cover image
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



Hitting the Books: School Stories

Cover art for TEN RULES YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST NOT BREAK IF YOU WANT TO SURVIVE THE SCHOOL BUS
CHILDREN'S
Released: July 1, 2011
Kirkus Star TEN RULES YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST NOT BREAK IF YOU WANT TO SURVIVE THE SCHOOL BUS
by John Grandits, illustrated by Michael Allen Austin
"Worthy of being shelved next to Jon Scieszka's funniest. (Picture book. 6-12)

"
Grandits' latest is a hilarious tongue-in-cheek look at the perils of riding the school bus. Read full book review >
Cover art for HOW TÍA LOLA LEARNED TO TEACH
CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 12, 2010
HOW TÍA LOLA LEARNED TO TEACH
by Julia Alvarez
"An enjoyable read, not only for the amusing methods that Tía Lola uses to teach Spanish but for the sense of community and tolerance that breathes through her tale. (Fiction. 8-12)"
In this sequel to How Tía Lola Came to (Visit) Stay (2001), the luminous Tía Lola reluctantly accepts an invitation to teach Spanish as a volunteer at her nephew and niece's elementary school. Read full book review >
Cover art for BECAUSE OF MR. TERUPT
CHILDREN'S
Released: Oct. 12, 2010
BECAUSE OF MR. TERUPT
by Rob Buyea
"No one is perfect in this feel-good story, but everyone benefits, including sentimentally inclined readers. (Fiction. 9-12)"
During a school year in which a gifted teacher who emphasizes personal responsibility among his fifth graders ends up in a coma from a thrown snowball, his students come to terms with their own issues and learn to be forgiving. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE FABLED FIFTH-GRADERS OF AESOP ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
CHILDREN'S
Released: Aug. 10, 2010
THE FABLED FIFTH-GRADERS OF AESOP ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
by Candace Fleming
"Fans of the first will find more to love, and newcomers can enjoy this and then head back to fourth grade. (Fiction. 7-11)"
The fabled fourth graders of Aesop Elementary, whom no teacher wanted to teach, found their perfect mentor in Mr. Henry Valentine Jupiter. Read full book review >
Cover art for HOW TO SURVIVE MIDDLE SCHOOL (WITHOUT GETTING YOUR HEAD FLUSHED,) AND DEAL WITH AN EX-BEST FRIEND,...UM, GIRLS, AND A HEARTBREAKING HAMSTER
CHILDREN'S
Released: April 13, 2010
Kirkus Star HOW TO SURVIVE MIDDLE SCHOOL (WITHOUT GETTING YOUR HEAD FLUSHED,) AND DEAL WITH AN EX-BEST FRIEND,...UM, GIRLS, AND A HEARTBREAKING HAMSTER
by Donna Gephart

David Greenberg, would-be future anchor of The Daily Show, enters middle school with problems: Longtime best friend Elliott has abandoned him for new, nastier and bigger friends, David hasn't spoken with his runaway mother in months and he's dumbstruck by a sudden crush on adorable, peppermint-scented redhead Sophie Meyers. Read full book review >
Cover art for MUDSHARK
CHILDREN'S
Released: May 12, 2009
MUDSHARK
by Gary Paulsen
"Add in the mystery of the missing erasers, a bored cat and a course of aversion therapy, and it equals fun. (Fiction. 8-12)"
Paulsen's peppy, lightweight new classroom comedy about a super-sharp kid is meant to amuse, and it does. Read full book review >