Keeping track of what you read can be a useful exercise keeping you motivated, inspired and organize. Using a reading log template will help you record and organize what you are reading.
You can use our reading log templates for yourself, or to control and organize the reading routine for your students of kids.
What is a book log?
A book log (also referred to a reading log) is a journal containing your reactions to what you are reading, notes on what you’d like to remember from a book, afterthoughts, etc.
You can make your book log as detailed or as brief as you feel like depending on your purposes.
- Summer Reading Log
- Reading Milestones: Reading Log Template
- Weekly Reading Log (pdf)
- Daily Reading Logs with Summary
- Book Club Reading Log Template
- Reading Log with Questions (PDF)
- Reading Log for Adults
What is the meaning of reading log?
A reading log means recording everything you feel noting from your current book. There’s no right or wrong way to use a reading log, and there may be several reasons why you’d want to start a book log:
- A book log can be used a motivation for you to continue reading it
- A reading log improves your memory by helping you remember facts from a book (especially for nonfiction reading)
- You can use a book log to note your own ideas on what to write about while you feel inspired
- A reading log keeps you productive and organized by developing daily reading habits
- Some people find that maintaining a book log gives them a feeling of accomplishment
- Book logs make it easy to share reading experiences if you participate in group reading projects or book clubs
- Book log templates provide various comprehension strategies for parents who can monitor what their kids read
How do you make a reading log?
To make a reading log, make yourself a copy of one of the Google Docs reading log templates below:
Summer Reading Log
To keep track of your summer reading, use this free reading log template: Summer reading log.
The template is created for relaxed reading activity, with no due dates or particular milestones. Do make sure to reflect a lot on what you read. Summer is for self-discovery, rather than getting things done!
Reading Milestones: Reading Log Template
Reading milestones can include:
- Number of pages read per day
- Reading speed (and fast word recognition and fluent reading)
- Chapters or sections per day (for chapter books)
- Achieving a certain reading level (as well as improving your language skills and reading fluency)
- Reading streak (i.e. number of days you managed to read daily without missing a single day)
- Books read during a certain period of time (e.g. summer)
If there any specific goals behind your reading, you may like our free book log focusing on milestones: You can copy or download it here.
Weekly Reading Log (pdf)
To get yourself organized on a weekly basis, use our weekly reading log template which you can download in PDF:
To feel accomplished every day, check the two boxes in the last column (“Reading goal achieved” and “Next day plan is set”). These will encourage you to move forward.
Daily Reading Logs with Summary
If you want to keep a more detailed reading journal and enrich your vocabulary, copy or download our free template: Daily Reading Logs with Summary
The log will urge you to note down a quick summary of what you have just read as well as create a log of new words and their meanings:
(Note: If you don’t want to guess a meaning, simply delete that line after you make yourself a copy of the log template)
There’s also a list of comprehension questions to answer after you are done with the book. Wait till you read the book up to the end before you attempt to answer those. They check your memory and text understanding.
Book Club Reading Log Template
If you need ideas on how to best record your book club reading, here’s a free template for you encouraging you to take note of the following questions:
- Summarization: Summarize what you read
- Prediction: What do you thing will happen next? Why?
- Connection: How does this connect to your life?
- Question: Do you have a question over the reading?
You can create a fresh empty copy for this template each time, prior to each club meeting or reading workshop. The log teaches the skill of using context clues to construct meaning from texts. This book journal fits advanced level readers.
Reading Log with Questions (PDF)
If you think you (or your students) need to think of more things than just your own reflections, here’s a detailed reading log template with questions which you can download in PDF:
The log questions urge you to reflect on personal and emotional connection with the story line, visualize certain characters or scene, learn to critically evaluate certain events, etc. This is a perfect log template to use in preparation for a book report.
This may also be a great alternative to reading comprehension worksheets and quizzes.
Reading Log for Adults
Use this minimal reading log template to keep track of your reading: Daily reading log
If you read the same book every day, you can merge all cells in “Book title” column:
- Select the cells
- Right-click
- Select “Merge cells”
Now you can enter the book title only once.
How do you maintain a reading log?
To maintain a reading log, keep it close to your book anytime you get down to reading, and jot down anything that you feel remembering or sharing. Let the book log template guide you the process.
Keeping a daily log will help you to never miss reading, so it may be a good idea to date your log.
You can download your template if you prefer to write things down in an old-fashioned way. Many people feel much more creative when they write with a pen or a pencil, as opposed to writing.
You can also create a new Google document and fill in your reading journal online. Or you can download any of the templates into Microsoft Word document and complete it whenever you are at your computer. You can also use Google documents in an offline mode, if you are using Google Chrome browser.
You can maintain a reading log while listening to audiobooks (or audio textbooks for that matter) too. Simply keep your chosen template on your phone and record your reading progress even while on the go. You can also use any of these daily printable planners to make sure reading is part of your daily routine.
Reading Log Templates: Organize Your Reading NOW!
You can access our whole folder of free reading log templates here. Inside you can download all or any of the free templates:
- Summer Reading Log
- Reading Milestones: Reading Log Template
- Weekly Reading Log (pdf)
- Daily Reading Logs with Summary
- Book Club Reading Log Template
- Reading Log with Questions (PDF)
- Reading Log for Adults
The above templates work for children of all ages as well as adults. You can log both fiction and non-fiction literature. Book logs work great for developing independent reading skills.
Keeping your reading logs in Google Drive will allow you to access them from any computer (and mobile phone), complete them on the go, easily download the completed logs in a variety of format and even edit them in an offline mode.
You can create new and new empty reading logs to complete by creating a copy of each template.
Let’s share the love of reading! If you wish to donate your own reading log template, please tweet to us @howtonowdotcom
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