Everything Reading at Chilton Middle School
Independent Reading Logs
GoodReads Information
You must review each book that you want to log for Independent Reading on GoodReads.com. To write your book reviews on GoodReads, first log in to GoodReads, then search for your book using the search bar at the top of the page. Go to that book’s page and click on the appropriate number of stars under the picture of the book cover to give it a rating. After rating the book, click on the “write a review” bubble that pops up and paste your review in the box provided.
Your reviews should be one paragraph, about seven sentences in length. Please do not write a novel for your review! Reviews should not exceed 14 sentences in length. Follow the guidelines below for writing your reviews:
“To call this book charming, endearing or uplifting just doesn't feel right. The words aren't STRONG enough. Also, to simply say this is a "beautiful little book" just doesn't feel like I'm doing this book justice, either. This isn't the kind of novel that has you flipping pages because it's plot-driven and every short chapter ends on a mini cliffhanger. Reading about life from the perspective of several different kids that focus on one remarkable little boy made me curious to know which side of the story I'd read next. If I were to gush about a character other than Auggie, it'd be his fierce yet gentle big sis, Via. That girl had guts. [...] If you're looking for a book that's going to make your heart swollen with a plethora of emotions, it's this one. I simply couldn't walk away from this book with a slightly different outlook on life. Simply wonderful.” -GoodReads user Capillya
Click “Save” at the bottom of the review page to save your review. Copy the URL of the page with your review and paste it into your IR log. The URL should look like this: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/866328359
Independent Reading Logs
- Take the AR test
- Write a short review on GoodReads
- Log your book on Ms. Smith’s website
- You must log your books as you finish them. You may only log books that you have finished reading.
- Be sure to fill in all parts of the Reading Log form, including the link to your personal GoodReads review for each book.
GoodReads Information
You must review each book that you want to log for Independent Reading on GoodReads.com. To write your book reviews on GoodReads, first log in to GoodReads, then search for your book using the search bar at the top of the page. Go to that book’s page and click on the appropriate number of stars under the picture of the book cover to give it a rating. After rating the book, click on the “write a review” bubble that pops up and paste your review in the box provided.
Your reviews should be one paragraph, about seven sentences in length. Please do not write a novel for your review! Reviews should not exceed 14 sentences in length. Follow the guidelines below for writing your reviews:
- Your review of a book can be positive or negative. Write about your own opinions, but be sure that you explain and support them with evidence and examples from the book. Above all, a review makes an argument. The most important element of a review is that it is a commentary, not a summary.
- You should include connections (text-to-self, text-to-text, etc) and your personal thoughts/feelings in your critique. For example:
- Is the writing effective, powerful, difficult, beautiful?
- What are the strengths and weaknesses of the book?
- If this book is part of series, will you continue to read the series?
- In addition to analyzing the book itself, a good review also suggests whether or not the audience would appreciate it and explains why.
- Finally, feel free to make your review personal and in a writing style that is true to your “voice”
“To call this book charming, endearing or uplifting just doesn't feel right. The words aren't STRONG enough. Also, to simply say this is a "beautiful little book" just doesn't feel like I'm doing this book justice, either. This isn't the kind of novel that has you flipping pages because it's plot-driven and every short chapter ends on a mini cliffhanger. Reading about life from the perspective of several different kids that focus on one remarkable little boy made me curious to know which side of the story I'd read next. If I were to gush about a character other than Auggie, it'd be his fierce yet gentle big sis, Via. That girl had guts. [...] If you're looking for a book that's going to make your heart swollen with a plethora of emotions, it's this one. I simply couldn't walk away from this book with a slightly different outlook on life. Simply wonderful.” -GoodReads user Capillya
Click “Save” at the bottom of the review page to save your review. Copy the URL of the page with your review and paste it into your IR log. The URL should look like this: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/866328359