Children’s Book Committee

Young Reviewers Program

The Young Reviewers Program welcomes children from toddlers through high school students who read and review books that are currently being considered by the Children’s Book Committee (CBC). Started more than 20 years ago, the program supports the CBC’s longstanding mission to evaluate books for children, parents, librarians, and educators by focusing on how books can affect young readers.

Purpose of Becoming a Young Reviewer

Reviews help the CBC to create our Best Children’s Books of the Year lists and Children’s Book Awards. Some Young Reviewers have been in the program for years and many have highlighted their experience on school and scholarship resumés.

For more information about our program, please email youngreviewers@bankstreet.edu or click the button below to fill out our registration form.

Registration Form Submit a Review Children’s Book Committee

The Children’s Book Committee

Members of the CBC have a wide range of experience in the world of education, writing, and book publishing, but the voices of children through the Young Reviewers Program provide the committee with valuable insights into the literature we read throughout each year. Reviews are shared with committee members at weekly meetings and, at the end of the year, the CBC will consider many criteria when compiling the Best Children’s Books of the Year List, including the thoughts of our Young Reviewers. Excerpts from some reviews are shared on social media and at our awards ceremony in the spring.

Children's Book Committee April Pick

Everything We Never Had

Author: Randy Ribay

Four generations of Filipino-American men, starting with immigrant Francisco, strive to define themselves and their relationships with an ever-evolving America.

Our Young Reviewer Says:

“Everything We Never Had” by Randy Ribay was a touching novel about the Filipino-American experience. It tracked four generations of a Filipino family and their experiences living as Filipinos in the US. I learned a lot about Filipino involvement in American agriculture labor reform movements and about the Philippines under the rule of Ferdinand Marcos. Ribay also beautifully portrayed the struggle of trying to keep in touch with a culture that is not of the land one lives in.

But apart from expressing this idea, he also gave glimpses into the perspectives of others who believed that assimilation was the best–and sometimes only–way to survive in America. These two sides clashed throughout the novel, making for a compelling story about being the descendants of immigrants in the United States. He masterfully transitioned between time periods and perspectives, letting the readers understand how each character became the way he was. This led to a consistent theme of healing through generational trauma.

–Vimala, age 17, Queens, NY.

Past Monthly Picks