Literary Letter

Format

  • Use a friendly letter format, typed, double spaced, 12 font.
  • Must be at least one page-can be longer

1st paragraph: Introduction and Summary

  • Title, author, and genre of the book you are reading.
  • Provide a brief summary of the plot-five to six sentences. I don’t want to know EVERYTHING…just a summary, please.

2nd paragraph: (Choose 3 from this list)

  • Make connections. Connections can be to SELF, to another BOOK, or to the REAL WORLD.
  • Discuss a quote from the book.

Put quotation marks around the quote and write the page

number in parentheses.

  • Ask a question about the text. I wonder if….
  • Make a prediction. I predict that ______will happen next in the book, because...
  • Explain an image. The trees in Sandra Cisneros’ book, The House on Mango Street, symbolize…
  • What character do you like or dislike so far? Give reasons why.
  • Explain howcharacters in the book remind you of yourself or someone you know.
  • Discuss a memorable event in the story for you. (This can be a funny, sad, scary, or suspenseful event.)
  • Discuss the theme of the book so far. Give examples for why you think so.

Common themes:

a. courage f. happiness

b. beauty g. death

c. truth h. failure

d. love i. trust

e. success j. survival in life

  • Use an example of one of the literary terms below in your

letter. Explain where you found it and how the author used it.

Suggested Literary Terms

Symbolism

Mood

Setting

Conflicts

Plot

Imagery

Characterization

Rising Action

Falling Action

Climax

3rd paragraph: Closing

  • Give a recommendation for the book and tell why you like or dislike it.

Date

Dear Mrs. Lutke,

The book I am currently reading is Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred D.Taylor. It is a story of the Logan family, who are African Americans who lived in theSouth and struggled with prejudice in the 1930s. The setting is the small farmthe family owns in Mississippi. One of the main characters, is Cassie Logan, a nine year old girl. Cassie narrates thestory of her family’s struggle to maintain their pride and dignity

no matter what others try to do to them.

The Logan family reminds me of Martin Luther King, Jr., in many ways.Dr. King fought to overcome prejudice in a peaceful way in his speeches, in educating others, and through group marches. The Logans try to fight intolerance byencouraging a boycott of the store owned by the angry and bigoted Wallacefamily. Papa Logan tells Cassie how he feels about standing up for what isright and important when he says, “There are things you can’t back down on,things you gotta take a stand on. But it’s up to you to decide what themthings are.” (Page 176).

I would recommend this book to my friends because it was realisticand full of suspense. Some parts made me sad, but other selections mademe think about how I treat others who are not like me. I am looking forwardto reading the sequel to this book, Let the Circle Be Unbroken.

Sincerely,

Your signature

(Your name printed)

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Literary Letter Example 2

Date

Dear Mrs. Lutke,

I am currently reading the play Novio Boy by Gary Soto. This play was about a boy named Rudy and a girl named Patricia. Rudy is in the 9th grade and he is going out on a date with Patricia (she is in the 11th grade). Rudy has a few problems. For starters, he is taking Patricia to an expensive restaurant (Steaks Steaks and more Steaks) and does not have the money. Secondly, he is afraid that he will not know what to say to her when they get there. Eventually, however, Rudy is able to come up with the money for the date and, with the help from his friends and family, is able to pull off the date without any kind of catastrophe.
The theme in the book so far is courage. I think this because Rudy has to get up his nerve to ask Patricia out. He is scared that she will say no. His family tells him to take a chance and he does. The second reason I think the theme is courage is because Rudy has poor self-esteem. He doesn’t think Patricia will like him, even though he is good at many things. He has to decide that he will ask Patricia out, even though he thinks she is more popular than he is. I think it takes a lot of courage to ask a girl out, especially a popular one.

Gary Soto writes about things that can happen in everyday life. I like his books because they are easy to relate to. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read realistic fiction.
Sincerely,
Your Signature

Your name printed

modified from: