Here is a more detailed explanation of the rubric I will use to score each book I read. Each of the fifteen categories is worth up to two points, meaning any given book can earn up to thirty points in total.
Remember: just like with student writing, a low score in one category doesn’t mean the book is terrible!
|
2 |
1 |
0 |
|
| 1. Main Character(s) |
well-developed, round, and realistically flawed |
evidence of development, but lacking in some aspect |
flat; lifeless; Mary Sue/Gary Stu |
| 2. Subcast |
well-developed foils; just about all side characters enhance the story |
too many side characters that aren’t fully realized; some unnecessary characters |
side characters are flat, lifeless cardboard cutouts; useless and add nothing to story |
| 3. Setting Development |
can easily be imagined in one’s head, both time and place |
some development, but couldn’t draw a map; minor anachronisms |
no sense of time or place |
| 4. Exploration of Conflict |
conflicts make sense; explained carefully and appropriate to story |
some explanation of conflicts; if they appeared out of nowhere, they were explained thoroughly |
conflicts made no sense and/or seemed ridiculous and/or were out of place given the rest of the story elements |
| 5. Satisfying Resolution |
loose ends tied up; end feels natural, regardless of whether it is a happy ending or not |
some threads left hanging for potential sequels; ending is “too convenient” (deus ex machina) |
resolution non-existent; resolution makes no sense whatsoever |
| 6. Consideration of Themes |
themes obvious from text; author takes time to thoroughly relate them to audience |
some themes explained well; not all themes obvious or explained well |
no sense of theme; themes are barely discussed |
| 7. Didactic Tone |
themes/messages are explored in such a way that the reader is not lectured |
tone is lifted from a children’s television show |
author actively talks down to the reader; message is garbled completely |
| 8. Suspension of Disbelief |
easy to believe the premise of the book |
jarred out of book a few times due to anachronisms, theme, physics issues, etc. |
could not suspend disbelief while reading; actually argued with the book for not making sense |
| 9. Imagery and Description |
can recreate scenes mentally; in graphic novels, the art is gorgeous |
some scenes well-described, but others are hard to follow or are vague; in graphic novels, action is hard to follow |
very little imagery throughout; can’t begin to describe scenes after reading; in graphic novels, the art makes the story impossible to follow |
| 10. Compelling Storytelling |
unable to put book down; read until late in the night |
parts of the book were engaging, but no desperate “need” to continue reading |
struggled to continue and/or complete the book |
| 11. Author’s Style |
format suits book perfectly; author mastered this particular style; author’s voice is strong and engaging |
story was good, but an alternate format would have worked better; author’s voice was weak in places |
format is completely wrong for the book; author has no understanding of genre and/or voice |
| 12. Rhythm and Pace of Book |
story moved along; author gave readers room to breathe without losing steam |
story dragged in parts; uneven pace and/or flow |
story couldn’t end quickly enough; dull, pointless, and/or sluggish |
| 13. Mechanics (spelling, grammar, punctuation) |
no errors (note: dialect does not count against this) |
some errors, but not enough to interfere with comprehension of the text |
errors interfered with understanding; significant number of errors |
| 14. Predictability |
author kept reader guessing throughout |
some events predicted by reader, but not all |
reader could accurately predict the course of the book with minimal reading |
| 15. Reader Enjoyment |
loved the book; 11/10 would reread |
book was okay; would reread for curriculum but not for pleasure |
book wasn’t worth the paper it was printed on; personally wouldn’t consider using in class or having it available on shelves |
