Book Review Contest
Review a Book - Win a Nook!
2 Grand Prize Nooks Awarded*
1 for best graduate reveiw
1 for best undergraduate review
* Winners will recieve new Nook or gift certificate equivalent
Background
The Brandel Librarians believe that reading and discussing literature are some of the great pleasures of life. We hope to encourage a dynamic literary conversation at North Park and are asking you to contribute a review of something that you have read.
To participate please send one book review of at least 300 words to Matt Ostercamp (mjostercamp@northpark.edu) in the library by Jan. 18th. We are looking for reviews that don't simply tell us about the book but critically interact with the main argument or theme presented in the book. We want to know what you think of the work you are reviewing and why you think that. Reviews will be judged on the quality and originality of the review.
The library would like to publish the reviews we receive online and possibly display them in the library. We also plan to have a special event with all contest participants in the library in January.
Will you join the conversation?
Contest Rules
The Brandel Library wants to encourage NPU students to read and interact with books. Therefore we are asking current students to read a book and submit a written review to us over winter break.
The Rules
- Must be currently enrolled as a student at NPU
- A single fiction or nonfiction book should be reviewed
- Reviews must be at least 300 words
- The reviews should be original work written for this contest.
- Review should be submitted by midnight of Jan.18
- Submit reviews to Matt Ostercamp mjostercamp@northpark.edu
- Winners will be determined by library staff
- Library will host a special reception for all contest participants
Library reserves the right to publish submitted reviews online or in other formats. Authors will be credited for their writing.
Book Review vs Book Report
A Book Review Is Not a Book Report!
A book review should introduce and critically interact with the main themes or arguments of the book being reviewed. It should not simply report who wrote the book and what the plot or outline of the book is.
Here are some guides to book review writing and a few samples of book reviews:
- Guide to Writing Critical Book ReviewsCheck out the 9 questions that every good nonfiction book review should answer. Queens University in Canada published this guide.
- OWL's guide to Fiction Book ReviewsPurdue University's Online Writing Lab publishes this good guide for fiction reviews.
- Sample Review: Non FictionJosh Garrett-Davis's review of "Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher," by Timothy Egan, in the New York Times.
- Sample Review: FictionCharles Solomon's review of Royall Tyler's new translation of "The Tale of the Heike"
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