book review questions and answers

24 Book Review Questions to Ask Before Writing a Review

By: Author Laura Hartley

Posted on Published: 23rd February 2021  - Last updated: 5th September 2024

Categories Book Blogging , Books

Trying to write a book review but don’t know where to start? Don’t worry, these book review questions for a book report will help you on your way!

Writing a book review or book report can feel overwhelming for one of two reasons. Either you have too much to say or nothing to say at all.

In either case, having some structure to your review and a roadmap of questions to answer can be helpful in focussing your thoughts so you can write a useful book review.

These book review questions are designed to get your brain thinking about some of the key issues and interesting points about your book in question.

You certainly don’t have to answer all of them and you don’t need to follow the order I have listed the book report questions below.

RELATED: How to Write a Good Review of a Bad Book

Book Review Questions: General Information

Before you delve into sharing your own opinions, you should share some general information about the book.

This can be to do with its plot, its genre, the setting and whether there is anything readers should be aware of before delving in.

These are good questions to ask about a book as a basic starting point and where you should always begin.

What is the book about?

What genre does this book fit into?

In what time and place is the book set?

Who is the intended audience of the book?

Is the book appropriate for that audience?

Should this book come with any content warnings?

Book Review Questions: Stylistic Points

An author could craft the most fascinating story in the world but if they can’t convey that story with an interesting or logical style then a book may well just fall flat.

Consider whether the author of the book you are reviewing has a particularly interesting style and what is it about their style that shaped the book and your opinion of it.

What style is the book written in?

What point of view is the book written from?

Does the author use any interesting techniques?

Book Review Questions: The Characters

Really compelling characters, whether you love them or hate them, can make a book really stand out. If they don’t feel real then a book can crumble pretty quickly.

Make sure to include some information about the main character (or characters) but there’s no need to mention every single person, there simply isn’t space!

Who are the key characters in the book?

Did the characters feel real?

Are the characters likeable?

Which character did you find most compelling?

Could you relate to the key characters?

Book Review Questions: Your Opinions

Of course, any good book review should contain what you, the reviewer, actually thought about it! These book review questions to ask yourself are some of the most important.

Did you discover a new favourite book or is this one you wish you had never picked up in the first place?

Try to share a balanced view so reader’s of your review can come to their own conclusions about whether this book is worth reading for them. Some points that you might not have liked might be another reader’s favourite trope!

What did you like about the book?

What did you dislike about the book?

What could have been improved?

How did the book make you feel?

How does the book compare to other similar books?

Book Review Questions: Conclusion

Make sure to wrap up your book review with some final reflections about who should read this book, what you learnt from it and what other books it is similar to.

If a reader sees that a book is similar to one they have already read and loved then that’s a great indication that they’ll love this one too.

Would you recommend this book?

What did you learn from reading this?

What sort of reader would like this book?

What other books did this one remind you of?

What star rating would you give this book?

That concludes my list of book questions to ask yourself kick your brain in gear and get you thinking about all the most interesting points of the book you’ve just read.

Do you have any more relevant book review questions to add to the list?

Let me know in the comments below!

Follow me on Instagram and Goodreads for regular book updates!

If you liked this post, check out these: How to Write a Negative Book Review How to Start a Book Blog 36 Easy Book Blog Post Ideas

Founder & Editor of What’s Hot?

Saturday 10th of December 2022

Book report question: What made this book unique from other books you have read?

Thursday 25th of February 2021

This is so so useful.

Tuesday 23rd of February 2021

Very key points here. That first part, where I talk about the synopsis, the intended audience, the genre, that is my biggest struggle.

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BOOK REVIEW: The Questions That One Needs To Answer

Main Questions to Ask

These are as follows:

• Is there a specific topic that the book deals with?
• Does it seem to have any overall purpose?
• For what readership is it written?

The preface, acknowledgements, bibliography and index is generally helpful in answering these questions. Do not overlook facts about the author’s background and the circumstances in which the book was created and published.

Also, think about asking:

• Does the author state an explicit thesis or a theme?
• What are the theoretical assumptions? Are they discussed explicitly?
• From what point of view is the work written?
• Why did the author write on this subject rather than on some other subject?

Again, look for statements in the preface, etc. and follow them up in the rest of the work.

The Genre and Material

• Is there a genre that the book can be categorised into?
• How does the book fit into it?

What types of material does the work present itself as (e.g. primary documents, literary analysis, personal observation, biographical or historical accounts).

The Author’s Style

• What is the style of the author?
• Does he/she have a formal or an informal approach?

Evaluate the quality of the writing style and tone by using some of the following standards: clarity, originality, correct use of technical words, conciseness, fullness of development, fluidity.

The Audience/ Readers

• Does it suit the intended audience?
• What do you like or dislike about the book’s writing style?
• Is the book readable as well as technically accurate? Is the language stilted, or natural?
• Are the examples easy to follow?
• How well is the book organized?

Materials and Sources

• Are there other ways to argue from the same material?
• Does the author show awareness of them?
• In what respects does the author agree or disagree?
• What theoretical issues and topics for further discussion does the work raise?

The Affect of the Book on You

• Did the book affect you at all?
• If it did, then how did you cope with it?
• Did you have any preconceived notions of the topic?
• Did it change after you read this book?
• How is the book related to your own personal agenda?
• What are your own reactions and considered opinions regarding the work?
• How well has the book achieved its goal?
• Would you recommend this book to others, and why?

The above mentioned questions will help in structuring the way you want your review to take shape. What it can also do is to open a new insight into the book that you are writing on. So keep them in mind and go ahead writing reviews on your favourite books.

Reader Interactions

April 28, 2019 at 8:35 pm

I am attempting to write is a military thriller that chronicles several daring missions by an elite corps of American troops. I have written over 80,000 words but am having problems such as. I this novel it is full of action, delivered at a frenetic pace. However, none of the characters is ever developed into a fully realized person, and there’s no abiding, coherent plot. Instead, there’s just a succession of disconnected scenes, which seem pieced together in a slapdash fashion. To protect those who are still in this I use cod names. It has been suggested that I just use names. I have also be told that the point remains inscrutable, even with the assistance of a brief commentary at the end. Overall, this short novella—just over 100 pages—makes heavy demands of the reader, and it offers little in the way of literary compensation. So I need help.

May 10, 2019 at 9:49 am

Hi Charles,

The best way we can help you is for you to get in touch via our contact page .

We’ll then be able to advise what level of editing will suit your short novella.

The Home of TU Professional Writing Majors of Past, Present, and Future

20 Questions to Ask When Writing a Book Review

By Megan Alms, a professional writing student at Taylor University

You’ve just read a book, and you want to tell the world what you thought of it. Your mind is swirling with ideas and emotions. But as soon as you sit down to write your review, you forget everything you’ve just read.

So, what needs to go in a review?

All of the information needs to be relevant. Every word needs to count when you have such a limited space. Here are 20 things worth considering when you’re writing your book review.

1. What audience am I writing for?

Consider where your review will be published. Who will be reading it, and what will they want to know about a book before buying it?

2. What audience is the author writing for?

Put yourself in the perspective of the intended audience, even if you are not a part of it.

3. What genres/subgenres does this fit into?

Define the primary genre, then find elements of other subgenres that may not have been immediately identifiable.

4. Was I confused at any point while reading?

If the writing was unclear, note this. If you didn’t understand it, other readers probably won’t either.

5. Did I care about the characters?

If the characters weren’t compelling in the slightest, the story likely fell flat. If you noticed this, include it in your review. (This is primarily a consideration in fiction and memoir.)

6. Did it have a compelling plot?

Without a compelling plot, any work involving a storyline will lose the reader’s attention. If you got bored, make it clear in your review.

7. Was the dialogue believable?

If it was difficult to believe anyone would talk like the characters in the book, the characters themselves were probably difficult to imagine.

8. Were the events believable?

At its core, a book (unless purely informational) is a story. If a story fails to be credible, the book cannot succeed at being a book.

9. Did any quotes strike me?

Was anything said that you found interesting, thought-provoking, or tear-jerking? Note these strong moments in your review! (If this quote spoils a surprise moment in the book, include a warning at the beginning of your review.)

10. Was there any information I thought to be inaccurate?

Credibility is important an any genre. If one piece of false information is presented, readers will lose trust in the entire book.

11. Are the illustrations engaging?

If it includes illustrations, note if they are eye-catching or bland. Pay special attention to this if you are reviewing a children’s book.

12. Is there any questionable/profane/graphic content?

Many readers want to be aware of this kind of content before picking up a book. Even if it doesn’t bother you, note anything that may be questionable to other readers.

13. What is the author’s voice like?

Describe how the author approaches the reader. Is the tone comedic, conversational, professional, or aloof?

14. What is the author’s purpose?

Consider why this book was written and what the author intends to convey to the audience.

15. Is the author’s purpose accomplished?

Now consider how the answer above came across. Was it clear, or did you have to “dig” for it?

16. What are the author’s credentials?

What makes this author the only person who could write this book? Do they have a certain education or experience that makes them unique?

17. Is there an index or bibliography?

This extra material, though not necessary, is good to know about before picking up the book.

18. What other books are similar to this one?

What other titles have the same style as this one? Compare it to other books to give your audience a better idea of what it is like.

19. What did I learn while reading?

Did this book make you think more deeply about any academic or moral topics?

20. Who would I recommend this book to?

What specific audience would enjoy this book? Is it worth the time for others to read it?

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

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This is a thoughtful article that should help a reviewer keep on task. It occurs to me that a writer could direct these questions to his own work before he publishes. Thanks for the list.

Like Liked by 1 person

Glad you found it helpful!

I certaintly agree with Annette, this is very helpful to witer as well.

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Book Reviews/Writing a review/questions to answer

==Questions to answer==

• What is the: title, author, publisher, date, length, and ISBN?
• What is the genre? Fiction, non-fiction?
• Who is the audience? (i.e. age, reading level, interests, specialties…)
• Highlight any notable aspects, good or bad, of the book’s design and production. Consider aesthetics, typography, cover, design, images, table of contents, notes, references, index, . . .
• What is the Style (casual, formal, light, humors, serious, scholarly . . .), point of view [ 1 ] ,
• Was it easy or difficult to read? Fun and rewarding to read?
• What qualifies the author to write this book?
• Does the book deliver on its promise? (What does it promise? What does it deliver? Cite evidence.)
• Is the book intellectually honest ?
• What, if anything, is the original contribution this book makes?
• What did you learn? What insights did you gain? Does the book make a unique contribution to knowledge or wisdom? Does it provide a new and better way to present difficult material?
• What surprised you? Did you ever have an ah-ha moment while reading the book?
• For a fiction book, consider: Did you get lost in the book? What are the salient plot points ? Did the book achieve emotional entrainment? Was the character development intriguing? Did you care about the characters?
• Which part attracts you most? Which ones were boring? Which chapter is the key-point of the story? Which portions did you like most? Why?
• What is your favorite quote from the book? Why?
• What creative value does this book contribute?
• How does this book affect you on the whole? How does the author achieve this?, How does each role affect the story?
• What is missing?
• Does the book sparkle ? A book that sparkles is fun to read, breaks new ground, communicates in memorable ways, uses images effectively, is accessible to a broad audience, and influences a significant readership to change their assumptions, beliefs, or ways of thinking.
• Judge the book. Is it good or bad? Why?
• Who are your target readers for your review? Are you writing this review to serve someone? Is your review outstanding among all the reviews of this book?
• What, if anything, makes this an important work? What does the reader stand to gain by reading this book?
• Identify the design decisions were made in creating this book. Consider these areas, then comment on the most distinctive design choices:

Book aesthetics, format, and production: Cover style and art. Paper choice, size, trim Typeface, font size, leading , margins, and other page layout choices. Table of contents, notes, references, index, additional materials Use of figures, photographs, graphics, graphic novel, . . . Book Style Reading level, vocabulary, sentence length. Point of view (omniscient narrator, first person, . . .) Serious, satire, humorous, academic, pedantic, frivolous Comforting, call to action, alarming, disturbing, Tone is the feeling that a book evokes in the reader. In many cases, this category best answers the question, “What are you in the mood for?” [ 2 ] A more extensive list of tone descriptors and a brief definition of each is avaliable in the above reference. Humorous, solemn, distant, intimate, ironic, arrogant, condescending, authoritative, scholarly, sentimental, angry, melancholy, anguished, youthful, optimistic, deadpan, satirical, maudlin, self-righteous, and so on. Book Semantics Credible, speculative, innovative, drivel, … Informative, argumentative, entertaining, … Well organized, well argued, excellent supporting evidence, Muddled logic, rambling Coherence, consistency,flow

• ↑ See: http://www.literarydevices.com/point-of-view/
• ↑ Caplinger, Victoria. The Secret Landuage of Books, A Guide to Appeal . NoveList. pp. 40 . https://www.ebscohost.com/novelist/our-products/novelist-appeals .  

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20 questions to ask about a book you’ve read

A starting point for discussion in reading groups or for students doing reading assignments (fiction).

• Explain the title.
• What category or genre do you think it fits into?
• What do you think the author’s purpose was?
• Something you liked about it.
• Something you disliked about it.
• Describe the setting.
• Which character did you like most?
• Which character did you like least?
• Describe one of the main characters.
• What changes does a main character go through?
• Describe one significant episode.
• What techniques does the author use to tell the story?
• How did reading it change you, or your views?
• What would you say to persuade a friend to read it or not to read it?
• Summarise it in one written sentence or a one minute speech.
• What feedback would you give the author?
• How might you have written it differently?
• What do you think of the ending?
• What happens, or should happen, after the ending?
• What would you want to read about in a sequel or prequel?

Students can be asked to select which 5 questions to prepare answers for, to ask each other in turn or to be ready to answer any of these in a class discussion.

The idea is to encourage students to engage with a text from different perspectives and to share their responses to it without simply re-telling the story.

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About Eddie Playfair

20 responses to 20 questions to ask about a book you’ve read.

very helpful. Thank you very much.

Like Liked by 1 person

I love these questions, I have to ask questions about the Secret Garden for school and needed ideas. I’m very glad I read this blog post.

Thx so much needed help for my book talk.🤓🤓🤓🤓

It will really help me alot. I’m grateful

It help’s me with my book report thanks!!!!

These questions are really great. Thank you very much.

these question are great but some of the questions i dont understand but ill try my best and thank you!

very helpfull!!!

Thank you so much for the entire set of questions. It will definitely be of great help to the students how to write a more comprehensive review.

Pingback: Book Review Questions – Book Time

I love the questions you help me with my school work

thank you …very thoughtful questions and will be useful to use with twins I am tutoring

It might be interesting to bring a little personal creativity to the book reading after answering most of the questions, by asking each reader to write a four line poem about the main character–nothing to be graded, of course–simply another way to look at the reader’s attitude toward the main character of a book.

Helpful questions and ideas thanks

I used to teach at University level and would have used this format for my students who were reading plays in my survey course. Great questions, too bad I’m retired.

I was able to do a project with my class!! Thank you for making this!!😁

The questions are helping me to stay focused in the right place for the questions and not top get off track.

This has been a great lesson and so very informative regarding how different perspectives can be taken depending of indivual background

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