Thesis Statements: Book Review

1. Thesis Statements: Book Review What is it? How do I write one?

2. 1st step: Decide how you feel about your book Ask yourself: How did I feel about the book I read? Did I like it? Hate it? Was it confusing? Once you have decided how you feel about your book, then you have your “position” on your book. This is your starting point for developing your thesis statement.

3. 2nd step: how can I express how I felt? Enthusiasm counts for a lot! Whether you really liked the book or not – you want to express a strong feeling about the book. Usestrong adjectives to express how you felt. Think of something general about the book that you felt strongly about. Note: This is a REVIEW! People read reviews to find out how others felt about the book, so that is the whole point to this paper. In the first paragraph, you need to tell your reader how you felt. The rest of the paper gives some basic information about the book and your opinion of it.

4. Step 3: Write a practice thesis • On an index card, write a sentence using this stem: • I felt that the novel _______________ was a very ______ book.

5. That was lame. • This is a very generic and lame thesis statement. In fact, it is terrible. • Do it again. This time add some strong adjectives and try to be enthusiastic in your explanation of your feelings. • I believe that the novel ______________________ was . . .

6. Turn this index card in to me. • I am going to check what you have and make sure that you are on the right track. • This is not going to be the world’s greatest thesis statement. This gives you a solid, albeit boring, thesis statement. Next class we will discuss how to make it more interesting.

7. Couple of things about your paper . . . You should have 1 LIKE paragraph and 1 DISLIKE paragraph. It does not matter what order they are in. That is why your handout says like/dislike two times. Your book review outline asks you who you would recommend your book to. This should not be a specific person. The answer should be a general one. For example: people who like mysteries, young adults, people who like to be scared, all ages, (or who it is NOT for: young children, boring for adults, etc.)

8. Also. . . For your sources, sometimes author information is very hard to find, so you only need 2 credible sources. What do I mean by credible?

9. Don’t forget: Typed and double-spaced Use MLA style In-text citations (let’s review)

10. In-Text Citations • When you find a source about your author, you will gathering information for your review. You need to give credit to the source of your information. • This credit will show up in 2 places: • Your last page (bibliography) • Right next to the information when you use it. (in-text citation)

11. Example: • You go to this website to get information about your author Suzanne Collins http://www.biography.com/people/suzanne-collins-20903551 • After reading the biography, I pull some information from it that I thought would be good to use in my paragraph about my author (2nd paragraph of your book review). • "I believe he felt a great responsibility and urgency about educating his children about war," Collins says

12. Next: • I know that I am using this website for information, so I go to easybib.com to create a citation that I will put on my bibliography/citation page: • "Suzanne Collins Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2013. • (Notice the first thing listed for this bibliography entry is “Suzanne Collins Biography” that is what I am going to use for my in-text citation.)

13. Another next: • So I create my 2nd paragraph: • Suzanne Collins is a very interesting person. Her father helped shape her into the author she is today. "I believe he felt a great responsibility and urgency about educating his children about war," Collins says (“Suzanne Collins Biography”). Since her books have a lot of “war” in them, it makes sense that she grew up learning about it. • Psst! See what I did there? I used the quote in my paragraph and still gave credit to my source! If my readers looked at the last page of my review, they would be able to find that source very easily.

14. Want to make a really good thesis statement? A thesis statement focuses your ideas into one or two sentences. It should present the topic of your paper and also make a comment about your position in relation to the topic. Your thesis statement should tell your reader what the paper is about and also help guide your writing and keep your argument focused.  Your thesis statement is no exception to your writing: it needs to be as clear as possible. By being as clear as possible in your thesis statement, you will make sure that your reader understands exactly what you mean.

15. More . . . Weak: The novel The Hunger Games was an exciting story of adventure. Stronger: The novel The Hunger Games was a powerful tale of a young woman’s journey to save her sister and the future of her people. Strongest: In The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, a young woman fights for justice in a futuristic society in a tale that is as action-packed and thrilling as a roller coaster.

16. Opening Paragraph: Let’s work on that! Hook (ask a question, short anecdote, a quote, etc.) Introduce your author and book. Thesis statement

17. Example: Are you interested in a reading a story that is full of power struggles, family ties, and explosions? Then you may be interested in the first book of The Hunger Games Trilogy. This book contains a lot of elements that will entice most readers. In The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, a young woman fights for justice in a futuristic society in a tale that is as action-packed and thrilling as a roller coaster. It was one of the most thrilling books I have ever read!