Finding Book Reviews - ENGL 248 | Children's & Young Adult Literature - Collins Memorial Library at University of Puget Sound

Tips for Searching for Book Reviews

To find a book review, you would typically search by the author's name, title of the book, and/or the date of publication. If you don't have a specific title in mind, you may start by exploring the resources and booklists listed on the page for "Identifying Titles" or searching for keywords/concepts related to a theme or topic. Once you've identified a potential selection, search for additional reviews by title and author.

When using databases, limit your results when you can to the document type "book review" or "review".

Don't restrict your search to just one source! There are significant differences in content, date ranges, and full-text availability among the resources featured on this page. Additionally, you'll want to consult several reviews of each book under consideration to make a more balanced evaluation.

Review Publications for Children's Literature

Reviews of literary works can be found in a variety of places. Here are some publications to start with for reviews of contemporary children's literature.

Booklist
A journal for librarians, especially those in public and school libraries, that publishes reviews of recommended library materials. Offers advance reviews of books, reference resources, and media for children, young adults, and adults. Selected issues each year focus on a special topic, such as poetry, foreign language titles, or black history.
Available in ProQuest Central, Academic Search Premier, and Gale Literature Resource Center.
Book Links
Technically not a review journal, this quarterly supplement to ALA's Booklist is aimed at classroom teacher and youth librarians. Each theme-based issue is comprised of articles recommending books for children and teenagers on a wide range of topics.
Available in ProQuest Central and Academic Search Premier.
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Based at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, the Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books is devoted to reviewing new books for children and young adults. The free online version includes some features from the monthly journal ("The Big Picture" and the list of starred titles from each issue). Bibliographies and topic lists are also available on the CCB website.
Available in ProQuest Central. Some content freely available online.
Horn Book Magazine
The Horn Book Magazine reviews new books for children and young adults, and features articles and commentaries on issues in children’s and young adult literature. Their website includes excerpts from selected current articles, columns and editorials, sample reviews, and a complete list of Boston Globe/Horn Book Award winners.
Available in Academic Search Premier, ProQuest Central, and Gale Literature Resource Center. Some content freely available online.
The Horn Book Guide to Children and Young Adult Books
Each semi-annual issue of the print Horn Book Guide rates and reviews virtually every children’s and young adult book published in the U.S. in a six-month period.
Available in ProQuest Central and Gale Literature Resource Center.
Kirkus Reviews
A bi-monthly American book review magazine, including adult, young adult and children’s titles. Their website requires a subscription for full online access to reviews, but browsers can see what was reviewed in the most recent issue and read the start of each review.
Available in ProQuest Central, Academic Search Premier, and Gale Literature Resource Center. Some content freely available online.
The Lion and the Unicorn
An international theme- and genre-centered journal, committed to a serious, ongoing discussion of literature for children. The journal's coverage includes the state of the publishing industry, regional authors, comparative studies of significant books and genres, new developments in theory, the art of illustration, the mass media, and popular culture. It is especially noted for its interviews with authors, editors, and other important contributors to the field, as well as its outstanding book review section.
Available in Project Muse.
Publisher's Weekly Reviews
A trade magazine for the publishing industry, this magazine reports on publishing trends, new book deals, and publishes reviews of new books for adults and children.
Available in ProQuest Central, Academic Search Premier, and Gale Literature Resource Center.
School Library Journal
A monthly magazine with articles and reviews for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people.
Available in Academic Search Premier and ProQuest Central.
School Librarian
The journal of the School Library Association (UK), published quarterly. Each issue contains articles, regular features, and reviews of new fiction and non-fiction books.
Available in ProQuest Central and Gale Literature Resource Center.
Teacher Librarian
Designed for teacher librarians. Includes book reviews and articles on issues in children's and youth literature.
Available in Academic Search Premier and ProQuest Central.
New York Times Book Review: Children's Books
A weekly magazine featuring book reviews, articles, author interviews and book excerpts. If you have registered for your NYT account (free for Puget Sound students!), sign up for the weekly newsletter!

Databases for Book Reviews

Many of the databases that the library subscribes to include book reviews alongside journal articles and other documents. Below is a list of some of the most useful databases for finding book reviews in the popular press, literary magazines, and elsewhere.

Literature Resource Center
Contains articles from academic journals and literary magazines as well as excerpts from scholarly monographs, literary correspondence and diaries.
Literature Criticism
Includes overviews by topic, author, and work, as well as excerpts from articles, books, and essays written by scholars.
MLA International Bibliography This link opens in a new window
The key database for identifying scholarly books, essays, articles, and dissertations on modern literature in all languages. Also covers cultural studies, folklore, film studies, and linguistics.
Academic Search Premier
A multidisciplinary database containing full text journal, magazine & newspaper articles, many from peer-reviewed titles. This scholarly collection covers information in nearly every area of academic study.
ProQuest Central
Covering more than 160 subject areas, ProQuest Central is a large aggregated database of periodical content. It features a diversified mix of content including scholarly journals, trade publications, magazines, books, newspapers, reports and videos.