Here is a model book report by a 7th grade boy. Notice that the essay is well organized with a clear thesis, topic sentences, and conclusion.

The Guns of Navarone by Alistair MacLean tells the gripping story of a combat team with orders to destroy a German gun emplacement. Set during World War II, this suspenseful tale brings to life the secret world of espionage.

During the winter of 1943, one thousand Allied soldiers were trapped by German forces on the Greek island of Kheros. Any attempt to evacute the troops was thwarted by two powerful enemy guns on the nearby island of Navarone. Even though the Allies attempted to destroy these weapons by various means, the cliff on which the guns were mounted proved to be virtually impregnable. As a last resort, it was decided that a small party of carefully picked men would be sent to infiltrate Navarone and destroy the guns. Among those chosen for the mission was Captain Keith Mallory, a man famous for his mountaineering skills.

The compay set out for Navarone in a small boat and, with only minor difficulties, successfully reached the island. The mission required them to scale the cliff on the island’s southern approach. One man was injured during the ascent, and the party was spotted by German sentries. Mallory led the group to a small mountain cave where they remained hidden for several hours. At one point, an enemy patrol discovered them, but the men managed to make a daring escape into the hills. Pursued by German troops and planes, they were ultimately pinned down in a cul-du-sac. In an extraordinary act of heroism, one of the mortally wounded members of the party held off the Germans while the others escaped. At dusk, they got to the town located directly under the guns.

Shortly afterwards, the men received a vital message that the guns must be destroyed that night in order to allow time for the Allied evacuation. Mallory and his demolition specialist infiltrated the German gun battery disguised as German soldiers. The pair set explosives inside the magazine, but their escape route was blocked by German troops. Thinking quickly, Mallory used a rope he had previously secured to the railing surrounding the guns. Both men rappelled directly to the town below without being detected. They escaped from the island minutes before the battery exploded. The exhausted heroes sailed toward the Allied fleet, which was now able to rescue the soldiers trappped on Kheros.

The author’s descriptions of his characters were excellent. I felt as though I knew each of them well by the tale’s end. Every character in the story had his own vivid personality no matter how minor a part he played. Although the chacterization was superb, the best element of the story was suspense. Time and again, Mallory became trapped in a seemingly hopeless situation and escaped seconds before his party would have been killed The story overflowed with carefully laid plans and counter plans that continued to unfold until the last page. This adventure used both likelike characterizations and thrilling suspense to tell a stirring wartime tale of extraordinary courage.