Writing book reviews topics and vocabulary

Writing book reviews topics and vocabulary

with gradable and extreme adjectives

Without looking below for now, brainstorm things that you could write about a book onto a mind map on blank A3 paper or on the board. Start with very large categories like “genre” and continue until you get to very specific things like “unputdownable”.

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Use this list of categories to help with the brainstorming task, putting what you brainstormed into larger categories such as these and then brainstorming more examples.

Things to write about in a book review

• Appearance/ Format
• Availability
• Characters
• Genre
• Length
• Marketing/ Publicity
• Organisation/ Structure
• Parts of a book
• People involved in writing and publishing it
• Plot/ Story (e.g. twists in the plot or ending)
• Popularity
• Positive points
• Price/ Value for money
• Readership
• Relationships to other things
• Setting
• Story behind the book/ History of the book
• Style
• Subtext
• Title
• Unique features/ Originality
• Viewpoint
• Weak points/ Negative points

Use the sub-categories under the fold below to help organise and expand your mind map, brainstorming more examples of each thing.

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• Positive adjectives
• Negative adjectives
• Fiction
• Non-fiction
• Critical reception/ Other people’s opinions on it
• Popular success
• Narrator/ Voice

Add the things below to at least one place on your mind map, rearranging the categories if you need to. Just leave any which you don’t understand or don’t know where to put for now.  

(Book jacket) blurb                                          (Cram)packed with…   

(Critically/ Universally) acclaimed         (Critically/ Universally) panned

(Genre) trope                                      (MAN Booker/ Pulitzer) prize winner

(Multi) award-winning    (New York Times) bestseller            (Semi-)autobiographical

(Superhero) comic/ Graphic novel                    (Work of) genius

(Neglected/ Universally acknowledged) masterpiece                 Abridged

Adult/ Erotic                             Adventure                    Allegory/ Allegorical

Alternative reality/ Alternative history/ What if                Amazing                       Amusing

Annoying/ Irritating                   Antagonist        Anthology/ Collection    Anti-hero

Astonishing                  Author/ Writer   Autobiography  Avant-garde

Awe inspiring                Awful/ dreadful/ terrible Baby                Bad

Banned/ Forbidden                   Biography         Bodice ripper               Book of the year

Boring/ Dull                                         Business book                         Cathartic

Brilliant/ excellent/ fabulous/ fantastic/ splendid/ superb/ terrific/ wonderful

Captivating/ fascinating/ spellbinding                 Challenging                  Character arc

Charming/ delightful/ lovely                   Chicklit Children’s book

Classic Clichéd Cliffhanger                   Coffee table book         Coincidence

Collaborator                 Collected letters           Collection of (linked) short stories

Collection of aphorisms            Collection of articles     Collection of columns

Collection of comic strips                      Collection of essays     Collection of poetry/ poems

Complicated                            Concise                       Confusing            Conventional

Cookbook                    Cover/ (Book) jacket                 Critical success

Criticism                                  Cynical             Dated                           Dazzling

Debut novel/ First novel                        Deep                           Depressing

Derivative                                Devastating                  Diary                            Diary/ Journal

Dictionary                    Disappointing    Disastrous        Distinctive/ Original

Doorstopper                                        Dramatic                      Dystopian

Easy reader/ Graded reader                 E-book             Editor

Emotional                    Enchanting                   Encyclopaedia              Enjoyable

Entertaining                             Epochal/ Epoch-shaping                       Essential reading

Exceptional/ Outstanding                     Exciting            Excruciating                 Experimental

Fable                           Fairy tale                     Family saga                             Famous

Fan fiction        Fantasy                       Feminist                       First edition                       First of a series

First person (narration) Five-star review            Flashback                    Flowery

Footnotes                    Foreshadowing Forgettable                  Frightening/ scary

Funny              Ghost writer                 Good                           Gothic                         Gripping

Haiku                           Hardback/ Hard cover   Haunting                      Heart-breaking

Heart-wrenching                      Heavy              Hero                Hilarious/ Side splitting

Historical fiction Historical period                       Homage                       How-to book

Humorous                               Iconic               Idiotic/ ridiculous            Illustrations

Illustrator          Imagery                       Important                     Impressive

Infamous/ Notorious                             Influential                     Informative

Infuriating                    Inspiring           Instruction manual                    Intriguing

Ironic               Joyful               Large print       Laugh out loud              Launch

Length of each chapter             Length of sentences     Length of the book

Life affirming                Life changing               Life lessons                  Light

Location           Lyrical              Magic(al) realism                     Memoir            Memorable

Message/ Moral                       Meta                Metaphorical                Mind-boggling/ Mystifying

Mind-numbing/ stupefying                    Minor character Miserable         Moral of the story

Motif                Moving Multiple narrators/ Multiple viewpoints

Murder mystery/ Whodunit                   Myth/ Mythology                       Narcissistic

Narrative poem            Nice/ pleasant  Non-linear                    Nonsense verse

Novel               Novelisation                 Novella             Nursery rhymes                       Obscure

Odd/ Weird                  Omniscient narrator                 Once in a lifetime                       Out of print

Over the top                            Overrated        Pace/ Pacing                Page-turner               Painful

Paperback/ Softcover               Parable Part of a series             Personal

Petrifying/ terrifying                  Picture book                            Plagiarism                                   Play

Pleasing                       Plot device                   Poem/ Poetry               Pointless

Political position/ Worldview      Popular science            Positive adjectives           

Posthumous                 Predictable                              Prequel            Pre-school

Previous works by the same writer                   Previous works from the same publisher

Previous works in the same series        Prose               Prose poem                 Protagonist(s)

Publisher          Pulp                 Radical             Rambling                      Readable

Realist/ Realistic           Reference book            Reissue            Religion/ Spirituality                    Rip off

Romance         Run of the mill  Sad                  Sales (figures)             Satire

Satisfying                     Sci-fi                            Screenplay                   Self-help

Self-study (textbook)    Sequel             Serious            Shocking

Silly                  Simple/ straightforward                        Sonnet             Sophisticated

Spare                          Special             Spinoff              Standalone

Stream of consciousness                     Study guide                  Stunning                       Subplot

Subtle              Subversive                              Surprising                     Suspense(ful)

Symbol/ Symbolism/ Symbolic                          Taboo-breaking             Thesaurus

Third person                Thriller             Thrilling            Timeless

To the point                              Translation/ Translator                         Trashy

Travel guide/ Travel book                     Two-volume                 Unbelievable                       Unconvincing

Underrated                  Understated                 Unforgettable               Unique

Unoriginal                                Unpleasant                  Un-put-downable                       Unrelenting

Unreliable narrator                               Unrelieved…                Unsuccessful                       Uplifting

Western                       Witty                            Worthless                                YA

Ask about any words above which you couldn’t understand or couldn’t put on your mind map, putting them on your mind map each time.

Try to find or think of words with opposite meanings to words above.

Try to find or think of words which have similar meanings to words above, i.e. extreme adjectives which mean “very/ extremely” + one of those adjectives.

Compare as a class or with the suggested answers.

Vocabulary for book reviews opposites suggested answers

• Acclaimed – Panned
• Avant-garde/ Experimental/ Radical – Conventional
• Awful/ dreadful/ terrible – Brilliant/ excellent/ fabulous/ fantastic/ splendid/ superb/ terrific/ wonderful
• Boring/ Dull – Exciting/ Interesting
• Complicated – Simple/ straightforward
• Concise/ To the point – Rambling
• Dated – Classic/ Timeless
• Depressing/ Miserable – Joyful/ Life affirming/ Uplifting
• Disappointing – Satisfying
• Distinctive/ Original/ Unique – Derivative/ Unoriginal/ Rip off
• Exceptional/ Outstanding – Run of the mill
• Famous – Obscure
• Fascinating – Mind-numbing/ stupefying
• Fiction – Non-fiction
• First person (narration) – Third person
• Flashback – Foreshadowing
• Forgettable – Memorable/ Unforgettable
• Hardback/ Hard cover – Paperback/ Softcover
• Hero – Antagonist/ Anti-hero
• Historical – Sci-fi
• Homage – Satire
• Inspiring – Uninspiring
• Negative adjectives – Positive adjectives
• Nice/ pleasant – Unpleasant/ Revolting
• Novel – Short story
• Over the top – Subtle/ Understated
• Overrated – Neglected/ Underrated
• Part of a series - Standalone
• Poetry – Prose
• Predictable – Shocking/ Surprising
• Prequel – Sequel
• Serious – Silly

Ask about any words above which you think have different meanings, are not sure how to pronounce, etc.

Comparing book review vocabulary

Explain the differences between the words on each line below. Note that sometimes the differences are quite small. 

• Amusing/ Hilarious
• Annoying/ Infuriating
• Article/ Essay
• Astonishing/ Surprising
• Autobiography/ Biography
• Autobiography/ Memoir
• Awe inspiring/ Impressive
• Awful/ Bad
• Boring/ Mind-numbing
• Brilliant/ Good
• Cathartic/ Depressing
• Cathartic/ Uplifting
• Challenging/ Difficult
• Classic/ Timeless
• Clichéd/ Run of the mill
• Collaborator/ Ghost writer
• Comic/ Comic strip
• Complicated/ Confusing
• Critical success/ Popular success
• Depressing/ Miserable
• Derivative/ A rip off
• Disastrous/ Unsuccessful
• Essential/ Important
• Exceptional/ Special
• Exciting/ Thrilling
• Exciting/ Uplifting
• Excruciating/ Painful
• Fable/ Moral
• Fable/ Fairy tale
• Famous/ Infamous
• Fantastic/ Good
• Fantasy/ Sci-fi
• Fascinating/ Interesting
• Frightening/ Petrifying
• Heart-breaking/ Heart-wrenching
• Hero/ Protagonist
• How-to book/ (Instruction) manual
• Idiotic/ Silly
• Illustrations/ Imagery
• Inspiring/ Life affirming
• Life affirming/ Life changing
• Life lesson/ Moral
• Location/ Setting
• Lovely/ Nice
• Memorable/ Unforgettable
• Mind-boggling/ Mind-numbing
• Motif/ Symbolism
• Motif/ Theme
• Moving/ Heart-wrenching
• Novel/ Novella
• Novella/ Short story
• Original/ Unique
• Over the top/ Overrated
• Page turner/ Readable
• Pointless/ Worthless
• Prequel/ Sequel
• Religion/ Spirituality
• Revolting/ Unpleasant
• Romance/ Bodice ripper
• Thriller/ Whodunit
• Travel guide/ Travel book
• Unbelievable/ Unconvincing/ Unreliable narrator

Find pairs above where one word means “very/ extremely” + the other word, and circle the stronger word.

Which word is an “extreme adjective” and which word is a “gradable adjective” in each pair? Why do they have those names?

Which adverbs can go with each kind of word?

Gradable and extreme adjectives for book reviews suggested answers

• Amusing – Hilarious/ Side-splitting
• Bad – Awful/ dreadful/ terrible
• Boring/ Dull – Mind-numbing/ stupefying
• Complicated/ Confusing – Mind boggling/ mystifying
• Disappointing – Devastating
• Exciting – Gripping/ Thrilling
• Frightening/ scary – Petrifying/ terrifying
• Good – Brilliant/ excellent/ fabulous/ fantastic/ splendid/ superb/ terrific/ wonderful
• Impressive/ Awe inspiring
• Interesting – Captivating/ fascinating/ spellbinding
• Irritating/ Infuriating
• Memorable – Unforgettable
• Moving – Heart wrenching
• Nice/ pleasant – Charming/ delightful/ lovely
• Original – Unique
• Painful – Excruciating
• Sad – Devastating/ heart-breaking
• Silly – Idiotic/ Ridiculous
• Special – Exceptional
• Surprising – Astonishing/ Shocking
• Unpleasant – Revolting
• Unsuccessful – Disastrous

Without looking above, try to think of words which mean “very/ extremely” + the words below (i.e. extreme versions of these gradable adjectives).  

admired, respected or well-respected

attractive, good looking or pretty

big or large

bright

busy

challenging, difficult, hard or tricky

cool or cold

crowded

dirty

disappointed

drunk, merry, or tipsy

dry

energetic

expensive or pricey

glad, happy or pleased

hot or warm

hungry or peckish

important or necessary

impressed

little or small

loud or noisy

old

poor

rich or wealthy

sleepy or tired

tasty

thirsty

ugly

unimportant

wet

yucky

Without looking above, try to think of gradable versions of these extreme adjectives.

ancient

awestruck

baking, boiling or roasting

crucial, vital or essential

dazzling

delicious, mouth-watering or lip-smacking

devastated

dirt-poor or poverty-stricken

ear-splitting

exhausted, knackered, wrecked or shattered

exorbitant

filthy

freezing or frozen

gigantic, huge, massive or enormous

gorgeous or stunning

hideous

hyper

idolised

impossible

loaded or filthy rich

overjoyed

packed or cram-packed

parched

parched

pointless or worthless

revolting, sickening or repulsive

rushed off my feet

soaked or sopping

starving or dying of hunger

tiny, miniscule or minute

wasted, wrecked, or blotto

Match the words on this page and the page above.

Other gradable and extreme adjectives suggested answers

• admired, respected or well-respected/ idolised
• attractive, good looking or pretty/ gorgeous or stunning
• big or large/ gigantic, huge, massive or enormous
• bright/ dazzling
• busy/ rushed off my feet
• challenging, difficult, hard or tricky/ impossible
• cool or cold/ freezing or frozen
• crowded/ packed or cram-packed
• dirty/ filthy
• disappointed/ devastated
• drunk, merry, or tipsy/ wasted, wrecked, or blotto
• dry/ parched
• energetic/ hyper
• expensive or pricey/ exorbitant
• glad, happy or pleased/ overjoyed
• hot or warm/ baking, boiling or roasting
• hungry or peckish/ starving or dying of hunger
• important or necessary/ crucial, vital or essential
• impressed/ awestruck
• little or small/ tiny, miniscule or minute
• loud or noisy/ ear-splitting
• old/ ancient
• poor/ dirt-poor or poverty-stricken
• rich or wealthy/ loaded or filthy rich
• sleepy or tired/ exhausted, knackered, wrecked or shattered
• tasty/ delicious, mouth-watering or lip-smacking
• thirsty/ parched
• ugly/ hideous
• unimportant/ pointless or worthless
• wet/ soaked or sopping
• yucky/ revolting, sickening or repulsive

Test each other on the words above.

Top-selling books to discuss

Use as much of the vocabulary above as you can to discuss books which you both/ all know such as these.

• 20,000 Leagues under the Sea by Jules Verne
• A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
• A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
• Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
• And The There Were None by Agatha Christie
• Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
• Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
• Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
• Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
• Chicken Soup for the Soul by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen
• Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri
• Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett
• Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James
• Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
• Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
• Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney
• Guinness World Records
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K.Rowling
• How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
• Kon-Tiki: Across the Pacific in a Raft by Thor Heyerdahl
• Life of Pi by Yann Martel
• Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
• Love Story by Erich Segal
• Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus by John Gray
• Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
• One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
• Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
• Perfume by Patrick Süskind
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• Roget's Thesaurus
• Shōgun by James Clavell
• Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
• The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi
• The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
• The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
• The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller
• The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss
• The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
• The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield
• The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis
• The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care by Dr Benjamin Spock
• The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
• the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books by Jeff Kinney
• The Diary of Anne Frank
• The Eagle Has Landed by Jack Higgins
• The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
• The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
• The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
• The Godfather by Mario Puzo
• the Goosebumps series by R.L. Stine
• The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson
• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
• The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein
• The Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans
• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
• The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins
• The Joy of Sex by Alex Comfort
• The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
• The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
• The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
• The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
• The Michelin Guide
• The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
• The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
• The Odyssey by Homer
• The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
• The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
• The Plague by Albert Camus
• The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale
• The Prophet by Khalil Gibran
• The Stranger/ The Outsider by Albert Camus
• The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
• The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
• Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• Totto-chan, the Little Girl at the Window by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi
• Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
• War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
• What to Expect When You're Expecting by Arlene Eisenberg and Heidi Murkoff
• Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
• Where's Wally? by Martin Handford
• Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson
• Wild Swans by Jung Chang