What Makes a Good Book?

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The best way to entertain and educate yourself is to read a book. Books can take you interesting places and teach you new things. Some may even change how you view life. The books that do this are among some of the best. Anyone who wants to write an award-winning story, should know that certain qualities are required of the book. The ingredients for a good book are an immense amount of detail, a fast-paced plot, and a lovable main character.

As with any piece of writing, the more detail, the better. Books with large amounts of detail are loved by readers. Nancy Werlin’s Extraordinary has excellent reviews and descriptions of the world the characters live in. When Phoebe visits the Faerie realm for the first time, the reader can clearly picture it in their head. “In the very center of the garden, ringed by the flower beds, lay a circular clearing or terrace, paved with the same mellow grey stone. Just beside this terrace, a large oak tree lofted its shapely branches high into the sky.” (Werlin) Because of the detail in this section, the reader can follow along with ease. Werlin clearly describes the terrace and oak tree in this quote. Detail in books prevents confusion and allows for a better mental image of the scene.

Fast-paced plots are great for books because they keep the reader alert. The average attention span of a child is three to five minutes and it is twenty minutes for adults, so this is why award-winning fiction has an adventure on every page. In Only the Good Spy Young by Ally Carter, there was always something interesting happening. The scene in which the main character realizes she is being followed is a great example of a fast-paced plot. “‘Cammie?’ Mr. Baxter’s hand was on my shoulder. ‘What is it?’ ‘I don’t ...

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...tter so you can get more out of the book.

As you can see, to write an enjoyable book, these qualities are essential. Good characters allow you to understand the character better and therefore understand the story as well. Fast-paced plots satisfy our attention spans and keep us interested. Finally, detail lets you picture what is going on in the story in your head. Keeping this in mind when choosing a book will provide for a better experience.

Works Cited

"Average Attention Span." Reference.com. Dictionary.com ,LLC, 2014. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.
Carter, Ally. Only the Good Spy Young. New York: Disney/Hyperion for Children, 2010. Print.
Riordan, Rick. The Lightning Thief. New York: Disney Hyperion, 2006. Print.
Werlin, Nancy. Extraordinary. New York: Dial for Young Readers, 2010. Print.
Wilkinson, Lili, and Joel Tippie. Pink. New York: HarperTeen, 2011. Print.

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