Name: ________________________________________ Book Title/Author: ______________________________

Book Report Guidelines

Format: Your book report must be at least 4 full pages long, double-spaced, Times New Roman 12 point font, with
1-inch margins on all sides. Your direct quotes should be no more than one sentence long. If you do use direct
quotes, you must put them in quotation marks and cite your reference in your bibliography.
Opening Statement: Your book report should begin with an opening statement that describes why you chose the
book that you did. You must include the book title and author here.
Body: Discuss the overall theme of the book and how it connects to history. Does it involve a specific historical
figure? An event? Describe the time period, the setting, and what the authors opinion or point of view is on the
historical figure or event.
Closing Statement: Describe what you learned from the book. What stood out to you the most? What did you
dislike? Did you feel that the book helped you understand history better? What message will you take with you after
having read it? Would you recommend it to another student? Why?
Bibliography: Your bibliography should be included on a separate page at the end of your report. You should follow
MLA guidelines for citation. Each citation should be numbered. Use numbered parenthetical citations within the
body of your report.
Submission: You must send your book report to my email by March 28th, 2014 at 7:00 PM. My email address is
mshemmings@outlook.com. DO NOT send your report as a message; insert it as an attachment. If you submit your
book report after 7:00, you will automatically go down one letter grade. You will go down an additional letter grade
for each day that it is late.
Plagiarism: ANY form

of plagiarism is subject to an F.

Grading Scale:
A: 13-14 Points
B: 11-12 Points
C: 9-10 Points
D: 7-8 Points
F: 0-6 Points
Scoring and Teacher Comments:
Your final score is ________/14. Your final grade is ___________.

Format

Opening
Statement

Body

0 Points

1 Point

2 Points

Report follows none of

the guidelines for
formatting provided by
the teacher

Report follows some of

the guidelines for
formatting provided by
the teacher

Report follows all of

the guidelines for
formatting provided by
the teacher

Opening statement does

not include the title and
author of the book and
does not include a
description of why the
book was chosen

Opening statement
includes the title and
author of the book but
does not include a
description of why the
book was chosen

Opening statement
includes the title and
author of the book and
includes a description
of why the book was
chosen

Body of the report

describes none of the
required elements.

Body of the report

describes only some of
the required elements.

Body of the report

describes the
following:
Theme of the book
Connection to history
Time Period/Setting
Author Point of View

Closing
Statement

Closing statement does

not answer any of the
required questions

Closing statement
answers only some of
the required questions

Closing statement
describes the
following:
What was learned
Likes or Dislikes
Effectiveness
Recommendation

Originality

Spelling,
Punctuation,
and
Grammar
Bibliograph
y

Report is simply a
summary; there is no
evidence of original
thoughts or opinions

Report shows some

evidence of original
thoughts or opinions

Report shows
significant evidence of
original thoughts or
opinions

There are more than 5

spelling, punctuation,
and grammatical errors

There are 1-4 spelling,

punctuation, and
grammatical errors

There are 0 spelling,

punctuation, and
grammatical errors

Bibliography is not
included

Bibliography is
formatted incorrectly
but is referenced in the
report

Bibliography is
formatted correctly and
referenced in the report

Score