Book Analysis Reports

Your Name:

Title of Book:

Author of Book:

ISBN and Publisher:

Genre or Kind: (Indicate here which of the three requirements your report fulfills--you have four reports to write, one of which reflect a Nonwestern source, from African Fables to American Indian novels.)

Analysis:

In your 2.5-3 double-spaced page analyses, make sure to avoid plot summary.

Begin your analysis with a strong introduction in which you lay a specific foundation for the remainder of your report. State clearly the significance of your text in terms of the material and ideas covered in class--in effect, each paragraph in your essay, beginning with the introduction and concluding with the final paragraph, must focus critical attention on the specific text with which your work.

Make specific use, including quotations, of the class texts and especially the introductions to the specific areas covered, from Fairy Tales to Poetry.

Note the variety of topics and the manner in which the writers develop their ideas in terms of pedagogy, critical commentary, and course work. Remember always that you work with sophisticated literature.

If you write about a genre we have not yet covered in class, for example, Picture Books, you must read and make specific and critical use of the introduction to that section in the Norton Anthology. Feel free, as well, to make use of the class notes.

In addition, use only material not assigned for class readings and apply what you learn; you must also use three (3) different books.

Again, quote from our texts in support of your ideas and tie in your analyses with the appropriate introduction(s) in your texts. In addition, feel free to research on the internet; however, make sure that you document properly your sources.

Topics:

While you are free to choose titles of your own choice, you must cover the following areas in your Two analysis reports from the following four categories:

Everybody will write an analysis of an An Adolescent/Young Adult Novel (SF, Fantasy, Fairy Tale, Adventure, etc.)

For the second essay, choose from the following three categories:

1. A Picture Book, Graphic Novel, Mother Goose/Nonsense Poetry, or Poetry

2. A modern rendering of a classic fairy tale or a fable of your choice.

3. Myth or Legend

Due Dates:

Check with the syllabus, and then do your reports over related material so that you can better align your work with the introductions to the various sections of the anthology and to the issues raised and discussed in class. You are free to read ahead, for instance, if you write on a Graphic Novel or a Picture Book. Aim to put to use the appropriate introduction(s) in our anthology, so become familiar with the various sections of the book.

I would like to give you an opportunity to revise work, so do not wait until the end of the semester to post your first reports. To get your work back for revisions, you have to pace yourself so that I have time to make helpful comments.

For the YA or Adolescent novels, choose a novel that fits in with material we covered (Fantasy, Science Fiction) or with the additional genres included in your anthology, including Life Writing, Adventure Stories, School Stories, and Domestic Fiction. Most novels offer a mixture--The Giver, for example, is a Science Fiction novel that also includes elements of Adventure, Fantasy, and Domestic Fiction.

For all your reports, make specific use of the introductions in our anthology.

To help you with your reports, refer to the following links; bear in mind that these reports often reflect different requirements, for I used to ask writers to submit more but shorter reports:

You will turn in all book analysis reports at the appropriate links found in the "Assignments" section of the Blackboard template.

Seek out more than what you read or had read to you as a child. Investigate, for example, the authors and titles mentioned in your texts; search, too, for on-line lists of prize-winning children's literature.

Doing your individual reports while you read the specific chapters will aid your cause and keep you on schedule. And make sure that you do your own work, for this class utilizes a program that checks for plagiarized work. If you have questions about this matter, contact me right away.

This page has been visited 1,705 times since 01/02/2008

http://www.hpcnet.org/peru/schoolartsandsciences/language/clemente/spring2007/children/reports

Last Modified: 04/05/2012