Kirkus Star
THE KIRKUS STAR
Awarded to Books of Exceptional Merit

BROWSE BOOK REVIEWS




2012 Printz Award Winner & Honor Books


Cover art for WHY WE BROKE UP
CHILDREN'S
Released: Dec. 27, 2011
by Daniel Handler, illustrated by Maira Kalman

"A poignant, exhilarating tale of a love affair gone to the dogs. (Romance. 14 & up)"
A toy truck, bottle caps, rose petals, a cookbook and a box full of other seemingly unobtrusive mementos are dumped on the doorstep of Ed Slaterton by his ex-girlfriend, Min. Their unlikely romance lasted just over a month. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE SCORPIO RACES
CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 18, 2011

"Like nothing else out there now. (Fantasy. 13-18)"
The bestselling author of Shiver (2009) and Linger (2010) turns the legend of the water horse into a taut, chilling, romantic adventure. Read full book review >
Cover art for WHERE THINGS COME BACK
CHILDREN'S
Released: May 3, 2011

"Unexpected, thought-provoking storytelling. (Fiction. 14 & up)"
If extinct woodpeckers can come back, can people, too? Read full book review >
Cover art for JASPER JONES
CHILDREN'S
Released: April 12, 2011

"A richly rewarding exploration of truth and lies by a masterful storyteller. (Fiction. 12 & up)"
Charlie is catapulted into adulthood when Jasper Jones knocks on his window on a blisteringly hot Australian night and leads him to a hidden glade where a girl is hanging from a tree, bruised and bloody. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE RETURNING
CHILDREN'S
Released: April 1, 2011

"Like Margo Lanagan, Hinwood doesn't trade in black-and-white moral absolutes but directs her attention, and ours, to the infinite shades of gray that lie between them. (Alternative historical fiction. 12 & up)"
A riveting examination of war and its effects set in a nonmagical alternative past. Read full book review >