Alternative Book Reports

 

Due roughly every eight weeks

 

Here are some of the many types of “report” you may do:

 

 

 

You may do only one of each type of presentation over the year.  For example, your first report can be a newspaper, but you couldn’t do the newspaper option again in your three next reports.  Also, you must include a typed book summary that includes book title, author, original publication date, book genre, a brief synopsis of the plot, and an overall 1-10 rating (10 being the best) for the book, and at least one sentence telling us why you rated the book thusly.

Example Book Summary (An example of a good, quality summary from a 7th Grader last year.  Note 8th Grade paper need to be even better than this!)

 

 

 

Book:                   A Child Called “It”

Author:                 Dave Pelzer

Published:            1999

Genre:                  Memoir

 

I read A Child called “It” and I think it has changed my opinion on child abuse forever.  The book will leave you trapped in the words.  In the beginning we learn about Dave and the reader is left feeling as if s/he really knows him.  This feeling continues as one reads  about some of the things his mother does to him and there are two possible reactions for the reader:  1. sadness; 2. crying.  Then after the reader is done sadly weeping one becomes angry at the mother in the story.  This book is based on a true story, too, and that makes the reader even angrier because one knows a mother actually did these things to her own son.

 

I give this book a rating of “10” because it is just a fabulous book.  It changes the reader emotionally, at least that is what I think.  I also think the character of the author is the most compelling in the book.  Mr. Pelzer has you hanging on every word wondering what will happen next.  He also teases the reader in a mean way by making us think that “Dave” will not make it through some of the gruesome punishments. 

 

The author is also very descriptive.  Mr. Pelzer describes “Dave’s” clothing in a very precise manner, and is quite thoroughly graphic in the description of the punishment “Dave” must endure.  One feels they are right there besides the victim as the punishment is psychotically doled out.

 

This book is also very powerful in a way that few readers might understand.  It empowers one because it makes the reader feel like they can make a difference on this issue.  The reader also is made to feel guilty at points, because one wants to help, although it is just a story and there is nothing one can really do about “Dave’s” predicament.

 

This book is also really sad at some points.  In one chapter, we find out how “Dave’s” family used to be just about perfect, like the “Brady Bunch” in fact.  As we read on it starts to go downhill, and the reader is confused as to why it’s happening.  What happened to the happy family?  Other parts make one just plain furious, such as the section when the mother is suddenly, for no reason, nice to “Dave”.  “Dave” finds out that his mother is just being nice to make “Dave” be happy for a while, hoping that his appearance of happiness will convince authorities not to take “Dave” away from her.  Immediately after this she goes right back to abusing him.

 

Reading this section made me feel like hitting someone because it is just so horrible.  I told a friend about the book and she said that the book truly describes how abused children feel.  This unnamed friend of mine was abuses as a younger child and she said the book is very realistic when it comes to this.

I think the book is interesting in the way that one feels like they are “Dave”.  One feels as if the punishments are being done against them.  At other points one all of a sudden feels like a person witnessing the punishment.  One feels like just saying “wow”. 

 

I think everyone should read this book because it is just so very truthful in its subject matter and its ability to move an audience to understand abuse and the ongoing pain it causes.

 

 

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