Book Report #1 Instructions and Example

When: Thursday, March 1st  

What: Please type a letter to your teacher about your book. Include the following information:

1.     What is the title of your book?

2.     Who is the author?  What do you know about the author?

3.     Have you finished the book? If not, what page are you on? If you are reading a novel, how much have you read so far?

4.     What is the SETTING (time and place) in the story?

5. Who are the main CHARACTERS (people) in the story? What are they like (describe them)?

6.     What happens in the story? Give a brief (6-10 sentence) PLOT summary.

7.     What is your favorite part of the book? Why do you like this part of the book?

8.     Should I or other students read this book? Why or why not?

Don’t forget: Please write your letter in your own words. If you gather information from other sources (i.e. Internet), please do not copy this information. Read it two or three times, put it away, and write it in your words.

Send to: joshua.rosenberger@mso.umt.edu or bring a copy to class.

Example Book Report

Dear Students,

I'd like to tell you about a very good book that I have recently finished. It's called "Do Androids Dream of Electic Sheep." In case you're wondering, an "android" is a robot (machine) that looks just like a human. The author of the book is Philip K. Dick. The book has about 250 pages. This book was so good that I finished it in one week!

The setting of the story is that of a futuristic world (approximately the year 2020) in the western United States after a great world war in which the natural environment was entirely destroyed. As a result of this war, most animals are extinct, many humans have moved to "off-world colonies" (e.g. Mars), and the few humans who are still on earth have advanced technological devices (flying cars, video phones, laser guns, etc.) but live in fear of continual nuclear pollution from the great world war.  Because there are not many real live animals, people covet (really appreciate) "pet" animals like sheep, squirrels, horses, and so on. In fact, a real horse might cost you $30,000! The most interesting aspect of the setting is that the world is inhabited by not only humans but also "androids," called "andys" in the story. "Andys" are humanoid robots who appear to be human in every way physically and intellectually. This brings us to our characters.

There are three main characters in the book. The "hero" and most important character in the story is Rick Deckard. He is a "bounty hunter." A bounty hunter is like a police officer. The job of a bounty hunter is to find and kill androids (robot humans) living on earth. Another important character in the book is Rachel Rosen. She is an android. However, she looks just like a beautiful woman, and she is smarter than most humans. The last important character is J.R. Isodore. He has a very good heart, but he is not very smart. He becomes friends with three of the androids in the story because he doesn't have any human friends.  Of all these characters, Rick Deckard is my favorite because he is  very brave, and he always seems to have good luck. He also has a lot of empathy (ability to feel for other people). In fact, towards the end of the book, he starts to realize that killing androids might be wrong.

The plot of the story is full of action and moves along quickly. Deckard is given an assignment by his supervisor to find and "retire" (kill) six androids who escaped from a colony on Mars because the androids killed quite a few humans in their escape.  What he doesn't know is that the six androids who he must kill really want to stay alive! 

Each time he finds an android, it (he/she) tries to kill him.  Soon Deckard begins to wonder whether androids, who are not metal creatures but rather beings with flesh and blood, should also have the right to live in peace rather than being killed by bounty hunters. This question is never fully answered, but it continues to make me think about the following question: If androids can think, love, and have a desire to live, should they be treated like humans?

My favorite part of the book is when Rick Deckard is taken to jail.  While he's in jail, he meets another bounty hunter who works for an android police officer (he doesn't know the police officer is an android). The police officer tells Deckard that the bounty hunter is also an android even though he isn't. In the end, the bounty hunter saves Deckard from the android police officer.

I think that level 4 students would enjoy this book. It has lots of action, and it describes a lot of interesting technology that didn't exist when the book was published (in 1968!) but that we have today. For example, in the book, people talk on video phones where you can see the person you are talking to. We have this today with technology like Skype. Finally, the book has a good message. However, if you want to know the book's message, you'll have to read the book!

Sincerely,

Your teacher, Josh