Review sources include School Library Journal, Booklist, Horn Book Magazine, Publisher's Weekly, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, and/or Kirkus Reviews.
Other Tools for Evaluating Children's & YA Literature
A listing of the American Library Association's annual awards for youth literature, including the Newbery and Caldecott Awards, along with many others.
Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for ChildrenNCTE, through the Committee on the Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children, has established an annual award for promoting and recognizing excellence in the writing of nonfiction for children. You can review these lists to identify outstanding nonfiction books for children.
Journal articles in social sciences and humanities.
GoodReadsGoodreads is the largest social site for readers and book recommendations in the world. More than 7,100,000 members have added more than 250,000,000 books to their shelves. Goodreads users recommend books, compare what they are reading, keep track of what they've read and would like to read, find their next favorite book, form book clubs and much more. While the user reviews found here are not as credible or reliable as the official reviews found in the major review sources, they may help you make a decision about whether or not a book is worth using in your lesson or classroom.
Database of Award Winning Children's LiteratureSearch this database to locate award-winning juvenile books that fit your criteria. Many features can be specified including age, genre, award, ethnicity of protagonist, gender of protagonist, historical period, and more. Produced by librarian Lisa R. Bartle.
Children's Book ReviewThe Children’s Book Review, named one of the ALSC (Association for Library Service to Children) Great Web Sites for Kids, is a resource devoted to children’s literacy. The site publishes reviews and book lists of the best books for kids of all ages. It also produces author and illustrator interviews and share literacy based articles that help parents, grandparents, teachers and librarians to grow readers.
Read Kiddo ReadThis website, launched by James Patterson, helps parents, teachers, and librarians find books that appeal to kids of all reading and interest levels.
