Book review template for KS2 (free, printable)

A book review tells someone else whether a book is worth their time. That is what separates it from a book report, which retells what happens for a teacher who wants to check understanding. Teachers and parents use both names, and searches for a book report template for KS2 usually mean the same thing, so this template does both jobs: a short summary to show the reader understood the book, then opinions with reasons for a reader deciding whether to pick it up.

The hardest part for most children is the summary. Left alone, they retell every event in order and run out of space before they say what they thought. Limit it to two or three sentences: who the story is about, where it happens and what problem they face. Then stop, before the ending. Asking “Would this spoil it for a friend?” is a good test. Summarising is a skill in its own right, and in Years 3 and 4 the National Curriculum asks children to identify main ideas drawn from more than one paragraph and summarise them.

Opinions need evidence. “The main character is brave” is a start; “The main character is brave because she goes back into the storm to find her brother, even though she is scared” is a review. The template asks how the main character changes from the beginning to the end and what in the book shows it, which is the inference work children do across KS2. A short quotation or a favourite phrase copied out word for word shows that the reviewer noticed how the author wrote, not just what happened.

Good reviews are balanced. Ask children what could have been better: a slow middle, an ending that came too quickly, a character who never quite came alive. Saying so politely is a sign of a thoughtful reader, not an unkind one, and it makes the praise more believable. The star rating should match the words, so a four-star review needs a reason it was not a five.

Finish with the recommendation, the line other readers actually use: “I would recommend this to someone who likes…”, and if possible, “If you liked this, try…”. In Years 5 and 6 the National Curriculum includes recommending books to their peers, giving reasons for their choices, so a class review wall or a book-swap shelf with reviews tucked inside each cover gives that work a real purpose.

Model a review before children write their own. Choose a book the whole class knows, perhaps the class reader, and write a review on the board while thinking aloud: “I want to say she is brave, so I need to show where.” Then put a weak sentence next to a strong one, such as “It was good” beside “The last chapter made me gasp because the clue was there all along”, and ask which one would make a friend want to read the book.

Expect different things at different ages. In Years 3 and 4, aim for a clear no-spoiler summary, one opinion with a reason and a recommendation. In Years 5 and 6, look for a character who changes, a quotation used as evidence, a balanced view and a recommendation that compares the book with others. The prompts on the template are the same for both; older children simply write more in each box.

To use the template above, type each section and press “Print my review” for an A4 sheet with the writing on it, or “Print a blank review” to fill in by hand. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere. If reviews go on a school blog or a display that visitors see, use first names only, and never a child’s photo, surname or school name.