Prewriting for Fiction Reviews
To write a great review, you need to choose a book you enjoy and spend some time gathering key details from it. These prewriting activities will prepare you to write a first draft.
Prewriting for Topic and Character Details
Your first prewriting step is to choose a work of fiction for your review. Make sure the work is something you like and remember well. You can also read something new—a mystery, an adventure book, a novel, or even a play.
Fill in a topic matrix.
Fill in a topic matrix to think about a book you might want to review. Consider books you really enjoy or that you read recently.
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What is the book’s title? |
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Who is the author? |
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What is the book about? |
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What do you like about the book? |
Teaching Tip
If necessary, students can complete the topic matrix for multiple books to help them decide the best topic for their review.
Gather details about the main character.
Answer these questions to get to know the main character better.
- Identify the main character’s name, age, and place (home).
- How does the character feel throughout the story (happy, lonely, disappointed, etc.)?
- How does the character change in the book?
Teaching Tip
Consider having students complete a character profile page for the main character as they did in the warm-up activity at the beginning of this unit.
Prewriting for Conflict and Theme Details
Conflict is the main problem or obstacle the main character faces. Theme is a big life lesson that is revealed through the story. Most books have more than one theme.
Explain the conflict.
Answer these questions to review the conflict in your book.
- What does the main character want or need?
- What problems or obstacles prevent the main character from getting what he or she wants?
Identify a theme.
A theme is a big life lesson that relates to everyone. The theme usually isn’t stated outright in a book. You have to infer it from the characters’ actions and words. Ask questions like these.
- What important thing does the main character learn?
- How does that lesson apply to everyone, including me (theme)?
Teaching Tip
Remind students that a book’s theme applies to all people, not just the characters in the book. A book may include more than one theme.