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CML F.A.Q.

Question: How do I find a book review?

Answer: If you are looking for a review of a specific book, you may take the following steps:

1. Go to the Reference section of the CML and find the current title index of Children's Literature Review (Call Number: REF PN 1009 A1 C5139). Look up the title of the book alphabetically and pull the volume that the book is first indexed in. For example, The Giver, by Lois Lowry, is first indexed in volume 46, although it is also mentioned in later volumes. In this volume, look up the author of the book; under this general article, you will find one or more separate reviews of the book. If the book is not present in the title index, it is most likely not indexed in this resource. If the book title begins with "a," "an," or "the," disregard the first word when searching alphabetically. For example, The Giver is found under "G."

2. Look up the title of the book at www.amazon.com. (It helps to choose "Book" in the search function.) Once you have found the correct book, scroll down to "Editorial Reviews" and click on "See all editorial reviews…." You will see at least one review of the book, the Publisher's Review, and you will most likely also see reviews that have appeared in the periodicals School Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, Publisher's Weekly, etc. Beware of the Publisher's Review; since a representative of the book's publishing house has written it, it may be biased.

3. If you are looking for comprehensive book reviews on a specific title, try Book Review Digest Plus . This resource provides citations and excerpts of reviews of current English-language fiction and nonfiction books for children and adults. An abstract of each book is also provided. To be indexed in Book Review Digest, a book must have been published or distributed in the United States or Canada. A work of nonfiction must have received reviews in two or more of the periodicals on the Book Review Digest selection list.

4. Using the Children's Literature Comprehensive Database to find book reviews: To conduct a search on CLCD, you can use the various search limiters to narrow your search, depending on what you are looking for. For instance, if you are looking for a review of a particular book title you can type the title into the search box and in the “Search Specific Fields” option, select “Title.” If you are looking for any book by a certain author, you can type the author’s name into the search box and in the “Search Specific Fields” option, select the “Author/Illustrator” option. After clicking “Search,” you will get a list of titles to choose from (NOTE: there may be several different formats of the same title listed). You will have to browse the list to determine which entry is exactly what you are looking for. Titles with at least one review will have a green dot next to the entry. This will save you time as you complete your search. Once you have determined which entry you are going to view, click on the link and scroll down in the record until you find the review section. It will tell you the name of the reviewer, the title of the publication where the review was printed, the date of the review, and the volume and number of the publication.

If you are looking for book reviews in general, and do not have a specific title in mind, go to the Periodicals section of the CML and choose a review periodical. These titles are The Bulletin, Booklist, Horn Book, Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, and VOYA. You may choose the most recent issue for books that are recently published or previous issues (lift the shelf) for older books. These periodicals will usually divide reviewed books by age range. VOYA (Voices of Youth Advocates) is a specialized review periodical that focuses on young adult literature.