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LATEST ISSUE OF
Kirkus Reviews
Check out our interview with Rick Yancey, author of the wildly entertaining YA thriller The 5th Wave.
Kirkus Star
THE KIRKUS STAR
Awarded to Books of Exceptional Merit

BROWSE BOOK REVIEWS



ALA's Best Fiction for YA

Cover art for MATCHED
CHILDREN'S
Released: Nov. 1, 2010
Kirkus Star MATCHED
by Ally Condie
"Detractors will legitimately cite less-than-subtle morality and similarities to The Giver, but this one's a fierce, unforgettable page-turner in its own right. (Science fiction/romance. YA)"
In a tranquil future with clean streets and no illness, Cassia excitedly anticipates learning who will be her government-dictated marriage Match. Read full book review >
Cover art for CURSE OF THE WENDIGO
CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 19, 2010
Kirkus Star CURSE OF THE WENDIGO
by Rick Yancey
"The narrative, flecked with the same surgical illustrations as the first installment, flows evenly through 19th-century turns of phrases and events, resulting in a page-turner of an historical horror that will simultaneously thrill readers and make them sick to their stomachs. (Horror. 12 & up)"
Book two of Yancey's excitingly complex Monstrumologist series follows the inquisitively uncertain 12-year-old hero Will Henry and his Monstrumologist caregiver as they pursue the Wendigo, an elusive, yellow-eyed monster that slices and eats the skin of its human prey before violently devouring the internal organs. Read full book review >
Cover art for FORGE
CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 19, 2010
Kirkus Star FORGE
by Laurie Halse Anderson
"A good match with Russell Freedman's Washington at Valley Forge (2008). (appendix, glossary, acknowledgments) (Historical fiction. 10 & up)"
At the end of Chains (2008), Isabel rescues her friend Curzon from Bridewell Prison and rows away from Manhattan in their escape from slavery. Read full book review >
Cover art for PLEASE IGNORE VERA DIETZ
CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 12, 2010
Kirkus Star PLEASE IGNORE VERA DIETZ
by A.S. King
"The author depicts the journey to overcome a legacy of poverty, violence, addiction and ignorance as an arduous one, but Vera's path glimmers with grace and hope. (Fiction. 14 & up)"
A harrowing but ultimately redemptive tale of adolescent angst gone awry. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE THINGS A BROTHER KNOWS
CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 14, 2010
Kirkus Star THE THINGS A BROTHER KNOWS
by Dana Reinhardt
"Powerful. (Fiction. 12 & up)"
Levi's older brother Boaz enlisted in the Marines after graduating from high school rather than attend an elite university as expected. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE 10 P.M. QUESTION
CHILDREN'S
Released: Sept. 1, 2010
Kirkus Star THE 10 P.M. QUESTION
by Kate de Goldi
"Gorgeously written, this bittersweet chronicle of family complexities is wise but never pat—a masterful meditation on anxiety and courage that will be savored by thoughtful readers. (Fiction. 12 & up)"
A talented artist and observer of birds, 12-year-old New Zealander Frankie has always been friends with his pal Gigs. Read full book review >