if i would choose a novel for a book report, i would choose it by the title, first i would look at the bookstore's shelf and try to find a catchy, or recognizable titles from video games, movies, or  tv shows.
  after that i would look at the author's name, weather or not i recognize it, or if i have read and enjoyed his books before. after doing all the research i will filp to the back and see if there are any compliments for the book from famous writers like J.K Rowling etc.after all of the above i should check if the author is new York times bestselling author or not. in the end i will flip to the back to see if the summary is good, and decide weather i like it or not, oh yes i will of course check the price of the book