystery — because someone is using dangerous magic that will damage the world of stories forever. Enchanting and unique, I can only hope that there will be more books set in this world. Loved it!

Wings of Fire  by Tui T. Sutherland FANTASY (series) A group of dragonets who might be the long-awaited dragonets of the prophecy that will end the dragon wars for good leave their protectors’ safety only to be captured by a cruel dragon faction. One thing’s for sure:  when the dragonets are captured, things don’t look good for their safety and future.

Treasure Hunters  by James Petterson and Chris Grabenstein, illustrated by Juliana Neufeld ADVENTURE (series) The life of the four Kidd siblings isn’t typical —  they live on a boat and their parents are treasure hunters . Unfortunately, not only is their mom missing but their father went overboard in a bad storm. Now they’re on their own and need money to survive. The only way they know is to find a treasure and sell it. But danger is around every wave; they’re not sure who to trust. This is a fast, action-packed adventure that sets the tone for more books to come.

Pie in the Sky  by Remy Lai REALISTIC /  IMMIGRATION Pie in the Sky  is an insightful, funny, and poignant look at the struggles of  immigrating  to a new country (Australia) and the difficulties of learning English along with growing up and grieving the loss of a father.  Jingwen’s observations and wit make him a likable main character and the illustrations capture the depth and flavors of his experiences. He likens learning English to becoming human. After school with his brother, he bakes the cakes that his father wanted to include at his dream Pie in the Sky bakery. 

Wonder  by R. J. Palacio REALISTIC Wonder   helps us see compassion, empathy, and acceptance from a variety of character’s points of view.  Auggie, a boy with a facial difference, starts public school for the first time in 5th grade. His experience, though often difficult, shows his inner strength. This beautiful story shows that kindness wins over bullying.

Kristy’s Great Idea Babysitter’s Club  #1  Full-Color Graphix Novel by Ann M. Martin, illustrated by Raina Telgemeier REALISTIC (series) We’re loving these updated Babysitter’s Club graphic novels by the uber-talented Raina Telegemeier who wrote the highly-acclaimed  Smile  and  Sister . It’s a good idea to start with book one since the stories are told in a specific order with details from previous stories. These are funny and fun to read, maybe even more than once.  BOX SET HERE.

The Friendship Code #1 Girls Who Code  by Stacia Deutsch STEM REALISTIC (series) Lucy joins coding club so she can make an app for her uncle to remember his medications. But the class is moving TOO slow. Then, a mysterious letter arrives on her locker with instructions in code. The subsequent messages in code put her back in touch with old friends and help her build a new friendship. Whoever is sending messages is teaching Lucy and her friends about input/output, conditionals, loops, and variables.  To solve the mystery, the girls decide to write their own code…

The Watson’s Go to Birmingham  by Christopher Paul Curtis HISTORICAL FICTION The Watson family drives from Flint, Michigan to Birmingham, Alabama to visit relatives in the 1960s where they hope to set Bryon straight.  The car trip builds up to the deeply disturbing church bombing  where Grandma goes to church. This is a moving story filled with hope and humor. Newbery Award Winner.

Fuzzy Mud  by Louis Sachar SCI-FI They’re not supposed to be in the woods, but to avoid Chad the bully, Tamaya and Marshall go there anyway. Tamaya discovers the weird-looking “fuzzy mud” and throws it at Chad’s face. When Chad goes missing, and Tamaya’s hand gets a bloody rash, it’s clear that the mud is not just mud. Fast-paced and adventurous, this book introduces kids to the science fiction genre and environmentalism.

Five Kingdoms: Sky Raiders   by Brandon Mull FANTASY / ADVENTURE (series) Brandon Mull has outdone himself with an inventive, totally unique world and characters!  Cole, a regular kid, is trick-or-treating with his friends when they all get kidnapped. Cole manages to hide but follows the kidnappers — to another world – a world of five kingdoms, slavery, and magic. Cole is found and sold to slavers on the Outskirts.  There he’ll battle mysterious beings living on cloud castles, discover an exiled princess, escape from slavery, and have unimaginable adventures. 

Jacky Ha-Ha  by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein REALISTIC Jacky stutters badly so to make life easier, she just makes a joke . . . about everything . Now at age 12, she’s started the new school year with tons of detentions. Luckily, someone sees the potential in Jacky and lets her “serve” those detentions in the school play, You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown. It turns out Jacky is a natural actor — and that helps distract her from her Nonna being sick, her mom being deployed, and her dad never being home. Very enjoyable!

Anyone But Ivy Pocket  by Caleb Krisp HUMOR I read many parts out loud to my kids while I was reading this book – they were just so funny!! Now my kids are addicted to this series, too. Quirky but lovable Ivy’s adventures involve a sinister ghost, a mystical jewel, and a surprising destiny.

Bridge to Terabithia  by Katherine Paterson REALISTIC This is a beautiful, bittersweet story about Jess whose best friend, Leslie, dies in a tragic accident.  Jess learns to cope with Leslie’s death with art and running . Well-written and important.

The Blackbird Girls  by Anne Blankman HISTORICAL FICTION This story explores what happens after Chernobyl explodes in 1986; it’s about Russia, friendship, family, and prejudice . When Jewish Valentina and her enemy Oksana are forced to leave town together after the meltdown, we learn why Oksana acts the way she does, because of fear and abuse from her father. The girls end up in Leningrad with Valentina’s grandmother and the months there are a healing time with unconditional love. Heartwarming, insightful, and beautiful, this book is impossible to put down with wise life lessons.

BOOK LISTS BY AGE

Easy Reader Books for 1st Grade, 5- and 6- year olds  Beginning / Easy Chapter Books for 2nd Grade, 6- and 7- Year Olds Books for 3rd Grade, 8-year olds Books for 4th Grade, 9-year olds Books for 5th Grade, 10-year olds Books for 6th Grade, 11-year olds Books for 7th Grade, 12-year olds Books for 8th Grade and High School, YA Books

Read Aloud Books by Grade Level

Read Aloud Books for 1st Grade

Read Aloud Books for 2nd Grade

Read Aloud Books for 3rd Grade

Read Aloud Books for 4th Grade

Read Aloud Books for 5th Grade

Read Aloud Books for 6th Grade

Book Lists By Genre

Adventure Books for Kids Fantasy Books for Kids Funny Books for Kids Historical Fiction Books for Kids Mystery Books for Kids Nonfiction Books for Kids Realistic Books for Kids Science Fiction Books for Kids ALL Picture Book Reviews

You might also like  Gifts for 10 Year Old Girls  and  Gifts for 10 Year Old Boys.

Melissa Taylor, MA, is the creator of Imagination Soup. She's a mother, former teacher & literacy trainer, and freelance education writer. She writes Imagination Soup and freelances for publications online and in print, including Penguin Random House's Brightly website, USA Today Health, Adobe Education, Colorado Parent, and Parenting. She is passionate about matching kids with books that they'll love.

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22 Comments

I love these books They’d are really I have to check them out in the school library

Hello Melissa,

I wanted to reach out and thank you for creating this terrific resource! I have used your lists extensively to keep my voraciously reading 8 year old twins supplied with great reading material.

In addition, I wanted to ask if you had or would consider creating a category of books themed to inspire confidence, navigate challenging social situations, particularly for elementary/middle school girls. Some books I would include in this genre such as “Awkward” can be found on other lists you have created. I wanted to ask if you had enough titles to recommend to make this its own category? I think there would be a lot of interest.

Thanks again for sharing your wealth of knowledge and helping parents pick great books for their kids to read!

Scott, I would love to make that list — YES! Thank you for the recommendation. I’ll get back to you soon when it’s written. I agree that Awkward is such a helpful book for confidence. You might also try the Reina Telegemeier Smile series and her new book, Guts as well as All’s Faire in Middle School by Victoria Jamieson. (Those are all graphic novels.)

This website gave me a lot of recommendations for summer reading, so I want to thank you for giving me these recommendations. It gave me a lot of interest in these books. So again, thank you 🙂

That’s great — and you’re welcome!

How to Write a Book Review: The Ultimate Guide

WHAT IS A BOOK REVIEW?

Traditionally, book reviews are evaluations of a recently published book in any genre. Usually, around the 500 to 700-word mark, they briefly describe a text’s main elements while appraising the work’s strengths and weaknesses. Published book reviews can appear in newspapers, magazines, and academic journals. They provide the reader with an overview of the book itself and indicate whether or not the reviewer would recommend the book to the reader.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A BOOK REVIEW?

There was a time when book reviews were a regular appearance in every quality newspaper and many periodicals. They were essential elements in whether or not a book would sell well. A review from a heavyweight critic could often be the deciding factor in whether a book became a bestseller or a damp squib. In the last few decades, however, the book review’s influence has waned considerably, with many potential book buyers preferring to consult customer reviews on Amazon, or sites like Goodreads, before buying. As a result, book review’s appearance in newspapers, journals, and digital media has become less frequent.

WHY BOTHER TEACHING STUDENTS TO WRITE BOOK REVIEWS AT ALL?

Even in the heyday of the book review’s influence, few students who learned the craft of writing a book review became literary critics! The real value of crafting a well-written book review for a student does not lie in their ability to impact book sales. Understanding how to produce a well-written book review helps students to:

●     Engage critically with a text

●     Critically evaluate a text

●     Respond personally to a range of different writing genres

●     Improve their own reading, writing, and thinking skills.

Not to Be Confused with a Book Report!

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A BOOK REVIEW AND A BOOK REPORT?

While the terms are often used interchangeably, there are clear differences in both the purpose and the format of the two genres. Generally speaking, book reports aim to give a more detailed outline of what occurs in a book. A book report on a work of fiction will tend to give a comprehensive account of the characters, major plot lines, and themes in the book. Book reports are usually written around the K-12 age range, while book reviews tend not to be undertaken by those at the younger end of this age range due to the need for the higher-level critical skills required in writing them. At their highest expression, book reviews are written at the college level and by professional critics.

Learn how to write a book review step by step with our complete guide for students and teachers by familiarizing yourself with the structure and features.

BOOK REVIEW STRUCTURE

ANALYZE Evaluate the book with a critical mind.

THOROUGHNESS The whole is greater than the sum of all its parts. Review the book as a WHOLE.

COMPARE Where appropriate compare to similar texts and genres.

THUMBS UP OR DOWN? You are going to have to inevitably recommend or reject this book to potential readers.

BE CONSISTENT Take a stance and stick with it throughout your review.

FEATURES OF A BOOK REVIEW

PAST TENSE You are writing about a book you have already read.

EMOTIVE LANGUAGE Whatever your stance or opinion be passionate about it. Your audience will thank you for it.

VOICE Both active and passive voice are used in recounts.

A COMPLETE UNIT ON REVIEW AND ANALYSIS OF TEXTS

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ELEMENTS OF A BOOK REVIEW

As with any of the writing genres we teach our students, a book review can be helpfully explained in terms of criteria. While there is much to the ‘art’ of writing, there is also, thankfully, a lot of the nuts and bolts that can be listed too. Have students consider the following elements before writing:

●     Title: Often, the title of the book review will correspond to the title of the text itself, but there may also be some examination of the title’s relevance. How does it fit into the purpose of the work as a whole? Does it convey a message or reveal larger themes explored within the work?

●     Author: Within the book review, there may be some discussion of who the author is and what they have written before, especially if it relates to the current work being reviewed. There may be some mention of the author’s style and what they are best known for. If the author has received any awards or prizes, this may also be mentioned within the body of the review.

●     Genre: A book review will identify the genre that the book belongs to, whether fiction or nonfiction, poetry, romance, science-fiction, history etc. The genre will likely tie in, too with who the intended audience for the book is and what the overall purpose of the work is.

●     Book Jacket / Cover: Often, a book’s cover will contain artwork that is worthy of comment. It may contain interesting details related to the text that contribute to, or detract from, the work as a whole.

●     Structure: The book’s structure will often be heavily informed by its genre. Have students examine how the book is organized before writing their review. Does it contain a preface from a guest editor, for example? Is it written in sections or chapters? Does it have a table of contents, index, glossary etc.? While all these details may not make it into the review itself, looking at how the book is structured may reveal some interesting aspects.

●     Publisher and Price: A book review will usually contain details of who publishes the book and its cost. A review will often provide details of where the book is available too.

BOOK REVIEW KEY ELEMENTS

As students read and engage with the work they will review, they will develop a sense of the shape their review will take. This will begin with the summary. Encourage students to take notes during the reading of the work that will help them in writing the summary that will form an essential part of their review. Aspects of the book they may wish to take notes on in a work of fiction may include:

●     Characters: Who are the main characters? What are their motivations? Are they convincingly drawn? Or are they empathetic characters?

●     Themes: What are the main themes of the work? Are there recurring motifs in the work? Is the exploration of the themes deep or surface only?

●     Style: What are the key aspects of the writer’s style? How does it fit into the wider literary world?

●     Plot: What is the story’s main catalyst? What happens in the rising action? What are the story’s subplots? 

A book review will generally begin with a short summary of the work itself. However, it is important not to give too much away, remind students – no spoilers, please! For nonfiction works, this may be a summary of the main arguments of the work, again, without giving too much detail away. In a work of fiction, a book review will often summarise up to the rising action of the piece without going beyond to reveal too much!

The summary should also provide some orientation for the reader. Given the nature of the purpose of a review, it is important that students’ consider their intended audience in the writing of their review. Readers will most likely not have read the book in question and will require some orientation. This is often achieved through introductions to the main characters, themes, primary arguments etc. This will help the reader to gauge whether or not the book is of interest to them.

Once your student has summarized the work, it is time to ‘review’ in earnest. At this point, the student should begin to detail their own opinion of the book. To do this well they should:

i. Make It Personal

Often when teaching essay writing we will talk to our students about the importance of climbing up and down the ladder of abstraction. Just as it is helpful to explore large, more abstract concepts in an essay by bringing it down to Earth, in a book review, it is important that students can relate the characters, themes, ideas etc to their own lives.

Book reviews are meant to be subjective. They are opinion pieces, and opinions grow out of our experiences of life. Encourage students to link the work they are writing about to their own personal life within the body of the review. By making this personal connection to the work, students contextualize their opinions for the readers and help them to understand whether the book will be of interest to them or not in the process.

ii. Make It Universal

Just as it is important to climb down the ladder of abstraction to show how the work relates to individual life, it is important to climb upwards on the ladder too. Students should endeavor to show how the ideas explored in the book relate to the wider world. The may be in the form of the universality of the underlying themes in a work of fiction or, for example, the international implications for arguments expressed in a work of nonfiction.

iii. Support Opinions with Evidence

A book review is a subjective piece of writing by its very nature. However, just because it is subjective does not mean that opinions do not need to be justified. Make sure students understand how to back up their opinions with various forms of evidence, for example, quotations, statistics, and the use of primary and secondary sources.

EDIT AND REVISE YOUR BOOK REVIEW

As with any writing genre, encourage students to polish things up with review and revision at the end. Encourage them to proofread and check for accurate spelling throughout, with particular attention to the author’s name, character names, publisher etc. 

It is good practice too for students to double-check their use of evidence. Are statements supported? Are the statistics used correctly? Are the quotations from the text accurate? Mistakes such as these uncorrected can do great damage to the value of a book review as they can undermine the reader’s confidence in the writer’s judgement.

The discipline of writing book reviews offers students opportunities to develop their writing skills and exercise their critical faculties. Book reviews can be valuable standalone activities or serve as a part of a series of activities engaging with a central text. They can also serve as an effective springboard into later discussion work based on the ideas and issues explored in a particular book. Though the book review does not hold the sway it once did in the mind’s of the reading public, it still serves as an effective teaching tool in our classrooms today.

Teaching Resources

Use our resources and tools to improve your student’s writing skills through proven teaching strategies.

BOOK REVIEW GRAPHIC ORGANIZER (TEMPLATE)

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Book and Movie review writing examples (Student Writing Samples)

Below are a collection of student writing samples of book reviews.  Click on the image to enlarge and explore them in greater detail.  Please take a moment to both read the movie or book review in detail but also the teacher and student guides which highlight some of the key elements of writing a text review

Please understand these student writing samples are not intended to be perfect examples for each age or grade level but a piece of writing for students and teachers to explore together to critically analyze to improve student writing skills and deepen their understanding of book review writing.

We would recommend reading the example either a year above and below, as well as the grade you are currently working with to gain a broader appreciation of this text type .

BOOK REVIEW VIDEO TUTORIALS

OTHER GREAT ARTICLES RELATED TO BOOK REVIEWS

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How to Write Excellent Expository Essays

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Blog – Posted on Friday, Mar 29

17 book review examples to help you write the perfect review.

It’s an exciting time to be a book reviewer. Once confined to print newspapers and journals, reviews now dot many corridors of the Internet — forever helping others discover their next great read. That said, every book reviewer will face a familiar panic: how can you do justice to a great book in just a thousand words?

As you know, the best way to learn how to do something is by immersing yourself in it. Luckily, the Internet (i.e. Goodreads and other review sites , in particular) has made book reviews more accessible than ever — which means that there are a lot of book reviews examples out there for you to view!

In this post, we compiled 17 prototypical book review examples in multiple genres to help you figure out how to write the perfect review . If you want to jump straight to the examples, you can skip the next section. Otherwise, let’s first check out what makes up a good review.

Are you interested in becoming a book reviewer? We recommend you check out Reedsy Discovery , where you can earn money for writing reviews — and are guaranteed people will read your reviews! To register as a book reviewer, sign up here.

Pro-tip : But wait! How are you sure if you should become a book reviewer in the first place? If you're on the fence, or curious about your match with a book reviewing career, take our quick quiz:

Should you become a book reviewer?

Find out the answer. Takes 30 seconds!

What must a book review contain?

Like all works of art, no two book reviews will be identical. But fear not: there are a few guidelines for any aspiring book reviewer to follow. Most book reviews, for instance, are less than 1,500 words long, with the sweet spot hitting somewhere around the 1,000-word mark. (However, this may vary depending on the platform on which you’re writing, as we’ll see later.)

In addition, all reviews share some universal elements, as shown in our book review templates . These include:

• A review will offer a concise plot summary of the book. 
• A book review will offer an evaluation of the work. 
• A book review will offer a recommendation for the audience. 

If these are the basic ingredients that make up a book review, it’s the tone and style with which the book reviewer writes that brings the extra panache. This will differ from platform to platform, of course. A book review on Goodreads, for instance, will be much more informal and personal than a book review on Kirkus Reviews, as it is catering to a different audience. However, at the end of the day, the goal of all book reviews is to give the audience the tools to determine whether or not they’d like to read the book themselves.

Keeping that in mind, let’s proceed to some book review examples to put all of this in action.

How much of a book nerd are you, really?

Find out here, once and for all. Takes 30 seconds!

Book review examples for fiction books

Since story is king in the world of fiction, it probably won’t come as any surprise to learn that a book review for a novel will concentrate on how well the story was told .

That said, book reviews in all genres follow the same basic formula that we discussed earlier. In these examples, you’ll be able to see how book reviewers on different platforms expertly intertwine the plot summary and their personal opinions of the book to produce a clear, informative, and concise review.

Note: Some of the book review examples run very long. If a book review is truncated in this post, we’ve indicated by including a […] at the end, but you can always read the entire review if you click on the link provided.

Examples of literary fiction book reviews

Kirkus Reviews reviews Ralph Ellison’s The Invisible Man :

An extremely powerful story of a young Southern Negro, from his late high school days through three years of college to his life in Harlem.

His early training prepared him for a life of humility before white men, but through injustices- large and small, he came to realize that he was an "invisible man". People saw in him only a reflection of their preconceived ideas of what he was, denied his individuality, and ultimately did not see him at all. This theme, which has implications far beyond the obvious racial parallel, is skillfully handled. The incidents of the story are wholly absorbing. The boy's dismissal from college because of an innocent mistake, his shocked reaction to the anonymity of the North and to Harlem, his nightmare experiences on a one-day job in a paint factory and in the hospital, his lightning success as the Harlem leader of a communistic organization known as the Brotherhood, his involvement in black versus white and black versus black clashes and his disillusion and understanding of his invisibility- all climax naturally in scenes of violence and riot, followed by a retreat which is both literal and figurative. Parts of this experience may have been told before, but never with such freshness, intensity and power.

This is Ellison's first novel, but he has complete control of his story and his style. Watch it.

Lyndsey reviews George Orwell’s 1984 on Goodreads:

YOU. ARE. THE. DEAD. Oh my God. I got the chills so many times toward the end of this book. It completely blew my mind. It managed to surpass my high expectations AND be nothing at all like I expected. Or in Newspeak "Double Plus Good." Let me preface this with an apology. If I sound stunningly inarticulate at times in this review, I can't help it. My mind is completely fried.

This book is like the dystopian Lord of the Rings, with its richly developed culture and economics, not to mention a fully developed language called Newspeak, or rather more of the anti-language, whose purpose is to limit speech and understanding instead of to enhance and expand it. The world-building is so fully fleshed out and spine-tinglingly terrifying that it's almost as if George travelled to such a place, escaped from it, and then just wrote it all down.

I read Fahrenheit 451 over ten years ago in my early teens. At the time, I remember really wanting to read 1984, although I never managed to get my hands on it. I'm almost glad I didn't. Though I would not have admitted it at the time, it would have gone over my head. Or at the very least, I wouldn't have been able to appreciate it fully. […]

The New York Times reviews Lisa Halliday’s Asymmetry :

Three-quarters of the way through Lisa Halliday’s debut novel, “Asymmetry,” a British foreign correspondent named Alistair is spending Christmas on a compound outside of Baghdad. His fellow revelers include cameramen, defense contractors, United Nations employees and aid workers. Someone’s mother has FedExed a HoneyBaked ham from Maine; people are smoking by the swimming pool. It is 2003, just days after Saddam Hussein’s capture, and though the mood is optimistic, Alistair is worrying aloud about the ethics of his chosen profession, wondering if reporting on violence doesn’t indirectly abet violence and questioning why he’d rather be in a combat zone than reading a picture book to his son. But every time he returns to London, he begins to “spin out.” He can’t go home. “You observe what people do with their freedom — what they don’t do — and it’s impossible not to judge them for it,” he says.

The line, embedded unceremoniously in the middle of a page-long paragraph, doubles, like so many others in “Asymmetry,” as literary criticism. Halliday’s novel is so strange and startlingly smart that its mere existence seems like commentary on the state of fiction. One finishes “Asymmetry” for the first or second (or like this reader, third) time and is left wondering what other writers are not doing with their freedom — and, like Alistair, judging them for it.

Despite its title, “Asymmetry” comprises two seemingly unrelated sections of equal length, appended by a slim and quietly shocking coda. Halliday’s prose is clean and lean, almost reportorial in the style of W. G. Sebald, and like the murmurings of a shy person at a cocktail party, often comic only in single clauses. It’s a first novel that reads like the work of an author who has published many books over many years. […]

Emily W. Thompson reviews Michael Doane's The Crossing on Reedsy Discovery :

In Doane’s debut novel, a young man embarks on a journey of self-discovery with surprising results.

An unnamed protagonist (The Narrator) is dealing with heartbreak. His love, determined to see the world, sets out for Portland, Oregon. But he’s a small-town boy who hasn’t traveled much. So, the Narrator mourns her loss and hides from life, throwing himself into rehabbing an old motorcycle. Until one day, he takes a leap; he packs his bike and a few belongings and heads out to find the Girl.

Following in the footsteps of Jack Kerouac and William Least Heat-Moon, Doane offers a coming of age story about a man finding himself on the backroads of America. Doane’s a gifted writer with fluid prose and insightful observations, using The Narrator’s personal interactions to illuminate the diversity of the United States.

The Narrator initially sticks to the highways, trying to make it to the West Coast as quickly as possible. But a hitchhiker named Duke convinces him to get off the beaten path and enjoy the ride. “There’s not a place that’s like any other,” [39] Dukes contends, and The Narrator realizes he’s right. Suddenly, the trip is about the journey, not just the destination. The Narrator ditches his truck and traverses the deserts and mountains on his bike. He destroys his phone, cutting off ties with his past and living only in the moment.

As he crosses the country, The Narrator connects with several unique personalities whose experiences and views deeply impact his own. Duke, the complicated cowboy and drifter, who opens The Narrator’s eyes to a larger world. Zooey, the waitress in Colorado who opens his heart and reminds him that love can be found in this big world. And Rosie, The Narrator’s sweet landlady in Portland, who helps piece him back together both physically and emotionally.

This supporting cast of characters is excellent. Duke, in particular, is wonderfully nuanced and complicated. He’s a throwback to another time, a man without a cell phone who reads Sartre and sleeps under the stars. Yet he’s also a grifter with a “love ‘em and leave ‘em” attitude that harms those around him. It’s fascinating to watch The Narrator wrestle with Duke’s behavior, trying to determine which to model and which to discard.

Doane creates a relatable protagonist in The Narrator, whose personal growth doesn’t erase his faults. His willingness to hit the road with few resources is admirable, and he’s prescient enough to recognize the jealousy of those who cannot or will not take the leap. His encounters with new foods, places, and people broaden his horizons. Yet his immaturity and selfishness persist. He tells Rosie she’s been a good mother to him but chooses to ignore the continuing concern from his own parents as he effectively disappears from his old life.

Despite his flaws, it’s a pleasure to accompany The Narrator on his physical and emotional journey. The unexpected ending is a fitting denouement to an epic and memorable road trip.

The Book Smugglers review Anissa Gray’s The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls :

I am still dipping my toes into the literally fiction pool, finding what works for me and what doesn’t. Books like The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray are definitely my cup of tea.

Althea and Proctor Cochran had been pillars of their economically disadvantaged community for years – with their local restaurant/small market and their charity drives. Until they are found guilty of fraud for stealing and keeping most of the money they raised and sent to jail. Now disgraced, their entire family is suffering the consequences, specially their twin teenage daughters Baby Vi and Kim.  To complicate matters even more: Kim was actually the one to call the police on her parents after yet another fight with her mother. […]

Examples of children’s and YA fiction book reviews

The Book Hookup reviews Angie Thomas’ The Hate U Give :

♥ Quick Thoughts and Rating: 5 stars! I can’t imagine how challenging it would be to tackle the voice of a movement like Black Lives Matter, but I do know that Thomas did it with a finesse only a talented author like herself possibly could. With an unapologetically realistic delivery packed with emotion, The Hate U Give is a crucially important portrayal of the difficulties minorities face in our country every single day. I have no doubt that this book will be met with resistance by some (possibly many) and slapped with a “controversial” label, but if you’ve ever wondered what it was like to walk in a POC’s shoes, then I feel like this is an unflinchingly honest place to start.

In Angie Thomas’s debut novel, Starr Carter bursts on to the YA scene with both heart-wrecking and heartwarming sincerity. This author is definitely one to watch.

♥ Review: The hype around this book has been unquestionable and, admittedly, that made me both eager to get my hands on it and terrified to read it. I mean, what if I was to be the one person that didn’t love it as much as others? (That seems silly now because of how truly mesmerizing THUG was in the most heartbreakingly realistic way.) However, with the relevancy of its summary in regards to the unjust predicaments POC currently face in the US, I knew this one was a must-read, so I was ready to set my fears aside and dive in. That said, I had an altogether more personal, ulterior motive for wanting to read this book. […]

The New York Times reviews Melissa Albert’s The Hazel Wood :

Alice Crewe (a last name she’s chosen for herself) is a fairy tale legacy: the granddaughter of Althea Proserpine, author of a collection of dark-as-night fairy tales called “Tales From the Hinterland.” The book has a cult following, and though Alice has never met her grandmother, she’s learned a little about her through internet research. She hasn’t read the stories, because her mother, Ella Proserpine, forbids it.

Alice and Ella have moved from place to place in an attempt to avoid the “bad luck” that seems to follow them. Weird things have happened. As a child, Alice was kidnapped by a man who took her on a road trip to find her grandmother; he was stopped by the police before they did so. When at 17 she sees that man again, unchanged despite the years, Alice panics. Then Ella goes missing, and Alice turns to Ellery Finch, a schoolmate who’s an Althea Proserpine superfan, for help in tracking down her mother. Not only has Finch read every fairy tale in the collection, but handily, he remembers them, sharing them with Alice as they journey to the mysterious Hazel Wood, the estate of her now-dead grandmother, where they hope to find Ella.

“The Hazel Wood” starts out strange and gets stranger, in the best way possible. (The fairy stories Finch relays, which Albert includes as their own chapters, are as creepy and evocative as you’d hope.) Albert seamlessly combines contemporary realism with fantasy, blurring the edges in a way that highlights that place where stories and real life convene, where magic contains truth and the world as it appears is false, where just about anything can happen, particularly in the pages of a very good book. It’s a captivating debut. […]

James reviews Margaret Wise Brown’s Goodnight, Moon on Goodreads:

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown is one of the books that followers of my blog voted as a must-read for our Children's Book August 2018 Readathon. Come check it out and join the next few weeks!

This picture book was such a delight. I hadn't remembered reading it when I was a child, but it might have been read to me... either way, it was like a whole new experience! It's always so difficult to convince a child to fall asleep at night. I don't have kids, but I do have a 5-month-old puppy who whines for 5 minutes every night when he goes in his cage/crate (hopefully he'll be fully housebroken soon so he can roam around when he wants). I can only imagine! I babysat a lot as a teenager and I have tons of younger cousins, nieces, and nephews, so I've been through it before, too. This was a believable experience, and it really helps show kids how to relax and just let go when it's time to sleep.

The bunny's are adorable. The rhymes are exquisite. I found it pretty fun, but possibly a little dated given many of those things aren't normal routines anymore. But the lessons to take from it are still powerful. Loved it! I want to sample some more books by this fine author and her illustrators.

Publishers Weekly reviews Elizabeth Lilly’s Geraldine :

This funny, thoroughly accomplished debut opens with two words: “I’m moving.” They’re spoken by the title character while she swoons across her family’s ottoman, and because Geraldine is a giraffe, her full-on melancholy mode is quite a spectacle. But while Geraldine may be a drama queen (even her mother says so), it won’t take readers long to warm up to her. The move takes Geraldine from Giraffe City, where everyone is like her, to a new school, where everyone else is human. Suddenly, the former extrovert becomes “That Giraffe Girl,” and all she wants to do is hide, which is pretty much impossible. “Even my voice tries to hide,” she says, in the book’s most poignant moment. “It’s gotten quiet and whispery.” Then she meets Cassie, who, though human, is also an outlier (“I’m that girl who wears glasses and likes MATH and always organizes her food”), and things begin to look up.

Lilly’s watercolor-and-ink drawings are as vividly comic and emotionally astute as her writing; just when readers think there are no more ways for Geraldine to contort her long neck, this highly promising talent comes up with something new.

Examples of genre fiction book reviews

Karlyn P reviews Nora Roberts’ Dark Witch , a paranormal romance novel , on Goodreads:

4 stars. Great world-building, weak romance, but still worth the read.

I hesitate to describe this book as a 'romance' novel simply because the book spent little time actually exploring the romance between Iona and Boyle. Sure, there IS a romance in this novel. Sprinkled throughout the book are a few scenes where Iona and Boyle meet, chat, wink at each, flirt some more, sleep together, have a misunderstanding, make up, and then profess their undying love. Very formulaic stuff, and all woven around the more important parts of this book.

The meat of this book is far more focused on the story of the Dark witch and her magically-gifted descendants living in Ireland. Despite being weak on the romance, I really enjoyed it. I think the book is probably better for it, because the romance itself was pretty lackluster stuff.

I absolutely plan to stick with this series as I enjoyed the world building, loved the Ireland setting, and was intrigued by all of the secondary characters. However, If you read Nora Roberts strictly for the romance scenes, this one might disappoint. But if you enjoy a solid background story with some dark magic and prophesies, you might enjoy it as much as I did.

I listened to this one on audio, and felt the narration was excellent.

Emily May reviews R.F. Kuang’s The Poppy Wars , an epic fantasy novel , on Goodreads:

“But I warn you, little warrior. The price of power is pain.”

Holy hell, what did I just read??

➽ A fantasy military school

➽ A rich world based on modern Chinese history

➽ Shamans and gods

➽ Detailed characterization leading to unforgettable characters

➽ Adorable, opium-smoking mentors

That's a basic list, but this book is all of that and SO MUCH MORE. I know 100% that The Poppy War will be one of my best reads of 2018.

Isn't it just so great when you find one of those books that completely drags you in, makes you fall in love with the characters, and demands that you sit on the edge of your seat for every horrific, nail-biting moment of it? This is one of those books for me. And I must issue a serious content warning: this book explores some very dark themes. Proceed with caution (or not at all) if you are particularly sensitive to scenes of war, drug use and addiction, genocide, racism, sexism, ableism, self-harm, torture, and rape (off-page but extremely horrific).

Because, despite the fairly innocuous first 200 pages, the title speaks the truth: this is a book about war. All of its horrors and atrocities. It is not sugar-coated, and it is often graphic. The "poppy" aspect refers to opium, which is a big part of this book. It is a fantasy, but the book draws inspiration from the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Rape of Nanking.

Crime Fiction Lover reviews Jessica Barry’s Freefall , a crime novel:

In some crime novels, the wrongdoing hits you between the eyes from page one. With others it’s a more subtle process, and that’s OK too. So where does Freefall fit into the sliding scale?

In truth, it’s not clear. This is a novel with a thrilling concept at its core. A woman survives plane crash, then runs for her life. However, it is the subtleties at play that will draw you in like a spider beckoning to an unwitting fly.

Like the heroine in Sharon Bolton’s Dead Woman Walking, Allison is lucky to be alive. She was the only passenger in a private plane, belonging to her fiancé, Ben, who was piloting the expensive aircraft, when it came down in woodlands in the Colorado Rockies. Ally is also the only survivor, but rather than sitting back and waiting for rescue, she is soon pulling together items that may help her survive a little longer – first aid kit, energy bars, warm clothes, trainers – before fleeing the scene. If you’re hearing the faint sound of alarm bells ringing, get used to it. There’s much, much more to learn about Ally before this tale is over.

Kirkus Reviews reviews Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One , a science-fiction novel :

Video-game players embrace the quest of a lifetime in a virtual world; screenwriter Cline’s first novel is old wine in new bottles.

The real world, in 2045, is the usual dystopian horror story. So who can blame Wade, our narrator, if he spends most of his time in a virtual world? The 18-year-old, orphaned at 11, has no friends in his vertical trailer park in Oklahoma City, while the OASIS has captivating bells and whistles, and it’s free. Its creator, the legendary billionaire James Halliday, left a curious will. He had devised an elaborate online game, a hunt for a hidden Easter egg. The finder would inherit his estate. Old-fashioned riddles lead to three keys and three gates. Wade, or rather his avatar Parzival, is the first gunter (egg-hunter) to win the Copper Key, first of three.

Halliday was obsessed with the pop culture of the 1980s, primarily the arcade games, so the novel is as much retro as futurist. Parzival’s great strength is that he has absorbed all Halliday’s obsessions; he knows by heart three essential movies, crossing the line from geek to freak. His most formidable competitors are the Sixers, contract gunters working for the evil conglomerate IOI, whose goal is to acquire the OASIS. Cline’s narrative is straightforward but loaded with exposition. It takes a while to reach a scene that crackles with excitement: the meeting between Parzival (now world famous as the lead contender) and Sorrento, the head of IOI. The latter tries to recruit Parzival; when he fails, he issues and executes a death threat. Wade’s trailer is demolished, his relatives killed; luckily Wade was not at home. Too bad this is the dramatic high point. Parzival threads his way between more ’80s games and movies to gain the other keys; it’s clever but not exciting. Even a romance with another avatar and the ultimate “epic throwdown” fail to stir the blood.

Too much puzzle-solving, not enough suspense.

Book review examples for non-fiction books

Nonfiction books are generally written to inform readers about a certain topic. As such, the focus of a nonfiction book review will be on the clarity and effectiveness of this communication . In carrying this out, a book review may analyze the author’s source materials and assess the thesis in order to determine whether or not the book meets expectations.

Again, we’ve included abbreviated versions of long reviews here, so feel free to click on the link to read the entire piece!

The Washington Post reviews David Grann’s Killers of the Flower Moon :

The arc of David Grann’s career reminds one of a software whiz-kid or a latest-thing talk-show host — certainly not an investigative reporter, even if he is one of the best in the business. The newly released movie of his first book, “The Lost City of Z,” is generating all kinds of Oscar talk, and now comes the release of his second book, “Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI,” the film rights to which have already been sold for $5 million in what one industry journal called the “biggest and wildest book rights auction in memory.”

Grann deserves the attention. He’s canny about the stories he chases, he’s willing to go anywhere to chase them, and he’s a maestro in his ability to parcel out information at just the right clip: a hint here, a shading of meaning there, a smartly paced buildup of multiple possibilities followed by an inevitable reversal of readerly expectations or, in some cases, by a thrilling and dislocating pull of the entire narrative rug.

All of these strengths are on display in “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Around the turn of the 20th century, oil was discovered underneath Osage lands in the Oklahoma Territory, lands that were soon to become part of the state of Oklahoma. Through foresight and legal maneuvering, the Osage found a way to permanently attach that oil to themselves and shield it from the prying hands of white interlopers; this mechanism was known as “headrights,” which forbade the outright sale of oil rights and granted each full member of the tribe — and, supposedly, no one else — a share in the proceeds from any lease arrangement. For a while, the fail-safes did their job, and the Osage got rich — diamond-ring and chauffeured-car and imported-French-fashion rich — following which quite a large group of white men started to work like devils to separate the Osage from their money. And soon enough, and predictably enough, this work involved murder. Here in Jazz Age America’s most isolated of locales, dozens or even hundreds of Osage in possession of great fortunes — and of the potential for even greater fortunes in the future — were dispatched by poison, by gunshot and by dynamite. […]

Stacked Books reviews Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers :

I’ve heard a lot of great things about Malcolm Gladwell’s writing. Friends and co-workers tell me that his subjects are interesting and his writing style is easy to follow without talking down to the reader. I wasn’t disappointed with Outliers. In it, Gladwell tackles the subject of success – how people obtain it and what contributes to extraordinary success as opposed to everyday success.

The thesis – that our success depends much more on circumstances out of our control than any effort we put forth – isn’t exactly revolutionary. Most of us know it to be true. However, I don’t think I’m lying when I say that most of us also believe that we if we just try that much harder and develop our talent that much further, it will be enough to become wildly successful, despite bad or just mediocre beginnings. Not so, says Gladwell.

Most of the evidence Gladwell gives us is anecdotal, which is my favorite kind to read. I can’t really speak to how scientifically valid it is, but it sure makes for engrossing listening. For example, did you know that successful hockey players are almost all born in January, February, or March? Kids born during these months are older than the others kids when they start playing in the youth leagues, which means they’re already better at the game (because they’re bigger). Thus, they get more play time, which means their skill increases at a faster rate, and it compounds as time goes by. Within a few years, they’re much, much better than the kids born just a few months later in the year. Basically, these kids’ birthdates are a huge factor in their success as adults – and it’s nothing they can do anything about. If anyone could make hockey interesting to a Texan who only grudgingly admits the sport even exists, it’s Gladwell. […]

Quill and Quire reviews Rick Prashaw’s Soar, Adam, Soar :

Ten years ago, I read a book called Almost Perfect. The young-adult novel by Brian Katcher won some awards and was held up as a powerful, nuanced portrayal of a young trans person. But the reality did not live up to the book’s billing. Instead, it turned out to be a one-dimensional and highly fetishized portrait of a trans person’s life, one that was nevertheless repeatedly dubbed “realistic” and “affecting” by non-transgender readers possessing only a vague, mass-market understanding of trans experiences.

In the intervening decade, trans narratives have emerged further into the literary spotlight, but those authored by trans people ourselves – and by trans men in particular – have seemed to fall under the shadow of cisgender sensationalized imaginings. Two current Canadian releases – Soar, Adam, Soar and This One Looks Like a Boy – provide a pointed object lesson into why trans-authored work about transgender experiences remains critical.

To be fair, Soar, Adam, Soar isn’t just a story about a trans man. It’s also a story about epilepsy, the medical establishment, and coming of age as seen through a grieving father’s eyes. Adam, Prashaw’s trans son, died unexpectedly at age 22. Woven through the elder Prashaw’s narrative are excerpts from Adam’s social media posts, giving us glimpses into the young man’s interior life as he traverses his late teens and early 20s. […]

Book Geeks reviews Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love :

WRITING STYLE: 3.5/5

SUBJECT: 4/5

CANDIDNESS: 4.5/5

RELEVANCE: 3.5/5

ENTERTAINMENT QUOTIENT: 3.5/5

“Eat Pray Love” is so popular that it is almost impossible to not read it. Having felt ashamed many times on my not having read this book, I quietly ordered the book (before I saw the movie) from amazon.in and sat down to read it. I don’t remember what I expected it to be – maybe more like a chick lit thing but it turned out quite different. The book is a real story and is a short journal from the time when its writer went travelling to three different countries in pursuit of three different things – Italy (Pleasure), India (Spirituality), Bali (Balance) and this is what corresponds to the book’s name – EAT (in Italy), PRAY (in India) and LOVE (in Bali, Indonesia). These are also the three Is – ITALY, INDIA, INDONESIA.

Though she had everything a middle-aged American woman can aspire for – MONEY, CAREER, FRIENDS, HUSBAND; Elizabeth was not happy in her life, she wasn’t happy in her marriage. Having suffered a terrible divorce and terrible breakup soon after, Elizabeth was shattered. She didn’t know where to go and what to do – all she knew was that she wanted to run away. So she set out on a weird adventure – she will go to three countries in a year and see if she can find out what she was looking for in life. This book is about that life changing journey that she takes for one whole year. […]

Emily May reviews Michelle Obama’s Becoming on Goodreads:

Look, I'm not a happy crier. I might cry at songs about leaving and missing someone; I might cry at books where things don't work out; I might cry at movies where someone dies. I've just never really understood why people get all choked up over happy, inspirational things. But Michelle Obama's kindness and empathy changed that. This book had me in tears for all the right reasons.

This is not really a book about politics, though political experiences obviously do come into it. It's a shame that some will dismiss this book because of a difference in political opinion, when it is really about a woman's life. About growing up poor and black on the South Side of Chicago; about getting married and struggling to maintain that marriage; about motherhood; about being thrown into an amazing and terrifying position.

I hate words like "inspirational" because they've become so overdone and cheesy, but I just have to say it-- Michelle Obama is an inspiration. I had the privilege of seeing her speak at The Forum in Inglewood, and she is one of the warmest, funniest, smartest, down-to-earth people I have ever seen in this world.

And yes, I know we present what we want the world to see, but I truly do think it's genuine. I think she is someone who really cares about people - especially kids - and wants to give them better lives and opportunities.

She's obviously intelligent, but she also doesn't gussy up her words. She talks straight, with an openness and honesty rarely seen. She's been one of the most powerful women in the world, she's been a graduate of Princeton and Harvard Law School, she's had her own successful career, and yet she has remained throughout that same girl - Michelle Robinson - from a working class family in Chicago.

I don't think there's anyone who wouldn't benefit from reading this book.

Hopefully, this post has given you a better idea of how to write a book review. You might be wondering how to put all of this knowledge into action now! Many book reviewers start out by setting up a book blog. If you don’t have time to research the intricacies of HTML, check out Reedsy Discovery — where you can read indie books for free and review them without going through the hassle of creating a blog. To register as a book reviewer , go here .

And if you’d like to see even more book review examples, simply go to this directory of book review blogs and click on any one of them to see a wealth of good book reviews. Beyond that, it's up to you to pick up a book and pen — and start reviewing!

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Book Review Template for Kids (Tips & Activities)

• July 21, 2019
• Kids Printables

Aren’t your kids interested in reading more books? How can you enhance their understanding skills after reading a book? 

Here is a solution ! How about asking them to write a review? Don’t be funny you say ! No, I am just saying if you have colorful “ Book Review Templates” for kids , you can actually ask them to write what they understood.  

Ask your kids to share their point of view and discuss about it with their friends and family. While this is a small circle, writing a review about the book will help them introduce it a bigger circle or people, at the same time improve their thinking and writing skills.

You might want to check out book templates for kids , who are interested in compiling or writing a book. 

Your kids read books? Do they have the habit of sharing their view about the books? Do they share their review about every book they read? Or do you want your kid to write review about the books they read? Do you want to teach them on how to write a book review? Well, this topic is help and satisfy all the above needs.

Yes, In this article we are going to see in detail about what is book review and how to make your kids write a book review. We are here to help you with the wonderful set of templates that will help teach your kids and encourage them write review about books. All you have to do is just a click away, select the template you like from here, download it, print and teach your kids on how to write a book review with the help of it. All these templates are available for free and you can download and use it anytime, anywhere.

What are Book Review Templates?

First of all let us see what is book review template and what are the components in it to be filled. As the name says, it is nothing but the template to write review about books, which will help you teach your kids on how to write a book review and what all needs to be included/excluded while writing a book review. Below are some of the components that needs to be filled in order to complete a Book review.

• Title – Name of the book
• Author/Illustrator – Name of the Author and/or Illustrator of the book
• Word difficulty – They need to predict the difficulty level they had while reading the book. For Example, Too easy, Just right, Medium, Too hard,
• Did your like the book/Rating – This is to rate the book. As it is for kids, it can be represented with the STAR rating. If not, by numbers. For example, 4.2 out of 5. Or you can ask them to describe the book in one word by proving them a set of words to choose. For example, Exiting, boring, impressive, stupid, funny, sad, heart warming, interesting, excellent, entertaining, educational and so on.
• Summary in one sentence – Ask them to summarize the story of the book in a sentence, that needs to be short and crisp.
• Characters – Describe in brief about the character involved in the book.
• What was your favorite part of the book? / What I liked best – This will help them recollect the memories of reading the book and describe their favorite part in the book.
• What I didn’t like – Ask them to summarize the part of book which the kids did not like
• Draw your favorite character from the book – If it is a picture book or activity book that would contain more pictures and images, then you can guide them to draw their favorite character from the book.
• Draw your favorite scene from the book – every kids will have a favorite part from the book and you can encourage them to visualize their favorite scene, which in-turn will develop their drawing skills also.
• Recommendation – They can tick mark the box. For example, Highly Recommended, Reasonable, Not recommended.
• Reviewer Name – Your kids name who is writing the review.
• Date – date on which the review was written.

These are few of the points that must be covered as part of a book review. Apart from this the kids can add anything extra as part of the template while writing the review.

Are your kids exited to write a book review? Wondering how to guide them on it? Then we are here to help you, as we have provided wonderful set of book review templates for kids in this page that will attract your kids. Do you want to make one on your own? Well, that is allowed as well. All you have to do is to just chose your template from here and download it for free. As we have designed it for your ease, you can just edit the template as per your need by changing the font, background, borderline of the template etc and create/make your own Book review templates within seconds,without spending even a single penny from your pocket. Is it not amazing? Create one instantly and help your kids write a book review.

Uses of Book review template?

Let us see below the uses of writing a book review.

• Will help the kids to improve their creative writing skills and reading comprehension.
• Will encourage the kids to share their opinion
• Will help others to decide on whether to read/purchase the book or not.
• Will provide the in-depth analysis of the story and content of the book.
• Will capture the main theme of the book and help readers understand the author’s style.

These are few of the benefits of writing a book review. Apart from these it will improve their book reading skills and increase their interest to read more books and write review for those.

How to use – Book review template for teaching in classroom

In order to help teachers with book review templates and few sample activities that would help them teach in the classroom,we have listed few activities as below to make their work easy:

• Providing Sample Book review – You can take few sample reviews written by others for a book and share it in the classroom for the kids to basically understand what is a book review and what are the basic elements and points to be captured while writing a book review. Best source to teach them is from the famous/favorite magazine or even newspaper.
• Together read a book review – Pick up an appropriate and favorite book review and read it aloud along with the students in the classroom. Cover everything from title of the book, author, brief summary of the book, strengths and weakness and your own personal opinion about the book.
• Provide a book to review – Provide a book or a short story to read in the classroom and write their review about it. Encourage them to make note of the key points of the story Post which you can read the review they have written and correct those along with the students.
• Questions about the book – Provide a book review template template and guide them with few questions that will help them recollect the incidents in the story and come-up with a good review. Questions should cover on the genre of the book (whether it is Comic or fantasy or detective or humor),  about the favorite part of the book, likes and dis-likes, about the main characters of the book, briefly about the author of the book, did they enjoy reading the story, etc. Also ensure to have their reviews explained in details. 
• Classroom flip book review activity – Prepare a flip book with an interesting topic and introduce it to the students. Provide them with a book review template from him as per your wish and let them write review on the flip book. This will help them improve their thinking capacity as well.

  How to use – Book Review template for students

Making children write a book review is a great way to motivate them to read lot of books. Having said that let us see few activities  that will help them learn and write a good and perfect book review.

• Book review activity Packet – You can choose a sample book for the students to read, be it a short-story or fun book or a comic story. To start with you can provide them a book under their favorite genre which will help them read it with full involvement and write a good review. Then you can choose a template from here for there to express their thought and opinion about the book and write a review.
• Character book review Activity – Decide a book for the student to read, preferably a picture book or fun book. Later you can collect the pictures of the different characters in the book and make cards out of it. Once the student completes the book, you can provide these cards carrying different characters in the book and as them to write review about each character. This will help children to understand and judge themselves with how much involvement they have read the book.

All the activities listed above looks awesome right? Waiting to involve your kids/students in reading books and write a review for the book? Then you can involve them in any of the above activities. To start with, you can make them read a book of their favorite genre, which will help them practice writing a book review at initial times.

Can Book Review Template help kids to learn science?

In order to make students develop their interest towards science, you can introduce it to them through book review activity as well. Wondering how? Here is an example for you to help them develop their interest towards science. You can create a Flip book with different forms of energy (like heat, sound,chemical,thermal etc) or any other science related topics like state of matter or chemical changes, with the pictures related to it. You can ask students to make a research on each of the picture in the flip book, hence introducing science to them.

Help them in understand it which in-turn will make them write good reviews. Later, once they complete the flip book, provide them with few book review templates and as them to write their opinion about each science topic in the flip book, that will help them know their understanding about the science and develop interest towards science. Similarly you can make them read various science related fun books (like 11 Experiments That Failed or Ada Twist – Scientist) which will introduce science to them and ask them to write review for the same.

Tips to help your kids write a book review

Writing a book review is not an easy task for the children at initial times. Below are you tips which will help you guide your children to write a good book review.

• Motivate them to make note of the important points while reading the books. This will help them remember the favorite characters and scenes in the book.
• Make them ask questions about the book to come-up with an perfect book review.
• Guide them to have a structure for the book review they write. For example , starting from the Author to the strength and weakness of the book.
• You should be ready to proofread it at the end. Once the kids complete writing a review, you should have a check on it for any spelling mistakes, meaning of the phrases and help them correct their mistakes in the next review.

Do’s and Don’ts of a Book review

Having discussed in details on how to write a book review, we shall now see the do;s and dont’s while reviewing a book.

• Provide a short phrase/title that will explain your review’s content.
• Be very specific in describing what you liked or did not like in the book. Do not generally say “it was bad”,”not satisfactory”. Describe why was it bad and not satisfactory.
• Do not drag the review too long. Make it crisp and brief. Do not completely summarize the book.
• Do not criticize it badly just because it was not as how you expected.
• Describe your favorite character and be very careful and conscious in what you say about the story to avoid controversies.

Following these  points along with the tips, you can select any of the activities along with the book review template from our page and teach your kids on how to write a good book review.

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How to Write a Book Review: A Comprehensive Tutorial With Examples

You don’t need to be a literary expert to craft captivating book reviews. With one in every three readers selecting books based on insightful reviews, your opinions can guide fellow bibliophiles toward their next literary adventure.

Learning how to write a book review will not only help you excel at your assigned tasks, but you’ll also contribute valuable insights to the book-loving community and turn your passion into a professional pursuit.

In this comprehensive guide,  PaperPerk  will walk you through a few simple steps to master the art of writing book reviews so you can confidently embark on this rewarding journey.

What is a Book Review?

A book review is a critical evaluation of a book, offering insights into its content, quality, and impact. It helps readers make informed decisions about whether to read the book.

Writing a book review as an assignment benefits students in multiple ways. Firstly, it teaches them how to write a book review by developing their analytical skills as they evaluate the content, themes, and writing style .

Secondly, it enhances their ability to express opinions and provide constructive criticism. Additionally, book review assignments expose students to various publications and genres, broadening their knowledge.

Furthermore, these tasks foster essential skills for academic success, like critical thinking and the ability to synthesize information. By now, we’re sure you want to learn how to write a book review, so let’s look at the book review template first.

Table of Contents

Book Review Template

How to Write a Book Review- A Step-by-Step Guide

Check out these 5 straightforward steps for composing the best book review.

Step 1: Planning Your Book Review – The Art of Getting Started

You’ve decided to take the plunge and share your thoughts on a book that has captivated (or perhaps disappointed) you. Before you start book reviewing, let’s take a step back and plan your approach. Knowing how to write a book review that’s both informative and engaging is an art in itself.

Choosing Your Literature

First things first, pick the book you want to review. This might seem like a no-brainer, but selecting a book that genuinely interests you will make the review process more enjoyable and your insights more authentic.

Crafting the Master Plan

Next, create an  outline  that covers all the essential points you want to discuss in your review. This will serve as the roadmap for your writing journey.

The Devil is in the Details

As you read, note any information that stands out, whether it overwhelms, underwhelms, or simply intrigues you. Pay attention to:

• The characters and their development
• The plot and its intricacies
• Any themes, symbols, or motifs you find noteworthy

Remember to reserve a body paragraph for each point you want to discuss.

The Key Questions to Ponder

When planning your book review, consider the following questions:

• What’s the plot (if any)? Understanding the driving force behind the book will help you craft a more effective review.
• Is the plot interesting? Did the book hold your attention and keep you turning the pages?
• Are the writing techniques effective? Does the author’s style captivate you, making you want to read (or reread) the text?
• Are the characters or the information believable? Do the characters/plot/information feel real, and can you relate to them?
• Would you recommend the book to anyone? Consider if the book is worthy of being recommended, whether to impress someone or to support a point in a literature class.
• What could be improved? Always keep an eye out for areas that could be improved. Providing constructive criticism can enhance the quality of literature.

Step 2 – Crafting the Perfect Introduction to Write a Book Review

In this second step of “how to write a book review,” we’re focusing on the art of creating a powerful opening that will hook your audience and set the stage for your analysis.

Identify Your Book and Author

Begin by mentioning the book you’ve chosen, including its  title  and the author’s name. This informs your readers and establishes the subject of your review.

Ponder the Title

Next, discuss the mental images or emotions the book’s title evokes in your mind . This helps your readers understand your initial feelings and expectations before diving into the book.

Judge the Book by Its Cover (Just a Little)

Take a moment to talk about the book’s cover. Did it intrigue you? Did it hint at what to expect from the story or the author’s writing style? Sharing your thoughts on the cover can offer a unique perspective on how the book presents itself to potential readers.

Present Your Thesis

Now it’s time to introduce your thesis. This statement should be a concise and insightful summary of your opinion of the book. For example:

“Normal People” by Sally Rooney is a captivating portrayal of the complexities of human relationships, exploring themes of love, class, and self-discovery with exceptional depth and authenticity.

Ensure that your thesis is relevant to the points or quotes you plan to discuss throughout your review.

Incorporating these elements into your introduction will create a strong foundation for your book review. Your readers will be eager to learn more about your thoughts and insights on the book, setting the stage for a compelling and thought-provoking analysis.

How to Write a Book Review: Step 3 – Building Brilliant Body Paragraphs

You’ve planned your review and written an attention-grabbing introduction. Now it’s time for the main event: crafting the body paragraphs of your book review. In this step of “how to write a book review,” we’ll explore the art of constructing engaging and insightful body paragraphs that will keep your readers hooked.

Summarize Without Spoilers

Begin by summarizing a specific section of the book, not revealing any major plot twists or spoilers. Your goal is to give your readers a taste of the story without ruining surprises.

Support Your Viewpoint with Quotes

Next, choose three quotes from the book that support your viewpoint or opinion. These quotes should be relevant to the section you’re summarizing and help illustrate your thoughts on the book.

Analyze the Quotes

Write a summary of each quote in your own words, explaining how it made you feel or what it led you to think about the book or the author’s writing. This analysis should provide insight into your perspective and demonstrate your understanding of the text.

Structure Your Body Paragraphs

Dedicate one body paragraph to each quote, ensuring your writing is well-connected, coherent, and easy to understand.

For example:

• In  Jane Eyre , Charlotte Brontë writes, “I am no bird; and no net ensnares me.” This powerful statement highlights Jane’s fierce independence and refusal to be trapped by societal expectations.
• In  Normal People , Sally Rooney explores the complexities of love and friendship when she writes, “It was culture as class performance, literature fetishized for its ability to take educated people on false emotional journeys.” This quote reveals the author’s astute observations on the role of culture and class in shaping personal relationships.
• In  Wuthering Heights , Emily Brontë captures the tumultuous nature of love with the quote, “He’s more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” This poignant line emphasizes the deep, unbreakable bond between the story’s central characters.

By following these guidelines, you’ll create body paragraphs that are both captivating and insightful, enhancing your book review and providing your readers with a deeper understanding of the literary work. 

How to Write a Book Review: Step 4 – Crafting a Captivating Conclusion

You’ve navigated through planning, introductions, and body paragraphs with finesse. Now it’s time to wrap up your book review with a  conclusion that leaves a lasting impression . In this final step of “How to write a Book Review,” we’ll explore the art of writing a memorable and persuasive conclusion.

Summarize Your Analysis

Begin by summarizing the key points you’ve presented in the body paragraphs. This helps to remind your readers of the insights and arguments you’ve shared throughout your review.

Offer Your Final Conclusion

Next, provide a conclusion that reflects your overall feelings about the book. This is your chance to leave a lasting impression and persuade your readers to consider your perspective.

Address the Book’s Appeal

Now, answer the question: Is this book worth reading? Be clear about who would enjoy the book and who might not. Discuss the taste preferences and circumstances that make the book more appealing to some readers than others.

For example:  The Alchemist is a book that can enchant a young teen, but those who are already well-versed in classic literature might find it less engaging.

Be Subtle and Balanced

Avoid simply stating whether you “liked” or “disliked” the book. Instead, use nuanced language to convey your message. Highlight the pros and cons of reading the type of literature you’ve reviewed, offering a balanced perspective.

Bringing It All Together

By following these guidelines, you’ll craft a conclusion that leaves your readers with a clear understanding of your thoughts and opinions on the book. Your review will be a valuable resource for those considering whether to pick up the book, and your witty and insightful analysis will make your review a pleasure to read. So conquer the world of book reviews, one captivating conclusion at a time!

How to Write a Book Review: Step 5 – Rating the Book (Optional)

You’ve masterfully crafted your book review, from the introduction to the conclusion. But wait, there’s one more step you might consider before calling it a day: rating the book. In this optional step of “how to write a book review,” we’ll explore the benefits and methods of assigning a rating to the book you’ve reviewed.

Why Rate the Book?

Sometimes, when writing a professional book review, it may not be appropriate to state whether you liked or disliked the book. In such cases, assigning a rating can be an effective way to get your message across without explicitly sharing your personal opinion.

How to Rate the Book

There are various rating systems you can use to evaluate the book, such as:

• A star rating (e.g., 1 to 5 stars)
• A numerical score (e.g., 1 to 10)
• A letter grade (e.g., A+ to F)

Choose a rating system that best suits your style and the format of your review. Be consistent in your rating criteria, considering writing quality, character development, plot, and overall enjoyment.

Tips for Rating the Book

Here are some tips for rating the book effectively:

• Be honest: Your rating should reflect your true feelings about the book. Don’t inflate or deflate your rating based on external factors, such as the book’s popularity or the author’s reputation.
• Be fair: Consider the book’s merits and shortcomings when rating. Even if you didn’t enjoy the book, recognize its strengths and acknowledge them in your rating.
• Be clear: Explain the rationale behind your rating so your readers understand the factors that influenced your evaluation.

Wrapping Up

By including a rating in your book review, you provide your readers with additional insight into your thoughts on the book. While this step is optional, it can be a valuable tool for conveying your message subtly yet effectively. So, rate those books confidently, adding a touch of wit and wisdom to your book reviews.

Additional Tips on How to Write a Book Review: A Guide

In this segment, we’ll explore additional tips on how to write a book review. Get ready to captivate your readers and make your review a memorable one!

Hook ’em with an Intriguing Introduction

Keep your introduction precise and to the point. Readers have the attention span of a goldfish these days, so don’t let them swim away in boredom. Start with a bang and keep them hooked!

Embrace the World of Fiction

When learning how to write a book review, remember that reviewing fiction is often more engaging and effective. If your professor hasn’t assigned you a specific book, dive into the realm of fiction and select a novel that piques your interest.

Opinionated with Gusto

Don’t shy away from adding your own opinion to your review. A good book review always features the writer’s viewpoint and constructive criticism. After all, your readers want to know what  you  think!

Express Your Love (or Lack Thereof)

If you adored the book, let your readers know! Use phrases like “I’ll definitely return to this book again” to convey your enthusiasm. Conversely, be honest but respectful even if the book wasn’t your cup of tea.

Templates and Examples and Expert Help: Your Trusty Sidekicks

Feeling lost? You can always get help from formats, book review examples or online  college paper writing service  platforms. These trusty sidekicks will help you navigate the world of book reviews with ease. 

Be a Champion for New Writers and Literature

Remember to uplift new writers and pieces of literature. If you want to suggest improvements, do so kindly and constructively. There’s no need to be mean about anyone’s books – we’re all in this literary adventure together!

Criticize with Clarity, Not Cruelty

When adding criticism to your review, be clear but not mean. Remember, there’s a fine line between constructive criticism and cruelty. Tread lightly and keep your reader’s feelings in mind.

Avoid the Comparison Trap

Resist the urge to compare one writer’s book with another. Every book holds its worth, and comparing them will only confuse your reader. Stick to discussing the book at hand, and let it shine in its own light.

Top 7 Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Writing a book review can be a delightful and rewarding experience, especially when you balance analysis, wit, and personal insights. However, some common mistakes can kill the brilliance of your review. 

In this section of “How to write a book review,” we’ll explore the top 7 blunders writers commit and how to steer clear of them, with a dash of  modernist literature  examples and tips for students writing book reviews as assignments.

Succumbing to the Lure of Plot Summaries

Mistake: Diving headfirst into a plot summary instead of dissecting the book’s themes, characters, and writing style.

Example: “The Bell Jar chronicles the life of a young woman who experiences a mental breakdown.”

How to Avoid: Delve into the book’s deeper aspects, such as its portrayal of mental health, societal expectations, and the author’s distinctive narrative voice. Offer thoughtful insights and reflections, making your review a treasure trove of analysis.

Unleashing the Spoiler Kraken

Mistake: Spilling major plot twists or the ending without providing a spoiler warning, effectively ruining the reading experience for potential readers.

Example: “In Metamorphosis, the protagonist’s transformation into a monstrous insect leads to…”

How to Avoid: Tread carefully when discussing significant plot developments, and consider using spoiler warnings. Focus on the impact of these plot points on the overall narrative, character growth, or thematic resonance.

Riding the Personal Bias Express

Mistake: Allowing personal bias to hijack the review without providing sufficient evidence or reasoning to support opinions.

Example: “I detest books about existential crises, so The Sun Also Rises was a snoozefest.”

How to Avoid: While personal opinions are valid, it’s crucial to back them up with specific examples from the book. Discuss aspects like writing style, character development, or pacing to support your evaluation and provide a more balanced perspective.

Wielding the Vague Language Saber

Mistake: Resorting to generic, vague language that fails to capture the nuances of the book and can come across as clichéd.

Example: “This book was mind-blowing. It’s a must-read for everyone.”

How to Avoid: Use precise and descriptive language to express your thoughts. Employ specific examples and quotations to highlight memorable scenes, the author’s unique writing style, or the impact of the book’s themes on readers.

Ignoring the Contextualization Compass

Mistake: Neglecting to provide context about the author, genre, or cultural relevance of the book, leaving readers without a proper frame of reference.

Example: “This book is dull and unoriginal.”

How to Avoid: Offer readers a broader understanding by discussing the author’s background, the genre conventions the book adheres to or subverts, and any societal or historical contexts that inform the narrative. This helps readers appreciate the book’s uniqueness and relevance.

Overindulging in Personal Preferences

Mistake: Letting personal preferences overshadow an objective assessment of the book’s merits.

Example: “I don’t like stream-of-consciousness writing, so this book is automatically bad.”

How to Avoid: Acknowledge personal preferences but strive to evaluate the book objectively. Focus on the book’s strengths and weaknesses, considering how well it achieves its goals within its genre or intended audience.

Forgetting the Target Audience Telescope

Mistake: Failing to mention the book’s target audience or who might enjoy it, leading to confusion for potential readers.

Example: “This book is great for everyone.”

How to Avoid: Contemplate the book’s intended audience, genre, and themes. Mention who might particularly enjoy the book based on these factors, whether it’s fans of a specific genre, readers interested in character-driven stories, or those seeking thought-provoking narratives.

By dodging these common pitfalls, writers can craft insightful, balanced, and engaging book reviews that help readers make informed decisions about their reading choices.

These tips are particularly beneficial for students writing book reviews as assignments, as they ensure a well-rounded and thoughtful analysis.!

Many students requested us to cover how to write a book review. This thorough guide is sure to help you. At Paperperk, professionals are dedicated to helping students find their balance. We understand the importance of good grades, so we offer the finest writing service , ensuring students stay ahead of the curve. So seek expert help because only Paperperk is your perfect solution!

What is the difference between a book review and a report?

Who is the target audience for book reviews and book reports, how do book reviews and reports differ in length and content, can i write professional book reviews, what are the key aspects of writing professional book reviews, how can i enhance my book-reviewing skills to write professional reviews, what should be included in a good book review.

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Books for Kids and Grown Ups

20 Popular Book Series 5th Graders Love

There are two kinds of problems parents and teachers often have with kids being readers: they’re either not reading enough or at all OR they’re burning through books too fast to find options. Book series help with both of these issues. With reluctant readers, book series keep them in a familiar universe, making it easier to get into each next story, while with voracious readers, finding a series with at least five installments is a surefire way to keep them booked and busy for some time. Regardless of what camp you fall into, I’m sharing 20 excellent book series for 5th graders to enjoy. My list includes graphic novels, sports books, adventure stories, mystery, sci-fi, and feel-good stories.

20 Best Book Series for 5th Graders

Here are 20 of the best book series for 5th graders:

Track Series

Published: August 30, 2016

4 books in series

The Track series is about four kids (Ghost, Patina, Sunny, and Lu) on the same track team dealing with issues in their personal lives and finding solace in running. It opens with Castle Crenshaw (aka Ghost), who has PTSD from a dad who tried to fire a gun at him as a child. When he meets Coach and the rest of the team, he can finally harness his talent as a sprinter and stop running away from his problems. I love how powerful these kids’ stories are and that they’re super short — this one is only 185 pages long.

Published: March 10, 2020

5 books in series

Twelve-year-old Sara Martinez is a hacker bouncing from foster home to foster home in Brooklyn, New York. After getting arrested for hacking into the NYC foster care system to expose her foster parents as criminals, she meets a man named Mother, who is not a lawyer but convinces her to take on her case. Mother somehow wins, and Sara gets released only to join a team of kid spies operating out of a base in Scotland. With spies, family drama, and high-action chases, this is an excellent start to an exciting mystery-adventure series that kids and adults can enjoy. Taking readers from New York to Scotland and Paris, this story makes for an engaging experience. These books are on the longer side and best for stronger readers — but anyone can enjoy them on audio.

Published: January 8, 2019

6 books in series

This is one of my favorite low-stakes graphic novel series. I love that the books can be read in any order. It’s all about Olive and her friends, starting with her entry into the fifth grade. The illustrations are gorgeous and the series explores many themes, including theater life, friendships, and family relationships — there’s even a summer camp installment . Hand to kids looking for sweet graphic novels in the vein of The Babysitters Club graphic novels.

All Four Stars

Published: July 10, 2014

3 books in series

Gladys Gatsby LOVES gourmet food, unlike her parents who believe in microwaveable food. So when she gets the chance to become a food critic, she is thrilled. There’s only one caveat: no one can find out. This gave me Ruth Reichl’s Garlic and Sapphires vibe, but for kids — and more delightful, complete with all the mouth-watering food descriptions. Hand to kids who love a foodie feel-good series.

Published: May 29, 2018

Mia Tang is a ten-year-old Chinese immigrant who lives in a motel with her parents. They run the motel for its crooked owner, Mr Yao. Mia runs the front desk and enjoys it. This book deals with heavier topics like racism, class prejudice, the value of diligence, and the struggles of immigrants in a dignified way that kids can relate to. Overall, this is a compelling, refreshing book for everyone! This series is at book five now and going strong.

The Vanderbeekers

Published: October 3, 2017

Meet the Vanderbeekers! They’re a biracial family living in Harlem, New York. With five kids, including a pair of twin girls, there are plenty of characters for each kid to identify with. This series is warm and cozy and each installment features the Vanderbeeker kids trying to accomplish a unique goal. The first book is all about getting their grumpy neighbor to warm up to them.

Unforgettable Logan Foster

Published: January 18, 2022

2 books in series

Logan is a foster kid at a boys’ foster home. He’s on the autism spectrum, has a photographic memory, and isn’t the best at picking up on social cues. But just when Logan is sure that he’ll never be adopted, a new couple Margie and Gil show up. After a rocky start, Logan is settling in with his new foster parents when he starts noticing some weird things. Gil never seems to eat and are Margie’s tears silver? He’s only processing the fact that his new parents might be superheroes when they get kidnapped by a supervillain, and it’s up to Logan to save them. This is a superb, fast-paced superhero fantasy about identity, self-worth, and finding community.

Published: March 6, 2012

11 books in series

Ben Ripley’s life does a 180 when he gets an invitation to work for the CIA, only to find out that it was a case of mistaken identity because someone on the inside has a secret ploy against the agency. With a new crush roping him into an undercover mission to unravel the plot, Ben discovers that he’s actually not half-bad at being a spy. This isn’t my favorite spy series, but kids love it and can’t stop reading. Perfect for fans of spy and adventure books.

The Smartest Kid in the Universe

Published: December 1, 2020

Twelve-year-old Jack is a no-stress student who doesn’t believe in working hard at school. He won’t even try hard to learn Spanish, his best friend’s first language. It doesn’t help that his school is about to be shut down. But when he eats a bunch of jellybeans created by a scientist and suddenly has a vast store of knowledge, he might be able to compete in a contest to put his school on the map and save it from demolition. What he doesn’t know is that there are more sinister forces working against the school. This is a relatable rib-tickling romp combining science, history, friendship, and suspense in an engaging way.

Curlfriends

Published: October 10, 2023

1 book in series so far

Charlie is the new kid for the umpteenth time, but this time things will be different. Her dad is no longer in the military, and this is a more permanent home, so she feels more pressure to find and impress some new friends. When she meets a cool group of Black girls with varying interests, she decides to hide her “babyish” style and hobbies to befriend them. But she soon learns that with true friends, you can be your whole self. This is the cute first book in a new graphic novel series about Black hair, girlfriends, fashion, and adjusting to change.

Published: January 2, 2024

After a string of issues at school, Olive’s parents drop her off at a renovated castle that is now a reform school. There, Olive meets other misfits and quickly discovers that there’s more to the school than meets the eye: it’s actually a cover for a group of crime-fighting misfits! When Olive and her friends find out that the school is at risk of closing unless they can stop a major heist, the misfits must get to work. This is a fun first book in a new series by Lisa Yee with illustrations by Dan Santat. I’m looking forward to more books in the series.

The Stupendous Switcheroo

Published: September 12, 2023

What if you woke up to new powers every day? Such is the fate of our protagonist in this graphic novel-prose hybrid. Daily, he develops and loses everything from potent superpowers like telekinesis and super speed to cute but not-so-useful ones like bubbles and speaking cat. The city’s superhero even recruits him to help fight the villains popping up everywhere. The one thing he can’t seem to figure out, though, is where his scientist mom is. As each day passes, readers follow Switcheroo one step closer to the mystery of his mom’s whereabouts and why there are so many villains around suddenly. This is an appealing graphic-prose release about superheroes, finding an identity that fits, and seeing people beyond the surface. The second book in this series is out next year.

​​President of the Whole Fifth Grade (President Series, 1)

Published: October 5, 2010

Everyone knows that Briana Justice wants to be a famous baker, but when she finds out that her role model and alumnus of her school was president of the fifth grade, Briana is convinced that that’s the path for her too. Unfortunately, a devious new student also has her eyes on the presidential office. Will Briana be tempted to play dirty just to win or will she do the right thing? I love this series and the high drama and mystery of Briana’s road to presidency (or not?). It’s perfect for kids who love dramatic frenemy stories with substance.

Out of My Mind

Published: March 9, 2010

Melody has cerebral palsy so she can’t walk or talk, but no one knows that she has a photographic memory. Kids at her school underestimate her, but Melody refuses to be defined by cerebral palsy. And she’s determined to let everyone know it – somehow. This one got a surprise sequel 10 years after its release and many kids lost their minds over it.

Sunny Side Up

Published: August 25, 2015

A trip to Florida to spend time with her grandfather at his senior’s community becomes life-changing for Sunny Lewin. This is another great graphic novel series that can be read out of order. Nearly all of the books are set in a different summer and follow Sunny’s adventures. I love how funny and thoughtful this series is and I think it’s a great pick for readers who enjoy historical fiction, graphic novels, and summery stories.

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus

  Published: September 5, 2017

2 books in the series

Aven Green loves to tell people that she lost her arms in an alligator wrestling match, or a wildfire in Tanzania, but the truth is she was born without them. And when her parents take a job running Stagecoach Pass, a rundown western theme park in Arizona, Aven moves with them across the country knowing that she’ll have to answer the question over and over again. This is an inspiring, funny duology about a girl determined to blast any preconceived limits on her abilities. It also features a sweet friendship and is a great pick for kids who liked Wonder .

Published: September 27, 2016

Meet Abbie Wu. Abbie is in crisis—and not just because she’s starting middle school or because she’s stuck in a family that doesn’t quite get her or because everyone seems to have a Thing except her. Abbie Wu is always in crisis.From author and professional doodler Booki Vivat,  Frazzled  dives right into the mind of this hilariously neurotic middle school girl as she tries to figure out who she is and where she belongs. This is a quirky, funny illustrated novel perfect for fans of Dork Diaries .

Escape from Mr. Limoncello’s Library

Published: June 25, 2013

Kyle Keeley is the class clown and a huge fan of all games—board games, word games, and particularly video games. His hero, Luigi Lemoncello, the most notorious and creative gamemaker in the world, just so happens to be the genius behind the construction of the new town library. Lucky Kyle wins a coveted spot as one of twelve kids invited for an overnight sleepover in the library, hosted by Mr. Lemoncello and riddled with lots and lots of games. But when morning comes, the doors stay locked. Kyle and the other kids must solve every clue and figure out every secret puzzle to find the hidden escape route!

Super Pancake

Published: February 14, 2023

Set in Breakfast Town, this story is about a young Pancake who develops superhero activities after she’s exposed to a special serum. Peggy Pancake is always late for the bus, constantly losing track of time, and nowhere near as perfect as her brother. But with superpowers, can she save her town from evil and finally impress her family? This was totally delightful, funny, and perfect for kids who like kooky stories with a relatable protagonist and a dash of superheroes — perfect for reluctant readers.

The Fifth Quarter

Published: May 25, 2021

Lori Block is dedicated to her fourth-grade basketball team, despite being relegated to an extra period before the   real game starts, known as the fifth quarter ,  where the not-so-good kids play and the points don’t count. That doesn’t matter to Lori though, because working on her skills gives her hints of self-confidence, which is a nice break from feeling awkward and out of place in her daily life. This is a fast-paced basketball series about perseverance, friendship, and love for the sport.

There they are: 20 of my favorite book series for 5th graders! Which of these have taken off in your class? What did I miss?

More Book Series for Kids

• Book series for 13 year olds
• Middle grade graphic novel series
• The best middle grade book series

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• About Afoma Umesi

Afoma Umesi is the founder and editor of Reading Middle Grade where she curates book lists and writes book reviews for kids of all ages. Her favorite genre to read is contemporary realistic fiction and she'll never say no to a graphic novel.

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• TemplateLab

Book Review Templates

50 best book review templates (kids, middle school etc.).

A book review template enables you to illustrate the intentions of the author who wrote the book while creating your own opinions and criticisms about the written material as a whole. By writing this template, you formulate your own opinions about the ideas presented by the author. In some cases, teachers assign students with the task of writing a book review template too. Through this, the teachers can determine how well the students understood the book.

Table of Contents

• 1 Book Review Templates
• 2 How long should the book review template be?
• 3 Book Review Templates For Kids
• 4 Parts of a book review template
• 5 Book Review Templates Middle School
• 6 Planning to write your book review
• 7 Book Review Templates High School
• 8 Starting to write your book review
• 9 Book Review Templates for College
• 10 What to include in your book review?

How long should the book review template be?

One main purpose of a book review template is to help other people determine whether or not they would feel interested to read a book . A book review worksheet serves as a “sneak peek” at a book. Written well, it can encourage others to read the same book to see what all the fuss is about.

Just don’t make your review too short as it might not serve its purpose. Conversely, a review that’s too long might bore the reader, thus, prompting them not to finish reading all the way to the end. Instead of focusing on the length of your review, focus on what you want to say in it.

Book Review Templates For Kids

Parts of a book review template

If you’re a student, all you have to do is give your own opinions and thoughts about the book you have read. But if you want your review to stand out, you may want to include more information:

• A brief summary When writing a book review template, include a brief summary along with some background information about the topic and the author. As you write, don’t assume that the readers have already read the book. This is why you should explain the main ideas and topics you have read and their significance.
• Background information about the topic As you write the background information, do a lot of research about the main topic to provide comprehensive data. Even if it’s a fictional story, doing research is essential. That way, the opinions and evaluations you share about the book come from your own good understanding of what you have read. For non-fiction, you may choose to include studies or research about the topic of the book to come up with a comprehensive review that your readers will appreciate.
• Your evaluation Conclude your book review worksheet with an evaluation of what you’ve read. More than just your opinions, provide an evaluation of the strong points, weaknesses, and even the objectives of the book and if the author met these objectives. After this evaluation, you can include your opinions. Explain your reactions and the reasons for these reactions. Don’t just say “I didn’t like the book.” Specify the parts you didn’t appreciate and your reason why. This makes your review more believable, especially when you’re writing for a book that’s available for purchase.

Book Review Templates Middle School

Planning to write your book review

You can write a book review template for books of all genres and for different purposes. Of course, writing a book review template for different genres requires skill. While you would follow a single format for these reviews, the content varies greatly. Part of the writing process is to plan what to write in your review. Here are some tips to guide you:

• Create an outline that includes all of the most important points that you want to include in your review. In the outline, include information about the plot, the characters, and other important details in the book.
• For each point in your outline, create a paragraph that talks about it.
• You should have a good understanding of the plot so that you can write your review effectively.
• Analyze the writing techniques that the author used. This makes it easier for you to understand why and how the author wrote the book.
• Analyze the characters of the book to see if they seem realistic, believable or even logical, especially in terms of the roles they play in the plot of the story.
• Decide whether you would recommend the book you’ve read to other people. If you want to recommend it, explain why. If not, provide an explanation for this decision too.

Book Review Templates High School

Starting to write your book review

Most book review templates start with a brief summary of the book. If you decide to start the “traditional” way by writing a summary, make sure that you don’t give away too many details about the book. You shouldn’t retell the story or share too much information that the reader won’t even bother to read the book because they already know what it’s about. More importantly, people don’t appreciate it when reviews include spoilers.

When it comes to reviews, you can also begin in different ways depending on your preference or the requirements given to you by your teacher. Here are some suggestions for you:

• Provide background information about the book Here, you share what makes the book interesting or important. It might have a well-known author, it may be part of a series of books or it may even be a bestseller. The background information you provide should hook the reader and make them feel curious.
• Explain an important term used in the book If you think that an important term or phrase in the book might confuse the readers, you can start your review by providing a short explanation for it. This makes it easier for readers to understand the book and not feel intimidated by it.
• Share an interesting fact about the book This way of starting your review is particularly effective for nonfiction books. By sharing an interesting fact that you have taken from the book, you will catch the interest of your readers.
• Start with a quote Finally, you can also begin your review using a striking quote you’ve taken from the book. This is a powerful way to begin your review and it also makes the whole document more interesting to read.

Book Review Templates for College

What to include in your book review?

Thinking about what you want to say in your book review template can feel like a challenge. But it doesn’t have to be. As long as you have an idea of the content to include in your review, the words may start flowing easily. Here are some ideas of what your book review may contain:

• General information Talk about what kind of book is it – is it an adventure book, a fantasy book, a nonfiction book, a novel, and more. State if it is a standalone book or if it’s part of the series. You can even share interesting facts about the author of the book if you feel like this information can help your readers. Here, you can also compare the book to others of the same genre or topic. Talk about the style of the book and the language the author used for it. You can even recommend the age groups the book is most recommended for.
• Plot Writing this part is the most challenging since you want to provide your readers with a taste of what the book is all about without divulging too many details or spoilers. When writing a book review for stories, never give away the ending!
• Characters Your review should provide good information about all the characters in the story. You can learn more about the characters by analyzing their dialogues, actions, and how they interact with the other characters in the story. When talking about the characters, you can share some examples of instances that stood out in your mind. But again, don’t give away too much.
• Theme Here, you talk about what the book is really about. Apart from the plot, you should also try to share the ideas behind the story that you’ve read. For instance, is the book about hope, love, friendship, the triumph of good over evil, and so on. This is another important piece of information that your readers may appreciate.
• Setting This refers to the place and time when the story happens. When including this information, don’t just share the location. You can even add descriptions to make this part more interesting to read.
• Opinions and analyses Finally, this is where you would share your reactions to the book. After giving the facts, it’s time to talk about how the book moved you, what you thought about it, and how you interpreted everything you’ve read. This would be the “meatiest” part of your book so you should spend more time on it. This also happens to be the main purpose of the book – your review – which is why it’s called a review!

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Five-Star Book Reviews

Students create a book review on a card or 3d cube to help others choose books they will enjoy.

Apps: Wixie ® or Pixie ®

While some emerging readers love any book, others struggle to find books they enjoy reading. In this project, students think about books they have enjoyed reading and why they liked them. They then create a review of one of the books on a card or 3D cube to help others better select a book they will enjoy reading.

Common Core State Standards for primary grades use book reviews as a performance task for primary grade opinion writing. In Kindergarten, emerging writers simply write a sentence to name a favorite book, but first- and second-grade students also supply reasons to support their opinion.

Many emerging readers struggle to find books they like when faced with a library filled with options. Book reviews are a product you can ask young learners to create that not only meets academic goals but has value to their peers as well.

Begin this project by asking your students to name their favorite book that you have read to them this year. As they share their favorites, ask each student to try to articulate specific reasons that made the story great. You can also open this question up to other students who agree that a particular book was enjoyable.

Now, ask students if they have ever had trouble finding a book they like. Then, ask students if they have ever had a friend tell them “You are going to love this book!” but when they read it themselves, they didn’t really enjoy it.

Be sure to acknowledge that not every student likes the same book. Reading is personal and will depend on your interests more than your reading ability. You will also want to try to help students understand that sharing an opinion that is not supported with specific reasons does not provide a reader with a lot of information to make their own decision.

Make your students aware that even adults have problems finding books they enjoy reading. This is why many of them use book reviews as a tool to help them better choose the next book they will read.

Show students an example of a book review, such as ones you find online or print examples from your local paper. These reviews are written for adults, so share an example or two of book reviews written by students as well.

Let students know that they will be writing a review of a book they have enjoyed to help other students learn more about the story and decide if it is a book that they might enjoy reading too.

Have students think of a book they enjoyed reading on their own this year. After students have chosen a title, the next step is to help them move beyond a simple identification of a favorite book, to supplying an opinion about it backed up by reasons and examples in the book.

Provide students with an OREO opinion organizer to help students develop their ideas before they start writing. In this graphic organizer, students state their opinion, such as Mercy Watson to the Rescue is my favorite book. The next part of the organizer asks them to supply a reason for their opinion, followed by an example or two from the book.

Decide as a class if you want to create reviews you share as posters you will hang on the wall, postcards you will print and share or even 3D cubes students can print on card stock, cut, fold, glue and display.

Provide your students with a book review template they can use to share the ideas they have developed in their OREO organizer.

A digital creativity tool, like Wixie , includes several templates for book reviews, including several that work to print as postcards and trading cards, as well as several 3D cube templates specifically designed for book reviews.

To get your students thinking, you may want to work together to create a list of common elements found in all of the reviews, such as the title of the book, the author’s name, a summary, and an opinion. Then, work with students to decide what should be in their review and design your own Wixie template together for students to use.

Celebrating the work of your emerging writers encourages them to continue their efforts. While displaying their writing is great, show students their writing has value by sharing it with other young learners who will use it to choose their next book to read.

Print two copies of each student’s card or 3D Cube. Share one copy in the reading area or book nook in your classroom and the other in the library media center at your school.

Give student work an even larger audience by reaching out to your local library or independent bookstore to see if they would be willing to share them with their visitors to help them find that just right book.

If your learners are up for more involvement and thinking, ask them to help determine the size and shape their reviews should be shared. While there aren’t a lot of options for a 3D cube, if students wrote single-page reviews, they can print at full-page size and display around school. They can also print multiple copies on a single page at postcard, or even trading card, size.

No matter what format they choose for publishing, ask students to also consider how they will organize the reviews for students to use most effectively. In other words, would sorting the reviews by genre, rating, or theme make the right title even easier for students to find? Instead of giving options for sorting, see if students can come up with these on their own.

You can assess student’s prior experience with opinion writing as you work together to evaluate what makes a good book review.

You may want to create a checklist for the things students need to include in their review, to clearly define the content their review should include.

The OREO opinion organizer provides a great formative assessment opportunity you can use before they begin writing to ensure they understand how to support an opinion with reasons and examples, not simply restate it. Their final book review serves as a summative assessment of their opinion writing progress.

If you involved students in thinking about the product format they should use as well as how they should sort, display, and share their work, be sure to record your conversations and observations to make it easier to describe their thinking in your evaluation.

The Horn Book: Reviews of 2017 Caldecott Award Winners

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Read Brightly: 30 Books for Early Readers

Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.1 Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or name the book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply a reason for the opinion, and provide some sense of closure.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.1 Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion, use linking words (e.g., because, and, also) to connect opinion and reasons, and provide a concluding statement or section.

ISTE Standards for Students:

6. Creative Communicator Students communicate clearly and express themselves creatively for a variety of purposes using the platforms, tools, styles, formats and digital media appropriate to their goals. Students:

a. choose the appropriate platforms and tools for meeting the desired objectives of their creation or communication.

b. create original works or responsibly repurpose or remix digital resources into new creations.

c. communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively by creating or using a variety of digital objects such as visualizations, models or simulations.

d. publish or present content that customizes the message and medium for their intended audiences.

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Book Review

Book Review Examples

Last updated on: Nov 20, 2023

Good Book Review Examples to Help you Write a Great Review

By: Nova A.

Reviewed By: Chris H.

Published on: Mar 30, 2021

A book review is a common assignment that allows the students to demonstrate the author’s intentions in the book. It also provides them with the chance not only to criticize but also to give constructive criticism on how they can make improvements.

The purpose of writing a book review is to come up with your opinion about the author’s ideas presented in the book. On the other hand, a book analysis is completely based on opinions that are relevant to the book.

Writing a review is something that can be done with any book that you read. However, some genres are harder to write. But with a proper plan, you can easily write a great review on any book.

Read some short book review examples in this guide. They will help you understand the key elements of writing a great review in no time.

On this Page

Academic Book Review Examples

If you are assigned to write a book review, referring to some examples will be of great help. In addition, reading examples before starting the writing process will help you understand what elements are needed for a great book review. There are also many review sites online you can get help from.

Academic book reviews follow a fairly simple structure. It usually includes an introduction, middle paragraphs, and a conclusion that sums up all the ideas.

For a great book review, here are the things you need to focus on during the writing process.

• The main argument presented by the author
• Author’s methodologyAppropriateness for the audience
• Relationship to the real world

Have a look at the following book review examples for kids before beginning the writing process.

Book Review Examples for Middle School Students

Book Review Example For Kids

Book Review Examples for High School Students

Paper Due? Why Suffer? That's our Job!

Book Review Examples for College Students

Book Review Examples for University Students

How to Write a Book Review - Examples

If you don’t know how to write a book review, look at the following steps.

The first step is to plan and create an outline that includes all the points that you will have to cover in the review. Don’t forget to include all the information about the characters, plot information, and some other parts of the chosen book.

The three parts of a book review are:

1. Provide a Summary

What is the book about? Write about the main characters and what is the conflict that is discussed in the book.

2. Provide Your Evaluation

Share your thoughts about the book and what elements work best.

3. Rate the Book

Rate and recommend the book to others who will enjoy reading this book.

If you need to submit a book review soon, we suggest you start reading some book reviews online. Here you can also find some good book review writing examples to understand how to craft each section of a book review.

Book Review Introduction Examples

Thesis Statement Book Review Examples

Tough Essay Due? Hire Tough Writers!

Book Review Conclusion Examples

Critical Book Review Examples

A book review is a critical evaluation of the book, movie, or any other literary work. It has two goals: the first is to inform the readers about the content of the book, and the second is to evaluate your judgment about the book.

A book review is more than a book report. A review is basically a critical essay that evaluates the merits of a literary work. The purpose of writing a book review is not to prove that you have read a book but to show that you think critically about the chosen book.

When you are asked to write a critical book review, you need to identify, summarize and evaluate the ideas of the author. In simpler words, you will be examining and evaluating another person’s work from your point of view.

Science Book Review Examples

A scientific book review will contain the same elements as writing a review for a fiction book; some elements might vary. When you are reviewing a scientific text, you need to pay attention to the writing style and the validity of the content.

Most students turn to non-fictional sources of information. It is important to make sure the information you provide in your review is factual and scientific.

Book review writing can be difficult if you don’t know how to follow the standard protocols. That’s where our reliable book review writing service aims to provide the necessary help.

No matter what your academic level is, we can provide you with the best book review writing help. This type of writing assignment can be tricky and time-consuming. So, if you don’t know how to crack this task, better get professional help.

We at 5StarEssays.com provide exceptional book review writing help. Not only book reviews, but we also provide the best ‘ write an essay for me ’ help to students. Moreover, we also have an AI essay writer to help you with tight deadlines, give it a try now!

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you write a book review example.

Here are some steps that will help you to write a book review example.

• Start writing with few sentences and describe what the book is all about
• Focus on your thoughts
• Mention things that you dont like about the book.
• Summarize your thoughts.
• Give rating to the book.

Thesis, Law

As a Digital Content Strategist, Nova Allison has eight years of experience in writing both technical and scientific content. With a focus on developing online content plans that engage audiences, Nova strives to write pieces that are not only informative but captivating as well.

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