8th Language Arts

Book Summary - Notes


In the second paragraph of your written response to literature, you will summarize the main events of the story. A summary does four things, and after reading your paragraph, the reader will know:

    1. The setting (time and place),
    2. The main characters - what motivates them, why they do what they do, etc.
    3. The conflict (problem) or goals of the main character,
    4. How the characters try to solve their problems (resolution) or reach their goals. [When addressing conflict resolution in your summary, you do not necessarily give away the ending of the book.]

Keep in mind - the summary is NOT a retelling. Do NOT retell the entire story as is happened. A summary is brief.

To help write your summary, a story map may be useful. A story map includes important details you will want to include in your summary.


Story Map - Notes


Main Characters

Conflict (Problem)

Attempts to Solve Problem

Important Events



Sample Book Summary for Chicken Sunday

Chicken Sunday is a contemporary story of unlikely friendships that develop in the mulit-cultural neighborhood where Patricia, the main character, lives. After her own Russian Babushka died, she "adopted" Miss Eula, an older African American woman, as her grandmother. Miss Eula is also Winston and Stewart's grandmother, too. Winston, Stewart and Patricia are best friends. Because Miss Eula is so good to them, more than anything else, they want to buy her the Easter bonnet she has longed for. However, they don't have enough money to buy the hat. They devise as plan to earn the money that involves Mr. Kodinski, the hat store owner who they think is mean and strange. Their plan fails through when Mr. Kodinksi falsely accuses them of throwing eggs at his shop. He calls and tells Miss Eula what the children have done. Through this unfortunate incident, the children come up with an idea to prove their innocence and earn the money needed for the hat. In the process, they get to know Mr. Kodinksi, and he becomes a good friend to them.