In writing any kind of summary, we first need to consider what are the major aspects of the longer work, and what our purpose is in writing the summary. That is, if we are trying to write a purely factual summary of a book, including its key points, this might differ slightly from the sort of summary we find on the backs of novels, intended as sales pitches. So, are we summarizing the book as a teaser, or as a factual condensation? Are we summarizing its plot points or its literary qualities?

A one-sentence summary is very short and requires attention to the bigger picture, without omitting necessary detail. So, for this book, for example, we might consider mentioning its genre (non-fiction, autobiography), its narrator (a young girl in Pakistan), and its climactic moment (Malala is shot by the Taliban for championing women's education). An example sentence would be: "This non-fiction memoir by Pakistani women's education activist Malala Yousafzai discusses how her life changed when she was shot by the Taliban."