Free Printable Summer Book Report

If you can get your kids to gobble up a stack of books during summer, that’s a major win! However, a bit of reflection is needed to make those memories stick, and that’s what this free printable summer book report is for. It’s a fun way to revisit those stand-out characters, exciting settings, page-turning adventures, and even answer the age-old question: What was really the point of that book?

Those school book reports are a bit dry, but we all know kids learn much better if it’s fun. And let’s face it, this also applies to us grown-ups, even if we have a different idea of “fun”.

This free printable summer book report is designed to be engaging and creative. The originally tedious task is turned into a fun exploration that’ll get the wheels turning in your child’s brain without feeling like homework!

And you know what? Let’s make summer reading even more of a game! This book report pairs nicely with my matching free printable summer reading chart and tracker. The tracker is a coloring sheet, so the kids can have a blast even for the simple act of tracking.

☀️ Summer Book Report Template

This printable gives kids a guided tour of the story they read while also prompting them to express their own views and opinions. Here’s a quick rundown of what’s included:

• Child’s Name
• Title
• Author
• Book Rating (5-star system)
• Favorite Character
• Setting
• Draw Your Favorite Part (let’s flex those creativity muscles a bit with this fun drawing prompt)
• My Favorite Part Of The Story Was… (the final writing prompt that lets kids tell us what really captured their attention)

⬇️ Grab It Now

✅Enter your name and email in the box below and hit the “Grab It Now” button.

✅We’ll send you an email with the download link for the free printable summer book report.

✅Click the link and save the PDF file to your device.

✅Open it using the free Adobe Reader (or your preferred PDF reader app).

✅Go to File->Print.

✅No need to change any settings if printing on U.S. Letter paper. For other paper sizes like A4 or A5 you can switch the type of paper and adjust the Scale setting.

✅Hit the “Print” button and enjoy! This printable is ready to use as soon as the ink dries.

📚 How To Make The Most Of This Summer Book Report

There are certainly some benefits, even if your child fills in the report independently. But if you decide to get involved, there can be many more!

The first thing you can do is open up a conversation to further explore the book. Then, there are also some activities you can tackle. And yes, all of this effort pays off – it will ultimately help your child better remember all the books they read and gain some valuable knowledge in the process.

👉Dive Deeper into Characters – Instead of just describing their favorite character, encourage kids to think about why they liked them. What qualities did they admire? Did the character change throughout the story? And you can do the same for all the main characters, including the ones they dislike.

👉Explore the Setting – Turn the setting description into a mini-research project! If the book takes place in a real location, kids can find pictures or learn interesting facts about it.

Then, you can enhance the creativity, and make things even more interactive.

👉Encourage More Drawing – If your child loves drawing this part will be easy and definitely worth exploring. The “Draw Your Favorite Part” prompt can be just the starting point for more art.

You can have them create a comic strip panel, design a new book cover, or even draw a map of the story’s world.

👉Turn it into a Presentation – Have kids share their book reports with the family! This is a great way to boost their confidence and public speaking skills.

💡 Adapt for Different Ages

📌For younger readers (early elementary):

✔️Focus on the section that spark their enthusiasm. the “Draw Your Favorite Part” is always a hit! And the “My Favorite Part Of The Story Was…” section is perfect for encouraging early writing and storytelling.

✔️Sometimes you’ll need to help your child find their words, and that’s totally fine. Learning is a never-ending process!

✔️Keep those character and setting descriptions simple. Encourage them to use simple words and phrases. “The character was nice” or “The story happened in a forest” is perfectly fine!

📌For older readers (late elementary and up):

✔️Encourage more in-depth analysis. Prompt them to consider themes, the author’s purpose, and different perspectives. “What message was the author trying to convey?” or “How did the setting influence the plot?”

✔️Challenge them to connect the book to other things. “Does this story remind you of any other books, movies, or historical events?”

✔️Expand the “Character” section. They can analyze character development, relationships, and motivations.

✔️Encourage them to support their opinions with evidence from the text. “Why did you rate the book that way? Can you find a quote that shows why you felt that way?”

📘 Benefits Of Using A Book Report For Kids

If you’re still wondering why book reports are good for kids, here are some of their benefits:

⭐Enhance critical thinking – By evaluating the book and sharing their opinions, kids develop their critical thinking skills.

⭐Improve comprehension – By summarizing and analyzing the story, kids show that they truly understood what they read.

⭐Develop writing skills – They get to practice expressing their thoughts and ideas in a clear and organized way.

⭐Boost creativity – The drawing section and open-ended questions encourage kids to think creatively and use their imagination.

And for my final words, I’m going to point out the elephant in the room: device overuse! Yes, we’re all fighting to minimize screen time for our kids and the battle intensifies during summer when they have more free time.

Encouraging reading is awesome, but certainly not the only positive activity kids should have during summer. A bit of responsibility also doesn’t hurt.

My free printable summer screen time rules helps balance all of this with a clever reward system. This is a fully editable sheet that can be customized for any child.

It allows limited device use while encouraging chores and other activities for a fun but productive summer!

I’m genuinely curious to know how other parents handle summer reading. Do you have any traditions? Any reward systems that work wonders? Share your thoughts in the comments!