As library technicians, some of us have the responsibility (and opportunity!) to select books for our schools’ collections. Below are some online book review sources we’ve found helpful in learning about what’s out there.
CM: Canadian Review of Materials
CM publishes reviews of Canadian specific materials (books and DVDs) for children and young adults weekly during the school year.
(CM is open for anyone to read, but they do accept donations to help with the organization’s expenses, which are tax deductible in Canada.)
Common Sense Media
If you have questions about the content or age-appropriateness of a particular book, Common Sense Media can help.
Each title looks at a list of categories that reviewers can score, such as educational value, positive messages, violence, sex, inclusion of drugs and alcohol, language, consumerism, etc. and provides a description of what parents and other adults should know about a book. It also allows parents and kids to review books and rate them based on those categories, even indicating the average age parents and kids separately think a book is appropriate for (they don’t always agree).
Library staff can get a sense of what kids are enjoying and how their parents feel about it.
Be aware this is an American source and will not necessarily reflect Canadians’ perspectives.
Sal’s Fiction Addiction
Former teacher, teacher-librarian, and bookstore owner, Sally Bender has made books her business for decades. She is well respected for her enthusiasm and her selection of books. Sally reviews all age groups, fiction and non. She asks publishers to send her lesser known books to review, so you will find more unique titles here.
Goodreads
If you don’t already have an account here, sign up! Goodreads covers many, many different books for many different types of readers. Anyone can rate books and write reviews. Great for a varied perspective as students, teachers, interested parents, professionals, or amateurs can all share their opinions. You can create bookshelves of titles you want, check out Goodreads’ Author Pages, find lists of similar books, or just figure out which book comes next in the series.
McNally Robinson
Yes, McNally’s is actually a store but they post the annual MYRCA list with prices and brief summaries of each book. It’s also a favourite store of many RETSD library staff.
School Library Journal
SLJ is full of useful reviews and resources! Their Reviews are broken down into categories, such as Authors & Illustrators and Booklists, then further broken down within these categories. The resources and organization seems to change periodically so take time to explore their website. You may find something hidden gems. Please note SLJ is American and not all the content is relevant to us.
Know some other good review sites? Let us know!
