Difference Between Report and Review Writing

Everyone gets used to writing book reports from a young age. Book reports templates can be observed even in elementary classrooms. This helps students to prepare for future book reporting. What does a book report entail, and what is a book review then?

The analysis of a book or a critical review that evaluates how well the book achieves the objectives is called a book review. 

As book reviews can be easily confused with book reports, the following article is aimed to show how to avoid such a confusion.

Book Summary vs. Book Review

To determine the differences between book summaries and book reviews, we need to look at each of them in more detail.

Good book report is mainly a factual record of the contents of a book. Your basic aim is to thoroughly sum up the given information. The title, author's name, number of pages, publication data, author's thesis, main events or main ideas, organization of the book, characters, and setting need to be given. Also, a reader should be given a full picture of the book that includes an equal summary of each section. Your final thoughts or opinions concerning the book also ought to be provided. Your opinion has to be smaller than your summary, but it may emphasize your recommendations and things you liked or disliked about the book. A successful report means that your summary is reasonable while your final thoughts are concise.

Compared to a book report, a book review requires a greater level of effort, analysis and thought. A book review may be described as a sophisticated piece of writing.

The Difference Between Report and Review Writing

• Level

The level at which a book review and book report is tested. While a book review is a college level assignment, a book report is usually a K-12 level work. Unlike a book report, in which only basic understanding is required, a book review requires a deeper consideration.

• Word count

A book report is shorter than a book review because of its simplicity. The length that is recommended for a book report is from 200 to 250 words, while the length of a book review is nearly 1000 words.

• Complexity

A book report has many similarities with a book summary. The task for students is to explain the story the way they understand it. The author of a report has to cover the theme and plot of a book. Concerning a book review, a student has to analyze and present the contents of the book.

A book summary and a book report are of the same structure because they cover the publisher, the author, and the main themes. The complexity and the word count of the assignment, as well as the level at which each assignment is done, are the things that differ. Students write book reviews more often than book reports.