Find Out How They Really Feel: Kids Reviewing Books!

My local bookstore does this yearly activity in partnership with a number of elementary school classes: the owner of the store provides the kids with ARC (advance review copies) of upcoming books, and he lets the kids review the books and then posts them on his site. Check ’em out here, here and here. I find the reviews wonderfully refreshing. There’s no mincing words–no fear of insulting anyone, or burning any bridges. Just straightforward opinions:

When reading The Penderwicks I only had one problem. I didnt know it was the third book in the series because it was not numbered. It was a book I would say was a 4th-6th grade book. A fourth grader could read it but it had a lot of teenage stuff in it. It had girls and boys in it but it is more a girl book. I liked it but it was confusing. I suggest reading the first two books before this one. Other than that, It was a good book.

Or this one (about Stickman Odyssey):

I like the book. I think it is funny and it is a great book to read by yourself. If I was grading the book Id give it a B-. For grade level Id say 5th or 6th grade. I dont recommend it for ages 10 and under because it has a couple of bad words. Also, there is a lot of blood and guts. It would most likely scare second graders.

Or this one:

The Trouble with May Amelia was a really boring book. I think that this book would be a 3rd-4th grade reading level book but its a story for older kids, mostly girls. I would recommend this book to someone that likes old-fashioned type books like The Little House on the Prairie books. Book pages with problems: 28 and 37.

What if your Publisher’s Weekly Review was this:

I rated this book a 3. I really could care less about it, because it wasn’t what I thought it would be I thought there would be more action . I think Forgive My Fins is a bad title because people will think it’s about a mermaid cluts. Well I think this book is a waste of paper.

And to think I sometimes feel bad about the negative reviews I post on my blog. 🙂