From: Tricia Gardella <trigar>
Date: Sat, 19 Sep 1998 13:28:07 -0700

written evaluation of any book needs to communicate enough reliable opinon to respond to that question.

The problem is, average or ordinary according to whom? There've been times I thought "below average" only to see a book go on to receive pages of positive attention, and books I thought above average that got nary a word. There have also been times after I've read a review that I've had to go pull a book out for another look after thinking, that couldn't have been the same book I read.

Dr. Ruth Gordon wrote: field or out and (b) reviews were considered my domain and not theirs.

This is also frustrating to authors doing school visits when students haven't a clue what an author has written even though the author's books have been made available. I've organized school visits in my county for a number of years. Some leave you floating in the clouds and others drowning in tar.

Kathleen Odean wrote: of her >reviews are really short descriptions.

If it helps teachers to check out new titles for themselves, is this bad? How many teachers actually buy a book based on reviews without "reviewing" the book themselves? This might be the case with busy librarians, but aren't teachers' collections usually more focused? I'm also wondering if there are ever times librarians buy books based on rave reviews and then wish they hadn't?






Tricia Gardella
"Write 'em Cowgirl" Jamestown, CA trigar at mlode.com
Received on Sat 19 Sep 1998 03:28:07 PM CDT