Discovering the Elements of a Good Book:  Great authors and great cooks are similar kinds of artists.  By combining the best ingredients in an imaginative way, they can create literary and gourmet masterpieces.  When writing a book report (or sampling a freshly baked cake) you can judge how well the author (or cook) combined the ingredients.  But book critics (as well as food critics) need to know a little about the writing (or cooking) process before evaluating the book (or cake).
     In order to evaluate a book you need to know the ingredients an author uses to create a story.  Great authors use only the best ingredients: f finely detailed setting; entertaining,  amusing, and touching characters' a carefully constructed plot; a problem, struggle, or conflict to be solved by the characters in the book; and a theme, or idea about life, and that is expressed by the author.

Setting: the time, place and general environment in which a story occurs.  In a science fiction book, the setting may be 2419 A.D. on planet XY.  In a book of historical fiction, the setting may be 1870 in a Minnesota prairie town.

Character:  the people (or animals or creatures) in a story.  In an animal story, the character may be a horse, like Black Beauty.  In a science fiction story, the character may be an android.  In the story of your life, the characters are your family, friends, and acquaintances.  In most books there are two types of characters - main characters and supporting characters.  The main characters play the most important parts in the story.  The author paints vivid pictures of them by physical descriptions, the characters' speech, and their actions.  Although the author may not reveal to the reader as much about the supporting characters, their appearance in the story supports the main characters, helps to build the plot, or unravels the conflict.

Characterization:  the ways in which an author unfolds the personality, qualities, habits, and traits of a character.  The author reveals much about a character's personality through descriptions of his or her physical appearance, the actions and reactions of characters in a variety of situations, their innermost feelings, and their interactions with other characters.  By revealing these character traits, the author helps the reader understand why a character acts in a certain way.

Plot:  the sequence of events in a story from beginning to end.  The author carefully chooses those events which are important to the entire story.  The events may provide background information or reveal personality traits of the characters.  An event may add new twists and tangles to the problems or struggles of the characters.  Sometimes they just advance the storyline.  The events in a story are like the links in a chain.  If one is missing, the plot is not strong enough to support the story.

Conflict: the struggles or problems involving the main characters throughout the story.  In the classic story Bambi, the forest animals had many conflicts and struggles - against their natural enemies, against the ravages of natural disasters such as forest fires, and against their worst enemy of all - mankind.  In each instance, the animals attempt to solve the problems - or at least to cope with them.  In Charlotte's Web, the main problem to be solved is how to keep Wilbur, the runt pig, from becoming part of the next breakfast meal.  The events in the story - from Charlotte spinning her special webs to Wilbur winning a prize at the count fair - all advance the story line and help to solve the story problem.  But conflicts in stories don't have to be depressing or negative.  The problems faced by Encyclopedia Brown or Charlie Bucket (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) are entertaining and often amusing.

Theme:  the author's comment on life; sometimes it is the "moral of the story".  The value of friendship, the importance of truth, the ultimate triumph of good over evil, how persistence pays off, being satisfied with what you have - these are all themes from books.   A theme is evident throughout the entire story; similarly, in the classical musical piece, Pacabell's Canon, the theme is played over and over and over, with all other musical elements added over the theme to create complexity and interest.

Mood:  the feeling or atmosphere created by a story.  The mood of a mystery may be much different from the mood created by, for example, a humorous story.  To determine the mood of a story, ask yourself this question:  "How did I feel when I read it?"  The following moods are abundant in literature: sentimental, excited, joyful, melancholy, sympathetic, tense, horrified, elated, uneasy, anxious, troubled, dejected.

Climax:  the turning point in a story.  The climax is usually the one moment or event that you, the reader have been waiting for throughout the entire book.  In a mystery, the climax might be when the murderer is finally revealed.  In a fairy tale, it might be when the handsome prince kisses the princess and wakes her from eternal sleep. 

Denouement:  (day noo MAH)  the part of the story after the climax.  The denouement is the final outcome or the plot.  In a mystery, the denouement may be the thief going to jail and the jewels being returned to their rightful owners.  In a fairy tale, the classic denouement is everyone living happily ever after.

Foreshadowing:  hints or warnings that something is going to happen.  The scene: children playing baseball in the street. The sun is glistening off the neighbor's newly installed front window.  One child persistently asks the others to move the game to the park.  The other children don't pay attention.  Play continues.  Bobby, the longest hitter on the team, gets up to bat.  He turns to his girlfriend and says, "I'm going to hit a home run for you."

Fill out the following information for your story:
Setting: _________________________________________________________________________
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Main Characters: ________________________________________________________________

Supporting Characters: ____________________________________________________________
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Plot: ____________________________________________________________________________
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Conflict: ________________________________________________________________________

Foreshadowing: __________________________________________________________________

Climax: _________________________________________________________________________

Denoument: _____________________________________________________________________

Theme: _________________________________________________________________________

Mood: __________________________________________________________________________