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Book Review Template Maker
Book Review Template
This book review template has space for one or two book reviews. It is in a bullet journal style.
When to Use This Book Review Template
This template is ideal for books with a structured storyline, such as novels, fictional works, or narrative-driven non-fiction. It works especially well when the book includes:
- Main Characters: Use the “Protagonist” and “Antagonist” sections to describe key players in the story. This is helpful when the book has clear central figures driving the plot (e.g., in mystery, fantasy, or drama).
- A Clear Plot or Theme: The “Summary” section is great for books with a defined beginning, middle, and end, helping you capture the core of the story in a few sentences.
- Lessons or Messages: The “Themes or Messages” section is perfect for reflecting on the book’s deeper meanings, which is especially useful for books with moral or philosophical undertones.
This template is not just for analyzing novels but also for reflecting on character development, story arcs, and key themes. It’s perfect for:
- Students completing book reports or assignments
- Book clubs looking for a guided way to spark discussion
- Personal readers who want to organize their thoughts and document their impressions of the book
Most book review templates ask the same four things of every book: title, author, rating, and a large empty box marked Notes. That box is where a good book goes to be forgotten, because nobody knows what to write in it and a blank space is a poor question.
The maker on this page asks what you read first, then builds the page around it. Someone reading a thriller gets asked about suspects and whether the ending was earned. Someone reading a business book gets asked what they will do differently and when. Or skip all that and print the ready-made version below.
What goes on a book review template
The top of the page is uncontroversial: title, author, genre, format, the dates you started and finished, and the page count. That section takes ten seconds and it is the part you will be glad of years later when you are trying to remember whether you read the sequel.
The ratings are where a book review template, or a novel review template if that is what you are calling it, starts earning its place. One overall score out of five tells you very little. Rating the plot, the characters and the writing separately tells you why a book worked, and it is the difference between remembering that you liked something and remembering what was good about it. A book rating template with three or four separate scales is more useful than one with a single row of stars.
Then the written part, and the best template for book review work asks specific questions rather than leaving a blank area. What happened, in your own words. A favorite character and why. The best line in the book. Whether you would recommend it, and to whom. Four decent questions produce more than one open invitation to write something.
Keep one thing off it: a plot summary long enough to substitute for reading the book. You are writing for yourself, and a paragraph you will never reread is wasted effort.
Book review template PDF
Every book review pdf template on this page downloads as a file you can print or write on digitally without deciding in advance. Printable book review templates go in a binder or a ring-bound planner, and a printable book review template in book review format pdf form prints the same on any machine. The same file opened in GoodNotes, Notability, Xodo or Samsung Notes becomes a page you write on with a stylus, and you can duplicate it every time you finish a book so you never run out.
If you are printing, US Letter and A4 both work, and A5 is worth considering if you keep your reviews in a smaller notebook. The maker builds all three.
Book review journal
A book review journal is what you get when the review pages stop being loose sheets and start being a book. The individual pages are the same; what changes is that you can flick back through them.
This is the format most people actually want, and it is worth building rather than printing a stack of identical pages. Put a cover on the front, a page for the year’s reading goals behind it, then the review pages, and a few list pages at the back for what you want to read next and what you have finished. If you want the full version with monthly wrap-ups, a bookshelf tracker and a year-end review, the reading journal maker builds it.
A book review journal PDF also solves the problem of running out. Print ten review pages now and ten more in June, rather than committing to a fixed notebook that either runs out in October or sits half empty in December.
Book report template
A book report is not a book review, and the templates should not be identical. A review records what you thought. A book report demonstrates that you read the book and understood it, usually for a teacher, and it is graded.
That changes what belongs on the page. Book report templates need the setting, the main characters, the problem and how it was resolved, and a section for the student’s own opinion at the end rather than throughout. A template for book report work also needs more room to write, because the answers are expected in sentences rather than fragments. A book report template free of a rigid structure lets a student use as much space as the book deserves, and a custom book report page beats a one-size sheet for an unusual assignment.
Children’s book report template
The best book reports at this age are short. For elementary students, keep the sections few and label them in plain language. Who is the story about. Where does it happen. What was the problem. How was it solved. What did you think. Five sections, each with a few ruled lines, is a children’s book report template that gets finished rather than abandoned halfway.
A drawing box is worth including for younger children. Asking a seven-year-old to draw their favorite scene gets more evidence of comprehension than asking them to write about it, and it takes the pressure off the writing.
Kindergarten book report
A kindergarten book report is mostly pictures. The book title written by an adult, a box to draw the part they liked best, a face to circle, and a line for a parent to sign. Anything more and you are testing handwriting rather than reading.
Nonfiction book report template
A book report template non fiction readers can actually use asks different questions from a story one, and using the fiction version for a nonfiction book is why these often go badly. Instead of setting and characters, ask what the book was about, three things the student learned, one thing that surprised them, and something they still want to know. The last question is the useful one, because it turns a report into curiosity.
Book summary template
A book summary template sits between a review and a report. It records what the book said without asking what you thought of it, which makes it the right format for study, for nonfiction, and for anything you are reading in order to use rather than to enjoy.
For a long book, a chapter book summary template works better than one page for the whole thing. A few lines per chapter, written as you go, means you finish with something you can actually revise from. Trying to summarize four hundred pages from memory after the fact produces a paragraph of nothing.
A book summary form for school usually wants the main idea, the key supporting points and the conclusion. Keep the three separate on the page rather than running them together, because the separation is what forces the thinking.
Children’s book review template
A children’s book review template should ask fewer questions than an adult one and phrase them as questions rather than headings. Not Characters, but Who was your favorite person in the book. Not Setting, but Where did the story happen. The wording does most of the work at this age.
Star ratings are worth keeping because children enjoy them, and a rating is a genuine opinion in miniature. If your child is not writing much yet, book review cards with space for a drawing and a face to circle do the same job as a full page, and a book review handout for a whole class works the same way. For a version to keep at home rather than hand in, the reading log for kids is the lighter option.
Book review examples and samples
Blank templates are intimidating, and a lot of people are really looking for a book review sample pdf rather than an empty form. It is much easier to fill in a page when you have seen one filled in, and samples of book reviews are surprisingly hard to find that are not full essays. A book review format example, or any decent sample of book reviews written at normal length, does more than another blank grid.
The maker has a setting that fills the preview with example answers so you can see what a completed page looks like before you print an empty one, which saves hunting for a sample of a book review pdf elsewhere. The short version, if you would rather not: keep each answer to one or two sentences, write the way you would speak about the book to a friend, and use the character’s name rather than the character. That is the whole of how to write book review sample answers worth rereading, and one good example for book review purposes teaches more than a page of instructions.
Book review format
There is no single correct book review format, and a format for book review sample answers matters less than people think, but there is a shape most good ones follow. The facts first, so you know what is being reviewed. Then the substance: what the book is doing, and whether it does it well. Then the verdict, which for a personal review means whether you would recommend it and who to.
The review of a book format that goes wrong is the one that spends four paragraphs summarizing the plot and one sentence on the opinion. If you find yourself retelling the story, stop and ask what you thought of the part you just retold.
Book review cover page
If you are putting the pages into a binder or handing a report in at school, a book review cover page is worth the two minutes. For a journal it carries your name and the year. For a school report it carries the book title, the author, the student’s name and the class, and it is often the difference between a stack of loose sheets and something that looks finished.
Keep the design simple enough to print in black and white. A cover page with a full-bleed background is a cover page nobody prints twice. There are more designs in the binder cover templates if you want something to match.
How to write a book review
Write it the day you finish, while you still have an opinion. A week later you will have a summary instead, and summaries are what make reviews boring.
Start with the sentence you would say out loud if someone asked whether the book was any good. That sentence is your review, and everything else on the page is evidence for it. Then fill in the rest of the template around it rather than working top to bottom, which is how people end up with three paragraphs of plot and nothing to say at the end.
Be specific about one thing rather than general about five. Naming the scene that got you, or the line you read twice, tells a future reader more than four adjectives. And record what you disliked as well, because a page of five-star reviews is a page you will not trust in a year.
Book Review Journal Cover
How to Make a Book Review Journal Template
Creating a personalized book review journal template allows you to track and reflect on your reading in a way that suits your specific needs. Follow these steps to create and customize your template, edit it in Word or with our free online designer, and assemble your journal.
Step 1: Choose or Download a Template
Start by selecting a basic book review journal template from the selection above. Either use our free downloadable version or a simple layout you create yourself. It should include key sections like:
- Title, Author, and Genre
- Summary
- Character Analysis
- Themes or Lessons
- Personal Reflections
- Rating
Step 2: Customize the Template in Word
Open the template in Word to make it reflect your unique needs. Here are some suggested edits you can make:
- Add New Sections:
- Favorite Quotes
- How the book made you feel
- Questions the book raised
- Change the Layout:
- Add columns for quick comparison of books.
- Include tables or boxes for easier organization.
- Include Personal Goals:
- Add space to track reading challenges or set reading goals.
- Adjust the Style:
- Modify fonts, colors, and line spacing for a more personalized look.
- Add icons, images, or decorative elements.
- Adapt for Specific Genres:
- For fiction: Add sections like “Plot Twists” or “World-Building.”
- For non-fiction: Focus on “Key Takeaways” or “Actionable Steps.”
Once edited, ensure the template fits your desired page size (e.g., letter or A4) and format. If you don’t want to make any changes then you can use the book review journal PDF version.
Step 3: Print Multiple Copies
- Save your customized template as a master copy.
- Print enough copies to fill your journal (e.g., 30-50 reviews or as per your reading goals).
Step 4: Add a Cover Page
We have provided you with a beautifully designed cover page for your journal. If you don’t like the covers provided then click on the button below to find a huge selection of customizable covers. You can change the borders, edit the text and add clipart.
ALL COVER TEMPLATESOnce you have your cover, print it on thicker paper or cardstock for durability.
Step 5: Assemble Your Book Review Journal
- Organize your printed pages neatly behind the cover. Optionally, include:
- A table of contents.
- Divider tabs for categories (e.g., fiction, non-fiction, children’s books). See our free binder tabs.
- If you want to create a digital book journal then you will need to save it as a PDF file. You can then open it using an app that supports annotation (like GoodNotes, Notability, or Xodo).
2. Bind the cover and printed pages using a binder, folder, or spiral binding.
💡This template is fully customizable, so revisit and adjust it as your reading habits and preferences evolve. Make it your own and enjoy a journal that inspires and enhances your reading experience!
💡See our free reading log templates, reading journal, and book tracker templates.
Book review template FAQ
What is the difference between a book review and a book report?
A review records what you thought of the book and is written for yourself or for other readers. A report demonstrates that you read and understood it, is usually written for a teacher, and is graded. A report needs the setting, characters, problem and resolution laid out; a review needs your opinion and the reasons for it.
What should be included in a book review template?
The title, author, genre, format and the dates you started and finished, then ratings, then a few specific written questions. Separate ratings for plot, characters and writing are more useful than one overall score. For the written part, use real questions rather than a blank Notes box, because nobody knows what to write in an empty space.
Is there a free book review template PDF?
Yes. Everything on this page downloads as a PDF at no cost and with nothing to sign up for. You can print it or open it in a note-taking app and write on it with a stylus.
Can I use it as a digital book review template?
Yes. Download the PDF and import it into GoodNotes, Notability, Xodo or Samsung Notes rather than just opening it, so it saves as you write. Duplicate the review page each time you finish a book and you will never run out.
What does a filled-in book review look like?
Short. A book review sample format pdf that runs to essay length is not much use as a model. Each answer runs to a sentence or two, written the way you would describe the book to a friend, with specific names and scenes rather than general praise. The maker has a setting that fills the preview with example answers so you can see a completed page before printing a blank one.
What should be on a book report template for elementary students?
Five sections is plenty: who the story is about, where it happens, what the problem was, how it was solved, and what the student thought. Label them as questions rather than as headings. A box to draw the best part is worth adding for younger children, since a drawing shows comprehension without the writing barrier.
How do I write a nonfiction book report?
Ask different questions from a story report. What the book was about, three things you learned, one thing that surprised you, and one thing you still want to know. Setting and characters do not apply, and forcing them is why nonfiction reports often go wrong.
How long should a book review be?
For a personal review, one page is plenty and half a page is fine. The value is in writing it at all and in being specific, not in length. For school, follow whatever the assignment says, because a report is graded against a brief rather than against your enthusiasm.
What size paper do the templates print on?
US Letter, A4 or A5. A5 suits a smaller notebook or planner, and it is the size to choose if you want a book review journal you can carry.
Can I change the questions on the page?
Yes. The maker asks what you mostly read and changes the questions to match, so a mystery reader gets asked about suspects and clues while a nonfiction reader gets asked about the main argument. You also choose how much space each question gets.
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