Kirkus Star
THE KIRKUS STAR
Awarded to Books of Exceptional Merit

BROWSE BOOK REVIEWS




2011 Best Books for Children: The Complete List


Cover art for BLIZZARD OF GLASS
CHILDREN'S
Released: Nov. 22, 2011

"Riveting. (Nonfiction. 10-14)"
A terrible explosion devastated Halifax, Nova Scotia, and a neighboring town in 1917, causing local residents and others miles away to act heroically in response to an unprecedented catastrophe. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE FREEDOM MAZE
CHILDREN'S
Released: Nov. 15, 2011

"Multilayered, compassionate and thought-provoking, a timely read on the sesquicentennial of America's Civil War. (Historical fantasy. 12 & up)"
It's 1960, but on the decayed Fairchild sugar plantation in rural Louisiana, vestiges of a grimmer past remain--the old cottage, overgrown garden maze, relations between white and black races. Read full book review >
Cover art for <i>TITANIC</i> SINKS!
CHILDREN'S
Released: Nov. 10, 2011

"This is history at its best, an original and appealing way to mark the centennial of this familiar disaster. (author's note, source notes, bibliography) (Nonfiction.10-14)"
A memorial edition of an imagined magazine covers the construction and fateful voyage of the R.M.S. Titanic, Queen of the Ocean, which sank in April 1912. Read full book review >
Cover art for MOON PIE
CHILDREN'S
Released: Nov. 8, 2011

"Love conquers all in this big-hearted and heartbreaking story of Martha, Tug and their errant father who, in time, stops acting like a wild gibbon and finds his way home. (Fiction. 9-12)"
British author Mason has conjured a rarity indeed--a tremendously charming, unflinching account of a parent's downward spiral. Read full book review >
Cover art for RED SLED
CHILDREN'S
Released: Nov. 1, 2011
by Lita Judge, illustrated by Lita Judge

"Pure genius. (Picture book. 2-7)"
Judge's latest may be virtually wordless, but it packs a powerful visual punch that will stick with readers long after the final page is turned. Read full book review >
Cover art for SECRETS AT SEA
CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 13, 2011
by Richard Peck, illustrated by Kelly Murphy

"Sheer delight. (final art not seen) (Animal fantasy. 8-12)"
Problem novels, ghost stories, historical fiction--is there anything Newbery Medalist Peck cannot do? Apparently not. Read full book review >