LibGuides: Engl 190 Young Adult Literature: Explore YA Book Reviews & News

Book Reviews

Find Book Reviews

Skim book reviews in the Holman Library Databases to see if a book looks good!

Use the Holman Library One Search to find book reviews.

Just enter the book title and/ or author in quotes.
From your search results, limit to reviews to find reviews.
The example below is for a book review of "Last Night at the Telegraph Club" by Malinda Lo. I discovered the title on the YA book awards list.

Step 1: Search (Click on Images Below to Enlarge)

Step 2: Review the Results & Apply Filters

Step 3: Click on an Article to Learn More and for a link to the article

Step 4: Click on link to find the article in the database. Read the review to decide if you'd like to read the book!

Review Journals

The links below, to websites or databases, are all great sources to consider when looking for book reviews.

Alan Review
Published by the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of the National Council for Teachers of English, the ALAN Review features reviews and criticism of adolescent literature.
Alan Review Monthly Picks
Featured review of the month - with teaching tips. Select archives to explore previous months.
Book Links
Technically not a review journal, the American Library Association’s innovative bimonthly magazine aimed at classroom teacher and librarians features is all about books for children and young adults. Each theme-based issues is comprised of articles recommending books for children and teenagers on a wide range of topics. Their home page includes a preview of coming attractions and two cumulative indexes which provide subject and author/title access to the complete run of the magazine.
Available in Academic Search Complete.
Booklist
The review journal of the American Library Association features reviews and interviews of forthcoming books, reference resources, and media for children, young adults, and adults. Indicates books suitable for young adults or curriculum use. Selected issues each year focus on a special topic.
Available in Academic OneFile with a two week delay.
Use the free online version of Booklist to limit by graphic novels and youth fiction and nonfiction by age. Not all reviews are freely available on the Web.
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 reviews new books for children and young adults. The on-line version includes some features from the monthly journal ("The Big Picture" and the list of starred titles from each issue) as well as features specific to their web site, most notably a monthly theme-based list of titles on oft-requested topics (survival stories, books like Where's Waldo, etc.).
Freely available online
CM: Canadian Review of Materials
CM: Canadian Review of Materials is published weekly from September through June and is an all-volunteer online publication that features reviews of books and other materials that are authored, illustrated, and/or published by Canadians and that are produced for/of interest to children and adolescents.
Freely available online
CCBC, the Cooperative Children's Book Center
The Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education is devoted to the study and promotion of Children's and YA literature. Select Literature Resources for recommended books, book lists by topic, award winners, diversity resources, and more. The CCBC Recommended Book Search lets you browse for books with limits by age, diversity subject, and format. .
Freely available online
The 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. The online version 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 Complete, ProQuest, and Academic OneFile.
The Horn Book Guide to Children and Young Adult Books
Semi-annual issues of the Horn Book Guide ratings and reviews over 2,000 titles - up to 2018
Available in ProQuest
Kirkus
Kirkus Reviews publishes nearly 5,000 book reviews every year, including adult, young adult and children’s titles. Try limiting to Teen to find YA reviews in the database.
Their web site requires a subscription for full online access to reviews, but browsers can limit to an age group, see what was reviewed in the most recent issue, and read the start of each review.
Available in ProQuest
Publishers Weekly
The trade journal for the publishing industry features news and articles on publishing trends as well as reviews of new books for adults, teens, and children. Each year, a February and a July issues highlight new children's books (including YA) for spring (February) and fall (July).
Full text available in Academic OneFile since 1990
School Library Journal
This journal includes articles on timely topics of interest to school library media specialists, and reviews thousands of new books for children and teenagers annually. SLJ's web site requires you to pay for access to its best features, but there are still a few things available for free that make it worth an occasional click.
Full text available in Academic Search Complete since 1974
Teacher Librarian
Designed for teacher librarians. Includes book reviews and articles on issues in children's and youth literature.
Full text in ProQuest since 1996
Voya
Voice of Youth Advocates, or (VOYA), magazine features reviews, articles, and editorials on young adult literature, as well as interviews with select YA authors, and other special topic content.
2020 is most current issue. Available in Gale Educator's OneFile.