Writing a One-Paragraph Summary of a Story

A template and guide using Gary Paulsen's Hatchet as an example novel.

Writing a Summary

When you are writing a response to literature essay or a book review, you should summarize the action of the story, but that should not be the entire report. One big mistake student's make on an essay or report is to just write a big, long, boring summary.

Writing a Summary

To keep from ruining your essay with a too-long summary, follow this template to keep your plot events in order, show that you read the story, and lead the rest of your essay into what is important, the analysis of the story.

Summary Template

In the (genre) story (title) by (author), (protagonist name) learns/changes/grows through (theme).

Example:

In the adventure novel Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, Brian grows through perseverance.

Summary Template

• In the exposition of the story, (character name) is a (age) (gender) who is (a character trait or situation).

Example• In the exposition of the story, Brian is a

teenaged boy who is flying to meet his newly divorced father.

Summary Template

As the conflict develops, (character name faces the challenge of (name the major conflict of the story).

ExampleAs the conflict develops, Brian faces the challenge of survival when the pilot of the plane has a heart attack and dies.

Book Report Summary

• In the rising action of the story, (character name) (what the character does). Then (something else happens). Later, (one more event).

Example• In the rising action of the story, Brian crash-

lands the plane into a lake. Then, he eats too many berries and drinks too much water and gets sick. Later, he builds a shelter and learns to fish and hunt for food.

Summary Template

• The climax of the story happens when (character name) faces the greatest challenge when (event that turns the story around).

Example• The climax of the story happens as Brian

faces the greatest challenge when a tornado destroys everything he has created and stored for survival.

Book Report Summary

• The falling action tells of (character name) (action).

Example• The falling action tells of Brian being

rescued after turning on a transmitter that he finds in the plane’s survival kit.

Book Report Summary

• In the resolution, (character name) (how he is at the end of the story).

Example• In the resolution, Brian returns home a

stronger person mentally and physically, and adjusts to his parents divorce.

Summary Put Together

• In the adventure story Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, Brian grows through perseverance. In the exposition of the novel, Brian is a teenaged boy who is flying to meet his newly divorced father. As the conflict develops, Brian faces the challenge of survival when the pilot of the plane has a heart attack and dies. In the rising action of the story, Brian crash-lands the plane into a lake. Then, he eats too many berries and drinks too much water and gets sick. Later, he builds a shelter and learns to fish and hunt for food. The climax of the story happens as Brian faces the greatest challenge when a tornado destroys everything he has created and stored for survival. The falling action tells of Brian being rescued after turning on a transmitter that he finds in the plane’s survival kit. In the resolution, Brian returns home a stronger person mentally and physically, and adjusts to his parents divorce.