OMG! Why didn’t this book exist when I was in school? When Michelle McLean asked me if I would participate in her blog tour for her new book, Homework Helpers: Test Papers & Essays, I thought, “Hell yes!” But then I realized I offered to talk about her book. What if I hated it?
Seriously, my life would have been a whole lot easier if the book had been available while I was in school. It’s a great book. In it, Michelle talks about the different papers a student might be faced with, including:
• Basic essay
• Argumentative/persuasive essay
• Cause and effect essay
• Critical essay
• Compare and contrast essay
• Definition essay
• Descriptive essay
• Division and classification essay
• Evaluation essay
• Literary analysis essay
• Narrative essay
• Research or term papers
I didn’t even know there were that many types of essays. For each one, Michelle explains what it is, how to get started, and the various elements required in the essay. There are tons of examples that use topics kids and teens would be interested in (e.g. Harry Potter and Twilight). She then provides an outline for an essay topic and shows how this can be converted into a first draft. Afterwards, it is taken through two additional drafts so students can see how to improve their own work.
The book also covers:
• Choosing a topic
• Researching
• Thesis topics
• Outlines
• Proofreading
• Citations
Plus, there are additional hints on how to make your paper shine and how to write the essay portion of the SAT.
The best part about the book is that you don’t have to read the entire thing before tackling your essay. Which is good since it has over three hundred pages. All you have to do is read the relevant sections for the type of essay you have to write (plus the above topics) and you’re good to go.
Overall, I highly recommend the book for all students (including college) who have to write any type of paper, whether it be a term paper or essay. It’s definitely worth it.
Michelle is giving away a copy of it on my blog. If you’re interested (and yes, you are if you have kids), please let me know in the comments and leave your email address so I can get a hold of you. I’ll be making the draw for it Sunday January 30th. Please enter by 10 pm EST. This is open to everyone, regardless of where you live on this planet . . . as long as the postal service can find you.
