Hakuranjuku Launches Summer Special Course: 'Book Report Club 2026' for Elementary Students

Hakuran Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; President: Keishi Wada) has launched enrollment for its summer special course, 'Book Report Club 2026,' provided by its writing and essay tutoring school, 'Hakuranjuku.' The application deadline is Thursday, June 25.

Hakuranjuku is led by director Yuichi Higuchi, author of the 2.5-million-copy bestseller 'How Smart People Talk' (PHP Shinsho). Higuchi has also authored numerous books focusing on reading comprehension, such as 'The Essence of Being Smart is Reading Comprehension' and 'Quickly Train Your Reading Comprehension' (Gentosha Shinsho), as well as 'The Easiest Reading Comprehension Drill' (co-authored, Gakken). Based on pedagogical expertise developed by professional writers, the school provides unique instruction that makes reading books and writing essays an enjoyable experience.

■ Is the book report just a summary? Or left to AI?

While many children can write reports on events like sports festivals or field trips, they often get stuck when it comes to book reports. Even when they finish, many simply provide a summary and add 'it was interesting' at the end. Some parents, in their eagerness to guide their children, may give harsh criticism, damaging the child's confidence and motivation, and end up regretting their involvement. However, leaving the child entirely to themselves rarely results in a good outcome. Lately, many parents may be tempted to have generative AI create a model for their child to follow.

However, that doesn't help the child grow. The joy of creating a book report lies in the process of flipping through pages to find words that express one's own feelings and engaging in trial and error. This process helps children develop both writing and reading skills.

■ Enjoy reading and improve your skills!

In a world surrounded by various media, books have become less accessible to children than before. A benefit of reading is that once a child finishes one book, they naturally progress to thicker or slightly more difficult books, building their 'reading stamina.' It is like mountain climbing, seeking a better view. They naturally cultivate their reading ability while following their interests.

Without reading comprehension, one cannot develop overall language skills, which are the foundation of all learning. The best time for elementary school students to build these skills is through reading. Now, when books feel more distant, we want to provide opportunities for children to engage with books. For this reason, we recommend Hakuranjuku's 'Book Report Club.' Children will learn tips on how to enjoy reading. By reading selected books, their range of reading will expand. Most importantly, they will be able to write higher-level book reports than ever before. If they write a good report and receive praise, it creates a virtuous cycle of 'I want to write another report!' and 'I'll read a book for that!'

■ Four Features of the 'Book Report Club'

The Book Report Club has four features to help children feel the joy of reading and writing:

1. Rewriting
First, students write a book report. We then provide tips through corrections to improve the quality of the content, and students rewrite the report for the same book using those tips. This 'rewriting' process turns tips into skills and enables them to write reports with a high degree of completion.

2. Finding the Main Theme
The book has a main theme the author wants to convey. Sometimes it is hidden between the lines or requires deep excavation to find. Using 'footprints' left in the text, students are encouraged to deduce where the theme is hidden. We provide detailed guidance on how to find the main theme through materials and corrections.

3. Hop, Step, Jump, Landing
We teach based on a four-part structure: 'Hop, Step, Jump, Landing.' The 'Step' (summarizing the plot) and 'Jump' (conveying own ideas) are the deciding factors of a book report. We teach tips on how to write these sections through materials and corrections.

4. Utilizing Personal Experience
The 'Jump' section, the heart of the report, involves writing about the main theme and summarizing one's own thoughts. Incorporating personal experience is an effective way to organize these thoughts. We teach students which experiences to bring in and how to incorporate them.