Book Reviews

Book reviewers contribute book reviews to the Teens Blog and The Rose. Book reviewers are assigned notable, new, and/or not-yet-released YA books to review. If you are interested in becoming a reviewer, please see our requirements below.

 

Qualifications to be a Book Reviewer

  • Reviewers must be between the ages of 13-17 at the time of initial application
  • Reviewers must live in Pasadena, attend school in Pasadena
  • Reviewers are assigned 6-12 books to review per year
  • Reviewers must write a 200-400 word review for each assigned book
  • Reviewers must be able to pick up books from a Pasadena Public Library
  • Reviewers must have good written communication skills
  • Reviewers must have access to their own email (whether at home, school, or library) and answer their own emails
  • Reviewers are credited with their full name, so all reviewers need to fill out a volunteer application
  • Reviewers must apply and be accepted by sending in a sample review
  • Any exceptions to the above qualifications can be made by the Teen Librarian

 

How to apply to be a Book Reviewer

Please apply by submitting a sample review to Ernesto Covarrubias at ecovarrubias@cityofpasadena.net with the subject: Reviewer Application. Attach your review as a Word document or copy and paste it in the body of the email.

 

Guidelines for Reviewers

Read the entire book. You can’t give a fair review without reading the whole book. Sometimes, it helps to also read prefaces and the author notes (usually following the end of the book).

Your opinion is more important than the summary of the book! Your critical assessment is good, but there’s no need to write a book report. The review could involve your reaction, your engagement to the text, and/or your opinions about the characters or plot. You could also suggest whether or not other young people would like the book.

 

Format:

First paragraph: short summary of the book, with no obvious spoilers.

Second paragraph: your opinion.

Your star rating out of 5 stars.

 

Your reviews will be credited accordingly.

 

Reviewer Responsibility

It is your responsibility to notify me if you have a reading restriction. Unfortunately, I can only promise that the book is marked appropriate for ages 12 (or sometimes 14) and up; age appropriateness is based on the book’s publisher, author, and professional book reviewers. If you have other restrictions beyond age appropriateness (such as certain subjects or issues), you have the right to refuse to review the book, but it is your decision only. I will not be checking whether a book falls within your specifications.

If you are claiming service hours for book reviews, you may not “double claim” the hours–meaning, you may not submit the review to another library and get service hours there as well for the same review.

You must read the entire book before writing the review.

Reviews published on another review blog/website or magazine will not be accepted; cross-posting a review on Goodreads, Amazon, or on your own personal social media is okay.

 

Tips for writing

Annotate! Have a set of sticky notes ready to tag quotes or passages that stand out to you.

After reading the book, jot down quick notes about what stood out to you.  Was the ending weak?  Did the characters develop?  Was the plot believable?  Did the writing capture you?

Leave some time between your initial and final review.  Write a draft of your review, and then finish it the next day.  You might change your mind about a certain phrase or opinion you wrote.

Use your words wisely.  Short reviews can be really strong if you’re using the right words, but don’t forget to give examples or details when your point needs it.

The best way to be a better writer is to read… so read lots and lots of other people’s reviews.

 

Read some samples:

By Kaelin, former teen reviewer:  http://pasadena-library.net/teens/2015/love-letters-to-the-dead-teen-review/

By Hadley and Kara, former teen reviewers:  http://pasadena-library.net/teens/2015/red-queen-teen-reviews/