Book Review: Hook and Summary Examples

We discussed these in class today.  These are not perfect, but if they are compared to each other, we can see the strengths and weaknesses.

The book review hook and summary should be typed into the student's book review wiki page ASAP so we can peer edit.  

Book Review: Hook/Summary Hook (see list) Setting Plot summary Characters Theme Did not give away the end (but you know it)

Skills: 1.    Complex sentence structure:  The summary is dense with detail yet short. 2.    Word choice: use the best words not more words 3.    Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text

Example 1

Hakeem better recognized by " Cali Boy" by his angered cousin Sayvon, has a new lifestyle living in Detroit with his aunt and his uncle James. He hates staying in Detroit having to share a room with his stuck up cousin. There are arguments back to back between the two and they can’t seem to get along, making Hakeem eager to move back to Cali. Since he's been in his "new lifestyle," he's been aching to turn back to his old one where he had his boy Cooper, Theresa, and especially his girl Darcy. The largest problem of all is his father has cancer, and with Sayvon all in his face he feels as if his life is a bummer.  All he can do is play the guitar and try to calm his mind with soft music that explains his pains nobody seems to know about. (Not bad.  Needs hook paragraph. Middle is a little choppy.)

Example 2

I read Fairest by Gail Carson Levine In the kingdom of Ayortha, who is the fairest of them all? Certainly not Aza. She is thoroughly convinced that she is ugly. What she may lack in looks, though she makes up for with a kind heart, and with something no one else has-a magical voice. Her vocal talents captivate all who hear them, and in Ontio Castle they attract the attention of a handsome prince and a dangerous new queen. The fairy Lucinda has once again given a dreadful gift. This time it's a mysterious magical mirror. The gift is disastrous when it falls into the hands of Aza, who never looks in a mirror if she can help it. In the Kingdom of Ayortha, Aza is most definitely not the fairest of them all. Many spurn her. Many scoff at her. She keeps out of sight. Although in a land of singers, Aza has her own gift, a voice that can do almost anything, a voice that captivates all who hear it. In Ontio Castle, Prince Ijori is drawn to it, and Queen Ivi wants to use it for her own ends. Queen Ivi would do anything to remain the fairest in the land. (Needs hook paragraph.  Middle is choppy and confusing with details and characters, which makes the last sentence not as gripping.)

Example 3

Have ever been in control but you lost it and you tried to get it back?  In the book The Gun it shows the struggle of Tyray Hobbs trying to get back in control. Tyray was a bully that was bigger than anyone else in the school, and there was nothing more he loved than fear in others’ eyes. But one day a new kid came to his school and Tyray thought he would be easy target. One day Tyray was pushing it too far, and the new kid cracked and broke Tyray wrist. Tyray came back to school and everyone ignored him, and no one feard him. Throughout  the story, he is wants a way to get back the fear the others once felt. He decides to buy a gun and get back at Darrell for making his life horrible. (Has a hook sentence.  Needs more hook.  The summary is pretty good but not so smooth. The last sentence makes me want to read to find out.)

Example 4

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games," a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed. (Needs hook.  I copied this off of Amazon.  Nice detailed sentences. The last line makes me want to read.  Does not really address the theme though.)

Example 5

In this text a girl named Katniss and her friend Peeta won the Annual Hunger Games and now their lives along with their families lives are at risk. After they had one the Hunger Games for District 12, they had thought their lives would go as normal as it was before but better because of their winnings. Well they had thought wrong. After they travel along the Districts it got worse and worse. Since Katniss and Peeta had faked their love to both win the Hunger games alive caused an uproar in the Capitol. Some People believed it was real and some didn't, so President Snow had told Katniss to make him believe their love is true in order to survive and because of this another games was made, the fight till death of two winners from each District of the Hunger Games. But only one survives with no exceptions of two winners (Needs hook. The summary is choppy and gets lost in details.  The last line makes me want to see if someone will die.  Does not address theme.)

Example 6

If you did something you wouldn't want anyone to know about, but you have this feeling that someone knows, what would you do? If you told the police, they would put you in jail.

Five best friends went on a trip to the Poconos together and four came back. Aria, Spencer, Emily, and Hannah were all lucky and made it back alive. Allison was not. After the trip the four girls attended the funeral of who they think is Allison. Throughout the story the four girls keep reliving what happened back in Jamaica, where they all met a girl named Tabitha who resembled Allison way to much for comfort. When they weren't reliving the tragedy that happened in Jamaica they were getting mysterious notes from "A" and seeing Allison appear at suspicious time but, could never see her face fully enough to know if it really was Allison. As the story goes on you get mixed thoughts about people and if they could be "A". (Has hook.  The summary is ok.  The last line does not push me towards wanting to read the story.  Theme not addressed.)

Example 7

Imagine yourself as a eight grader. You have a normal life, great parents, a house. Life is just great. Then one day it just all turns upside down. This is the story of Theo in John Grisham’s book Theodore Boone: The Accused. In this book, Theo is accused of a crime. Someone made it seem like he stole from a store. Someone is out to get him. And they want him gone.

Theo is an eighth grade boy. He's very into law and wants to be a lawyer when he's older. Theo's parents, are lawyers, who work with couples who want to get divorced. Theo being into law, got to go see the most popular case yet at the courthouse. The case was on Pete Duffy. But Pete, never showed up. The next day at school, Theo got called down to the Principal's Office. There were two detectives waiting for Theo. The detectives told him that he was accused of stealing 400$ tablets from a store. They also asked to look in his locker, and they found the tablets. The whole story is about Theo and all of the weird things that happen to him. The detectives are on his tail all the time and the person accusing Theo is so good at it, that the police are almost certain it's Theo. There are a lot of weird things happening to Theo. A rock broke his window and glass shattered everywhere. His bike tires were slashed, twice. The person has been in and out of his locker, taking pictures of him and his family. Scary things are happening to Theo. His Uncle Ike, is also a previous lawyer, and suspects that the person is after him because of his mother. His mother works with divorces, and the person is most likely to be mad because his mother is helping the mother, but the kid wants the father to have custody. The story goes on and on about Theo and the person who is out to get him. And nothing the police have found proves him innocent. It all proves him guilty. (The hook paragraph is great.  The summary paragraph gets bogged down with way too many details.  I like that the last sentence makes it seem like there is no way out, but I can guess that there probably is.  How will he get out of this?)