Handouts from Workshop: Reader's Advisory: The Complete Spectrum

How to Write a Readers Annotation 
by Mary K. Chelton (adapted from Dorothy Broderick’s directions for VOYA reviewers)  

A readers annotation is written to lure someone to want to read the book being annotated. It stimulates interest, but never gives away the conclusion of a book. It may hint at disaster or triumph, but never tells the potential reader what the disaster or triumph will be, or how it comes about.  

Annotation writing is an art, but it is also a skill that can be acquired with just a little effort. The following steps are a framework within which beginners can work. After a while, they become subconscious and a part of a good annotator, just as every other skill acquired ceases to require concentrated thought to be practiced.  

Identify the Central Character

Who is the central character of the work?  In most cases there is only one character to be identified, but occasionally we can also focus on a relative, lover, the "other man," the alien, or a foil of the protagonist, depending upon the audience we wish to reach with the annotation.  

A central character can be an animal, and on occasion, a machine. No matter. Once you have selected the center character, list his/her/its identifying characteristics. Is she/he an executive, a military officer, an ambassador, a widower, an athlete, etc.? How old is the character? Is race or ethnic background an important characteristic?

After you have a list of the characteristics of the central character, move toward asking:  

Who is/are the significant other(s)?

With whom is our central character interacting? Nature can be the significant other in a survival story. Is it a foster parent, an eccentric hermit, a would-be lover?  A dog or horse or cat?  You identify the significant other by the amount of emotional involvement the central character has with him/her/it.  

What is the setting?

Does the action take place in an urban ghetto, a posh suburb, a rural outpost?  Are we on a dark and foreboding moor? In outer space?

When does the story take place?

Are we dealing with the here-and-now, the past, or some future world?  

What is the character's challenge?

Is our character trying to find a place to belong, to win a big race, come to grips with  his/her sexuality, to save humankind from disaster?

 What are the roadblocks to success?

Are personal characteristics the root of the character's problems: selfish, thoughtless, head-strong, lack of self-confidence?  Is the roadblock based within society—racial prejudice, anti-female, anti-Semitism?  If a survival story, is the roadblock a natural disaster—a blizzard, fire, flood, volcanic eruption?  Is the roadblock mechanical or electronic—a computer malfunction?

 What to do next.

Decide which of the above are absolutely essential to convey to a potential reader.  Select the strongest verbs, adjectives, adverbs you can, and string the book's characteristics together in 35-50 words that tell what happens (without giving away surprise endings, please!). Remember, full sentences are not required,—no English teacher is going to parse the annotation.  

What to avoid

For the most part, good annotations do not contain more than one long sentence. If you find yourself writing two or more sentences, go back to the drawing board. They can almost inevitably be shortened into one. Avoid evaluative statements—evaluative comments appear only in the form of the adjectives selected for the annotation, for example: thrilling, chilling, haunting, suspenseful, moving, etc.

by Mary K. Chelton (adapted from Dorothy Broderick’s directions for VOYA reviewers)