🤩 Among The Stars: March Update!
- Jennifer LaGarde
- 23 hours ago
- 6 min read
It's that time again. For the moment, anyway, our curated starred review spreadsheet is up to date, y'all.
As a reminder, Martha Hickson and I curate and collate the starred reviews from six trade journals:
*This also includes SLJ Express Reviews
We realize, of course, that other sites/blogs award stars, too... but these are the journals we've chosen to focus on.
You May Have Noticed...
I'm behind on, well... everything! Which is why the title of this post is a bit of a fib. While this absolutely encompasses the March update to our starred review spreadsheet, there's also a good chunk of April in this post, too. That said, I know people depend on this work, so thanks for being patient, and a big thanks to Martha for staying on top of the journals she curates.
The Stars So Far!
Kristin Fontichiaro once told me that one common misconception about data is that it provides answers. Rather, the purpose of data is to lead us to new questions.
With that in mind, as I look at this month’s stars so far, I keep coming back to one question: What might explain the widening gap between starred titles for younger readers and those for young adults?
Right now, 589 books written for readers in grades preK–5 have received stars. Meanwhile, only 256 books written for readers in grades 6–12 have earned the same distinction. Relatedly (maybe?), about 45% (381) of all starred titles so far this year are picture books.
To be clear, this isn’t a complaint. But it does make me curious. Are more books being published for younger readers, especially picture books? Is this about perceived quality? Or is it something more structural, like fewer reviewers assigned to longer titles for older readers?
I don't have answers to these questions (yet). But they are just the kind of puzzles that keep a book-nerd like me up at night. That, and perimenopause, of course.
You can take a closer look at all the spreadsheet-related data by checking out the tabs labeled “stats” at the bottom of the spreadsheet.
What's On My Radar?
Last week, I spent a few days in Rochester, NY, working with librarians on using analog technology (i.e., books) to help kids develop habits for navigating a digital world. It was a wonderful experience, and I'm grateful to all the librarians who used our time together to ask meaningful questions and think deeply about this important work.
After the event, I was hanging out at the Cheesecake Factory (as one does!) when I received this text from my friend John Schu. (As an aside, John and I both love the Cheesecake Factory and always text one another when we're there!)
As you might imagine, I then spent a good part of the next hour texting him more examples. The next day, during my flight home, as I began updating the spreadsheet, I found that one-word titles were still on my mind, so I thought I'd highlight a few this month!
Title: Ruthie
Author/Illustrator: Esmé Shapiro
Why I'm Excited: This book wasn't really on my radar until a bookseller at my local independent bookstore told me how well it went over with littles during a recent storytime event. Looking it up later, I learned that it was a companion to the adorable Ooko, which was one of my favorite books of 2020. Although these two books are complete stories on their own, it's exciting to see how they fit together. As this review notes, “This winning, humorous title will delight on its own and even more so when paired with its predecessor. A first purchase.” – SLJ ⭐️
Title: Dad
Author/Illustrator: Christian Robinson
Why I'm Excited: Christian Robinson is one of those book creators whose titles I preorder, sometimes more than once, forgetting that I'd already done so! Not only are Robinson's illustrations instantly recognizable, they are often unforgettable, too. Although I haven't read this one yet (it's not out until May), I am so excited about its promised approach to fatherhood, which seems to celebrate dads, warts and all. As this review notes, “A powerful affirmation for all dads—the good, the flawed, and those doing the best they can.” – Kirkus ⭐️
Title: Roar
Author/Illustrator: Varsha Bajaj
Why I'm Excited: I was lucky to receive an ARC of this title (thanks, Nancy Paulsen Books!) a month or so ago and was immediately drawn to its gorgeous cover. However, what really makes this book special is the powerful and honest way it helps young readers understand both the interconnectedness of nature and the ongoing consequences for wildlife as humans continue to encroach on their habitat. As this review notes, “Uncomfortable truths of the complexity of encroaching into wildlife habitats, locals aiding poachers, and the brutality of nature are balanced out with an overarching note of hope.” – Kirkus ⭐️
Title: Fruitcake
Author/Illustrator: Rex Ogle and Dave Valeza
Why I'm Excited: Is there anything Rex Ogle can't write? (Spoiler alert: no!) I've already read this gem, and like the rest of his memoirs, Fruitcake is honest, sad, and funny in equal measure. Rex has an uncanny knack for holding readers' hands through dark moments in a way that respects their ability to explore tough topics while also making sure they always feel safe. As this review notes, “The conversations among Rex’s family members—his abuela, mom, and white-presenting stepfather—offer a realistic and complicated look at the emotional impact of life for those struggling with poverty.” – Kirkus ⭐️
Title: Salvage
Author/Illustrator: Nadine TakvorianA
Why I'm Excited: Often, when I am updating the starred review spreadsheet, I have Edelweiss+ open in another tab so I can peek at interior spreads that have been shared by the publisher, which is exactly what happened when I curated the review for Salvage. This YA romance, set in a not-so-distant future where the world has been ravaged by climate change, is filled with gorgeous illustrations and creative spreads that (from the excerpts I read) uniquely capture a world shaped by socioeconomic disparity and the long-standing impact of the climate crisis. As this review notes, “A discerning coming-of-age graphic novel that teems with surreal beauty and tender, honest heart.” – PW ⭐️
Connections:
BONUS: as you may remember from I've been busy making library-related connections-style puzzles for School Library Month! Because these fun little games have been on my mind, and I found myself looking at this month's data with an eye toward one-word children’s book titles, I decided to make a connections-style puzzle made up of books for kids whose titles contain only a single word. This is just for fun, but for those who want to play without hints, I'll put the solution at the bottom of the post in order to avoid spoilers. Have fun, y'all!
What Did I Miss?
Finally, as you may recall, a while back I closed our form for sharing errors and omissions to the spreadsheet. This was the direct result of School Library Journal's addition of SLJ Xpress reviews, which weren't being captured by our previous workflow. Here's where you're going to get a glimpse into how Martha and I divide the work. We each take three of the six journals featured in the spreadsheet and, as our schedules allow, we individually curate the starred reviews for our three journals. As luck would have it, Martha curates stars awarded by SLJ, so when we became aware of the SLJ Xpress omissions, she volunteered not only to add that to her workflow, but also to go back and curate the SLJ Xpress stars we'd missed last year. (An aside: if you're currently thinking, "wow! Martha is a hero!" you are correct.) To give Martha time to do this, I closed the form.
But the truth is, Martha is speedy and completed this work a month or so ago. I've been hesitant to reopen the form because y'all get so excited about sharing our mistakes with us that sometimes we get spammed. That said, I've reopened the form, but I've added a section to the directions about resubmitting reviews that don't get updated in a timely fashion. We get it, this resource is useful and a lot of you depend on it as a collection development tool. And also, we (and by we, I'm referring to myself!) can be slow to make these corrections. I'm sorry if this is sometimes frustrating. Still... please only submit review corrections once. We will get to them as soon as we are able. Promise!
Answer Key:
PS: Here is the promised answer key for the connections-style puzzle I shared above. How did you do?
