13 Book Reports Everyone Faked
These were the titles that filled classrooms, sparked sighs, and became legends for being “faked” the most.
- Daisy Montero
- 5 min read
Book reports were a rite of passage in school, but let’s be honest — half the time, we never cracked the spine of those books. Instead, we mastered the art of skimming, borrowing summaries, or just plain guessing the plot. If you ever bluffed your way through one of these, you’re in good company.
1. The Catcher in the Rye Cop-Out
Michael Mitchell on Wikimedia Commons
J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye felt like the ultimate “cool kid” book, but few students actually read it cover to cover. Holden Caulfield’s rants about phonies made for great quotes, which was enough to fill a report. Most students simply tossed in a few lines about teenage rebellion and called it insightful. Teachers could sense the bluff, yet somehow it still sounded profound.
2. Of Mice and Men Skim Sessions
Illustrated by Ross MacDonald. Published by Covici-Friede. on Wikimedia Commons
John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men looked short enough to read, but that didn’t stop many from turning to summaries. The tragic ending spread fast through classrooms, so most reports focused on that alone. The subtle details about friendship and dreams often went unnoticed. It was the perfect book to fake — sad, short, and easy to summarize.
3. Romeo and Juliet Guesswork
Shigeo Fukuda on Wikimedia Commons
William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet was everyone’s introduction to tragic romance and confusion. Students clung to the basic plot of two lovers and ignored everything else. The poetic dialogue and old-fashioned language were tough to get through, so most just relied on the movie. Still, the ending was unforgettable enough to fill two pages of “deep reflection.”
4. To Kill a Mockingbird Half-Reads
Jacket design by Shirley Smith on Wikimedia Commons
Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird was assigned almost everywhere, yet few made it past the courtroom scenes. The moral lesson about justice was easy to grasp, so students built their whole report around that. Quotes from Atticus Finch made everything sound wise and thoughtful. It was the kind of book that let you fake understanding and still sound like a good person.
5. The Great Gatsby Glitter Bluff
Francis Cugat (1893–1981) and published by Charles Scribner’s Sons on Wikimedia Commons
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby was filled with mystery, money, and meaning—at least that’s what reports said. Most students didn’t make it far past the parties. They picked out the green light, tossed in a sentence about the American Dream, and hoped for the best. Somehow, every paper sounded poetic without much effort.
6. Lord of the Flies Chaos Summary
Unknown author on Wikimedia Commons
William Golding’s Lord of the Flies was one of those books that looked intriguing on the cover but lost many readers halfway through. The story of boys stranded on an island turning to chaos sounded simple enough, so most students summarized it in one line and moved on. Teachers expected an analysis of the conch shell or Piggy’s glasses, but few dared to unpack what they meant.
7. Animal Farm Oversimplified
Unknown author on Wikimedia Commons
George Orwell’s Animal Farm was short, clear, and somehow still confusing to students. The idea of talking animals rebelling was enough to carry an entire fake report. Few realized it was about politics and power, not just pigs and farmers. The moral of “everyone becomes what they hate” was usually left out entirely.
8. The Scarlet Letter Skipped Pages
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on Wikimedia Commons
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter lost many readers in the first few pages. That long introduction felt endless, so students jumped straight to Hester’s punishment. Most reports just said “she wore an A and people judged her,” missing the layers of guilt and hypocrisy. It was a slow read that inspired some of the fastest skimming in school history.
9. 1984 Quick Summaries
издательстве «Прогресс» on Wikimedia Commons
George Orwell’s 1984 was fascinating — but also long and heavy. Most reports boiled it down to “Big Brother is watching,” which sounded smart enough. The complex ideas about surveillance and control were rarely touched on. Students who dropped that one phrase instantly sounded like deep thinkers.
10. The Grapes of Wrath Skimmers
“Copyright by Twentieth Century-Fox-Film Corp. MCMXXXX” on Wikimedia Commons
John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath was an intimidating assignment for most students. Its thick chapters and heavy themes turned many toward the shortest summaries they could find. Reports usually mentioned “a poor family in the Dust Bowl” and stopped there. Anyone who actually finished it deserved an automatic A.
11. The Odyssey Shortcut
Guy Fleming on Wikimedia Commons
Homer’s The Odyssey was technically an epic poem, but students treated it like a long adventure story. Reports often listed monsters and gods in order without explaining who they were. Few grasped that Odysseus’s journey was about more than survival — it was about pride and endurance. Still, everyone remembered the Cyclops part, which usually carried the whole report.
12. Pride and Prejudice Guess-Reports
Jane Austen (1775-1817) on Wikimedia Commons
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice had sharp wit and social satire, but few students caught that. Most reports focused entirely on Elizabeth and Darcy falling in love. Some even based their papers on the movie version instead of the book. It was romantic, but the real story went far beyond the proposal scene everyone remembered.
13. Moby-Dick Missed the Point
Museon on Wikimedia Commons
Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick was the king of unread classics. Reports usually said “man vs. whale” and left it at that. The deep symbolism about obsession and fate rarely made it into those essays. It was the ultimate book for students who preferred summaries over sea voyages.