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Family Book Reviews

Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers. - Charles W. Eliot

I review books in a couple of ways here on Family Book Reviews – because reading taste is so subjective, I hate to put a star value on any book. Instead, I add a brief summary with discussion-worthy aspects. Hopefully, this will help parents know which books they can pursue for various family reading discussions – plus, if there are books your children are currently reading and you’d like to know if you should also read it, let me know. If I can get my hands on the book, I’ll read it for you and offer my children’s book review. All of these books can be found on Amazon, as well as at independent bookstores, such as The Tattered Cover or Powell's -- and your local library.

Most of my kids book reading history has fallen under the young adult genre. Below is a list of the book reviews, broken up by subgenre (the links take you to the specific family book review pages):

YA contemporary -- books taking place today or in recent years -- often humorous or dealing with issues

YA books for boys -- where teenaged guys are the main characters

YA fantasy -- books on fantastical worlds or this world with magical elements

YA urban fantasy -- these fantasies take place on earth but involve were-creatures, vampires, faeries, or paranormal elements

YA historical novels -- all these books took place decades or centuries ago

YA mysteries, adventure, suspense -- these are the books focused on keeping things a secret

YA science fiction -- science fiction use some element of sciene to create their magic (these also include futuristic settings)

YA love stories -- romance, YA-style, simply means that the love story takes the forefront, but as you'll notice, there's always plenty more going on

Young adult books are usually about characters who are in high school, but there are lower-end (according to ages) books, as well (usually about junior high/middle school-aged characters):

'Tween' books -- books for kids just leaving elementary school, which aren't quite as intense as the older books (but can still cover important tween issues)

Elementary school-aged kids who are reading chapter books will probably prefer the type of books classified as 'middle grade'. There are so many middle grade books out there, some of which have been around since I was in grade school.

Classic kids' books -- these are the ones you might have read as a kid, as well

Recent kids' books -- all of these were written in the past few years, offering elementary aged readers so much more than we had as kids

reading with kids

Family book reviews of picture books is more challenging -- as most parents know, there are thousands of picture books out there. I finally decided to share some we've read with our kids -- the ones they've asked for over and over again.

Picturebooks -- these also include those which I enjoy reading repeatedly

As you can guess, I will continually add to my book review pages as I read more books. I like to travel (when I can) to ALA (the American Library Association) where publishers will share the new books coming out. This gives me a good sense of the current market in children's books.

If your child or teen has a book they want to read and you don't see it here, don't hesitate to contact me on the form below with the title and author -- in fact, if there are any children's books you'd like to see a review of, let me know.

I hope our family book reviews add to your family's quality time together!

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