How to Summarize a Novel

How to Write a Summary of a Novel

Summary Template

In the (genre) novel (title) by (author), the main character, (protagonist name), learns/changes/grows through (Main Topic/Subject in the novel).

Example:

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

(Character name) is a (age) (gender) who is (a character trait or situation).

Example:

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

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

Example

• 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, (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, while foraging for food, 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 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.

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.

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.

Complete Summary Paragraph:

In the adventure novel Hatchet, by Gary Paulsen, the main character, Brian, grows through perseverance. 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, while foraging for food, he eats too many berries, drinks too much water, and and ends up getting 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.