20th Century Book Report - Post Cards


You will be reading a book that deals with the time period from 1900 through pre- World War II. Any book that can be adapted to this post card format is acceptable but most people will find that fiction is easier to do than non-fiction. I am providing a list of suggested books for you, but you may also choose another book if it is appropriate. If you do not choose one of the books from the reading list, I must approve it.

For your report, you will turn in six cards approximately 4" x 6" in size. One card should contain your name as well as the title and author of your book. The other five cards should resemble real post cards. You need to do both sides of the post card - the artwork and the message. Please number these cards – you can use just a small number in the upper right corner. All six cards need to be fastened together either with a paper clip or a rubber band.

The pictures on the post cards can be in many different formats. They can be original works of art that you create. They can be pictures that you cut from magazines or print from the computer. The most important requirement is that they do need to fit in with your book. The cards should be appealing but don't worry if you aren't an award-winning artist.

The other sides of the cards need to contain messages from one of the characters in the book. You will be using the post cards to highlight some of the main features of the story. The cards should be written to the students in the class. Depending on the nature of your book, they can all be from one character about different events, or they can be from several different characters in the book. You can write the postcards by hand if your writing is legible. Otherwise you will need to type out the message and glue it to the back of the card. (You do not have to include a stamp and an address, since I actually recognize this as a gimmick to waste space- use all of one side for the message)

As with all post cards, your goal is to include lots of information in a small amount of space. I should have a reasonable sense of what the book was about when I have finished reading the five cards.

Book Reports are considered major assignments. They are approximately equivalent to a test grade. Failure to turn in a book report will have a significant impact on your grade.

You will also be doing a short oral presentation about your book. You will not be reading your postcards. Instead, you will provide a quick book review – Title, Author, short summary (without giving away too much of the book), and a rating for the book (using a 5 star system)