Spice Up Your Book Reports With These Engaging Book Report Ideas

Book reports need not be boring! Let your students’ creativity shine, and spice up your book reports with these creative book reports from 2 Peas and a Dog.

Each month, I assign my students a genre to read, but they get to self-select the book they would like to read based on their reading level. I structure my monthly reading assignments/book reports so that students get a variety of reading, writing, and oral language experiences. I want students to investigate a variety of genres in the hopes that they might become lifelong readers. Once I discovered Realistic Fiction and Science Fiction, I was hooked and could not put the books down.

The major assignments that rotate on a 3-month basis are:

4 Rs (Retell, Relate, Reflect, Review – Reading Assignment)
Choice Board (Creative Assignment)
Sell This Book (Present the Novel to the Class)

At the end of the year, I change up the assignment to include the students teaching a lesson to the class and comparing traditional picture books to new ones.

The PDF files are labelled either Month Reading Assignment or Genre Name Reading Assignment. You, as the teacher, can select how to use this assignment monthly, quarterly, and bi-monthly to spice up your book reports.

Spice Up Your Book Reports With Monthly Genre-Based Reading Themes:

September / Realistic Fiction (4 Rs Reading Assignment)
October / Mystery Fiction (Creative Choice Board)
November / Graphic Novel (Sell This Book)
December / Science Fiction (4 Rs Reading Assignment)
January / Biography & Memoirs Non-Fiction (Creative Choice Board)
February / Historical Fiction (Sell This Book)
March / Classical Fiction (pre-1960) (4 Rs Reading Assignment)
April / Fantasy Fiction (Creative Choice Board)
May / Free Choice Non-Fiction (Students teach a lesson to the class)
June / Traditional Literature & Fractured Fairy Tales
July / Sports Fiction (4 Rs Reading Assignment)
August / Free Choice or Free Verse Novel (Creative Choice Board)

Changing the assignment monthly enables you, as the teacher, to vary your marking load–and it differentiates the products required by the students.

Since each assignment is repeated three times in a school year, it gives students a chance to master the reading or writing skills required for each assignment. You can find the 12 Genre Book Reports on Teachers Pay Teachers USD and Shopify CAD and get ready to spice up your book reports.

Have you ever used graphic organizers in class to help students organize what they read? This collection of 6 different Reading Strategy Graphic Organizers will help students engage, connect, and think critically about their reading and help spice up your book reports. You can find the Reading Strategies Graphic Organizers on Teachers Pay Teachers USD or Shopify CAD.