Book Evaluation

Here are some things to help you get started on your evaluation of the book we just finished, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.

Here are a few questions to think about to get you started with the evaluation. DON'T answer all these questions in your essay. Think about them to get you started and try to incorporate the answers into your writing:

• What did you like or dislike about it?
• Was it well written?
• Were the characters interesting?
• Could the story be set in another time or place? Would that change the story?
• Why do you think the author wrote this?

And here is a checklist to help with book reviews, but you might find it helpful to get you started with your evaluation.

• Name the book and the author
• Give a short summary of what happened in the book (don't give it all away though!)
• Give your opinion of the book (Examples: exciting, interesting, boring, educational)
• Support your opinion with examples from the book
• Tell your readers whether you would recommend the book and why or why not

You may also focus on a particular aspect of the book (like the characters, the setting, racial issues, how it made you think differently, or something else you want to focus on).

Please do a good job and take your time with this essay. This should be a full essay, not just a paragraph.

Some Days You Just Don't Feel Like Writing...

Some days are difficult. You wake up in a bad mood, or something happens in life that just sets you off on the wrong foot for the day (or the week sometimes!). Even on days like that, it doesn't hurt to get a little something down on your blog. It can be cathartic to write it down, like it helps to get it on the page and let it out. You feel better when you're done and you've gotten a little writing practice in for the day.

Another way to write if you're having a bad day is to use the anger or sadness or whatever emotion you're feeling to help you write something really deep and emotional. Poetry is always good for that. Use your feelings to help you write, rather than getting stuck in them and letting them overrun your life.