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Negative reviews
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From: Kathleen Horning <horning>
Date: Tue, 20 Feb 1996 18:01:00 -600
On the subject of negative reviews which sometimes appear in School Library Journal, I have the opposite reaction to Phyllis. When I depend on reviews for book selection, I like them to be critical and to point out any weaknesses or inaccuracies in a book, just so long as one minor detail doesn't cloud the reviewer's vision. I also like them to call attention to a book's strengths or unique features. I get tired of reviews that just read like summaries or flap copy and don't offer any true critical commentary (either positive or negative). I can always read publisher catalogues for that kind of information if I want it.
It may seem that School Library Journal has a higher proportion of negative reviews than other review journals and there is a good reason for this: they attempt to review everything, whereas journals such as Booklist and Horn Book only review books they can recommend. Also, most reviewers for School Library Journal actually work with children and teenagers on a daily basis in school or public libraries, so they often take a more realistic, less academic approach to literature. I often find it helpful to compare and contrast three or four different reviews of the same book when making a decision to purchase. Of course, there's no substitute for actually seeing the book first-hand yourself and making up your own mind about its strengths or weaknesses. That's one of the things we attempt to do in our monthly book discussions at the CCBC and in forums such as CCBC-Net.
KT Horning, CCBC
UW-Madison
Received on Tue 20 Feb 1996 06:01:00 PM CST
Date: Tue, 20 Feb 1996 18:01:00 -600
On the subject of negative reviews which sometimes appear in School Library Journal, I have the opposite reaction to Phyllis. When I depend on reviews for book selection, I like them to be critical and to point out any weaknesses or inaccuracies in a book, just so long as one minor detail doesn't cloud the reviewer's vision. I also like them to call attention to a book's strengths or unique features. I get tired of reviews that just read like summaries or flap copy and don't offer any true critical commentary (either positive or negative). I can always read publisher catalogues for that kind of information if I want it.
It may seem that School Library Journal has a higher proportion of negative reviews than other review journals and there is a good reason for this: they attempt to review everything, whereas journals such as Booklist and Horn Book only review books they can recommend. Also, most reviewers for School Library Journal actually work with children and teenagers on a daily basis in school or public libraries, so they often take a more realistic, less academic approach to literature. I often find it helpful to compare and contrast three or four different reviews of the same book when making a decision to purchase. Of course, there's no substitute for actually seeing the book first-hand yourself and making up your own mind about its strengths or weaknesses. That's one of the things we attempt to do in our monthly book discussions at the CCBC and in forums such as CCBC-Net.
KT Horning, CCBC
UW-Madison
Received on Tue 20 Feb 1996 06:01:00 PM CST
