When I read a really good book, I usually mention it to a friend or colleague, describing briefly what it's about. I might even talk about the main characters or the setting, talking about the conflicts present in the book. But I can't recall ever spontaneoulsy out of my free will writing a book report or an in-depth analysis of plot.
I agree that at lower elementary grades students are still learning and incorporating the elements of a story and the different genres that exist, but after a certain point, more specifically perhaps, 5th grade, when they have been through it all, do we still need endless book summaries and book reports as proof that they have read their books?
If we are on the right track towards getting our students excited about reading, then the least of our concerns are whether the student has or hasn't read the book. If we have helped the child learn how to choose a 'just-right' book ( a Calkins concept), helped them how to deal with the 'tricky parts' of a book when they come across them, we know that as soon as a child has read a book he/she has enjoyed with comprehension, they know how it feels to read a page-turner and will want to recreate that experience again, to be part of another world, see inside the thoughts and feelings of other people, feel that they are not alone.
Let's strive to make reading meaningful and purposeful for students, in a way that emulates what goes on outside the classroom, between us, colleagues, friends, family.
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