Book Review Writing

Learning Intention

• To understand the purpose and structure of a book review.
• To develop skills in expressing opinions and giving reasons.
• To write a simple and clear book review using complete sentences.

Success Criteria

• I can identify the key parts of a book review: title, author, summary, opinion, and recommendation.
• I can explain what I liked or did not like about a book and give reasons.
• I can write my own book review using a template.
• I can use capital letters, full stops, and finger spaces in my writing.

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Curriculum Links (National Curriculum for England)

English – Writing

• Pupils should be taught to:
  • Write for different purposes (including reviews).
  • Make simple additions, revisions, and corrections to their own writing by evaluating their writing with the teacher and other pupils.
  • Use punctuation correctly such as full stops and capital letters.

English – Reading comprehension

• Develop pleasure in reading, motivation to read, and understanding through discussion of books, poems and other materials.

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Resources

• Age-appropriate book(s) previously read in class or favourite storybooks pupils have brought.
• Book review template (simple and visually engaging).
• YouTube video (teacher to screen a video explaining how to write a book review; video features animated characters and clear examples suitable for age 6-7).
• Whiteboard and markers or interactive board.
• Colourful pens or pencils for pupils.

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Lesson Structure

1. Introduction (10 minutes)

• Begin with a brief discussion: "What do you think a book review is? Why do people write book reviews?"
• Display an example of a simple book review (constructed for this lesson). Read it aloud and highlight parts (title, author, summary, opinion, recommendation).
• Show the YouTube video that explains book reviews for children (3-4 minutes).
• After the video, ask pupils to recall the key parts of a book review and write them on the board with the class.

2. Guided Practice (10 minutes)

• As a class, choose a well-known storybook. Together, write a short book review on the board using the template headings:
  • Title and Author
  • What the book is about
  • What I liked about the book
  • Would I recommend it? Why?
• Model how to write clear and simple sentences, using capital letters and full stops.

3. Independent Activity (15 minutes)

• Hand out the fun, illustrated book review template to each pupil.
• Pupils choose a book they have read recently (either from class or home) to write their own review.
• Encourage them to draw a picture of the book cover or a favourite character on the template.
• Teacher circulates to support sentence construction, spelling, and punctuation.

4. Sharing and Assessment (8 minutes)

• Invite a small group or pairs to share their book reviews aloud to the class.
• Use peer feedback based on the success criteria: Can they hear a title, story summary, opinion, and recommendation?
• Teacher uses a simple checklist to assess each pupil’s understanding and ability to structure a review, focusing on use of full stops, capital letters, and clarity of ideas.

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Extension Ideas

• Create a 'Book Review Wall' in the classroom to display pupils' work.
• Turn some reviews into video recordings with pupils explaining their thoughts.
• Encourage pupils to read each other's reviews and pick a new book they want to read next.

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Book Review Template (Example)

Title and Author

What the book is about:

What I liked about the book:

Would I recommend this book to a friend? Why?

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This lesson fosters early writing skills in an engaging way while linking reading and writing, as recommended by the National Curriculum for England. It also develops pupils’ ability to express opinions clearly, a key literacy skill.