Center for Children’s Literature

Center for Children's Literature Blog

Cover for You Are Here: Connecting Flights
Young Reviewers

Children’s Book Committee – October 2023 Pick

The story’s plot is expertly crafted, skillfully weaving together individual experiences and intricate connections that support the overall narrative. The book engaged me as a reader, as I was drawn to the small details (like a red hair bow), that tied it all together.

Simon Sort of Says
Young Reviewers

Children’s Book Committee – September 2023 Pick

The characters in the book were very well written, I felt myself being mad/sad/happy for or at them, which is the marking of a clever book. The main character, Simon, went from a lonely, traumatized boy, to a happy, sociable, traumatized boy.

The Most Daring Girl in Berlin
Young Reviewers

Children’s Book Committee – August 2023 Pick

I really liked the plot. I found it very interesting and heart-warming. I loved how it shows the main character throughout a year as she discovers her sexuality and finds a family.

Choosing Brave cover
Young Reviewers

Children’s Book Committee – July 2023 Pick

This book inspires young people to stand brave in the face of fear and injustice by highlighting a touching example of a mother who had to do the same. It shows young readers the racism and prejudice of the time while encouraging them to keep making change in the present. It is both educational and encouraging, while not shying away from darker themes.

Young Reviewers

Children’s Book Committee – June 2023 Pick

I  enjoyed the shifts between poetry and prose, depending on the character the author was writing about. I also enjoyed how the poetry about Savage’s sculptures were coupled with photographs of the sculptures.

A Day for Sandcastles
Young Reviewers

Children’s Book Committee – May 2023 Pick

I liked the book because I think it is cool that it doesn’t have any words so you can make up different versions of the story. The illustrations helped me understand what they are doing and how they are doing, and I think the pictures are very detailed so you can understand them well.

Young Reviewers

Children’s Book Committee – April 2023 Pick

Teenagers have more power than they are often given credit for. Moonwalking is a book that inspires teens no matter their background or identity to fight for what they believe in. It is a story about art, and how change is made with art.

Young Reviewers

Children’s Book Committee – March 2023 Pick

The March Children’s Book Committee’s Young Reviewer Post is from 15 year-old, Nikhil, from Englewood, NJ who rated The Peach Rebellion by Wendelin Van Draanen from Knopf Books for Young Readers as Excellent! Read more about his review on our website.

The Woman who Split the Atom
Young Reviewers

Children’s Book Committee – February 2023 Pick

“The Woman Who Split the Atom,” a biography about Lise Meitner, tells a fascinating story about discrimination, perseverance, and science. Meitner is most well known for her groundbreaking work on the atomic bomb, and Marissa Moss does a fantastic job at bringing her story to life.

Young Reviewers

Children’s Book Committee – January 2023 Pick

I liked that the book taught me about water shortages and it also had suspense.The main character was an interesting person and she had many challenges.The book also had an interesting plot. Something that made the plot interesting was that the story was so different from what happens here.

cover of Grumblesquinch
Young Reviewers

Children’s Book Committee – December 2022 Pick

My two younger kids really enjoyed this book. They absolutely loved seeing the hard emotions and outbursts presented in a very relatable, non-judgmental way. (Fighting over seats at the kitchen table is a very real thing over here right now. I could literally see their excitement and relief over reading a book that made them feel ‘seen.’

Young Reviewers

Children’s Book Committee – November 2022 Pick

One of my favorite books of the year. This Cold War story exposes the tribulations of living under the Ceaușescu dictatorship in Romania. The historical fiction is relevant in exposing this past history that still plays a part in current global conflict.

Young Reviewers

Children’s Book Committee – October 2022 Pick

This book touched my heart a lot because it was relatable. It was relatable because I’m a LatinX boy with highly demanding school work, like Marco, and I like playing basketball, like Issac.

Young Reviewers

Children’s Book Committee – July 2022 Pick

Ana, 12, yearns to leave the Bolivian silver mine where her family works. A mining accident forces her to confront her fears and make dangerous choices.

Young Reviewers

Children’s Book Committee – June 2022 Pick

In 1967 when Ariel Goldberg’s Jewish parents oppose her big sister Leah’s plan to marry a man from India, the older girl disappears.