Cal Poly Pomona's Annual Common Read Writing Contest
More information coming soon
Coming soon
Writing a book review for the first time? We've got you covered. Try these steps.
1) Read the book carefully. You may try annotating the book or taking notes as you read. You'll want to pay close attention to the structure of the book, the major themes, and big ideas presented. Check out the video below for some tips on how to take notes while reading.
2) Review your notes and decide on a few points you want to discuss in your review. This may be quotes you liked, chapters that stood out, sections that confused you, or areas you are interested in learning more about.
3) Write a draft of your review. Make sure it includes the below information:
Complete bibliographic information - title of the book, author, publisher, publication date, etc. We suggest MLA or APA citation style.
A catchy introduction. Make sure to grab the readers attention quickly. Maybe this is a summary of your favorite points or a quote that you loved.
A short summary/background of the book - this is a non-fiction book, so prepare a brief overview of the book’s main arguments. You can provide an overview of how the book is arranged, the number of chapters, and key topics covered. Review the author’s introduction for insight behind why she wrote this book and what inspired her and the background about the book. Don't forget to highlight the areas that stood out to you.
Your opinion - what is your opinion of this book? Would you recommend it? How would you frame your recommendation? Make sure to use those points you set aside in step 2.
4) Review your draft before submitting. Our first draft is not always our best. Make sure you set it aside for a few days and review again before submitting.
