Organize your notes. The hardest part is already finished, reading the book! if you've taken all your notes, you're completely ready to write the summary. You'll want to organize your notes based on the chronology of the story. Look at where the story begins and ends and how the main character gets from the first to the last. •To continue with the Harry Potter example, you'll need to look at how Harry went from learning he was a wizard to defeating Voldemort.
•For something like The Odyssey you'll need to look at how Odysseus gets from his losing all his men and washing up on Calypso's island to defeating the suitors and convincing Penelope of his identity.
•A short story like Red Riding Hood, you'll need to look at why Riding Hood was going into the woods, how she was fooled into being eaten and how she was saved.