I’m often asked how to find out about good children’s and teenage books. Here are links to websites and journals that I find particularly useful.
All these are valuable sources of book reviews, and each also has interesting articles about the wider children’s book world: Books for Keeps, School Librarian, Carousel Guide to Children’s Books and Armadillo Magazine. (I should perhaps point out that write reviews for both Armadillo and School Librarian.)
Book Trust is an invaluable source of information about books for children and teenagers. I find their Book Finder extremely helpful.
I’m also a big fan of the Scottish Book Trust. Their themed children’s booklists are excellent, as are their lists of books for teenagers.
Love Reading 4 Kids and Love Reading 4 Schools have good lists and recommendations.
Schools library services, for those lucky enough to have one nearby (find out from this list), have wonderful book knowledge and huge expertise in providing book collections geared to individual schools’ curriculum needs.
School librarians are supremely knowledgeable about good books to enthuse students about reading and to support the curriculum.
For those working in the primary sector Core Books Online contains well curated booklists and information.
Books for Topics is great for anyone seeking ideas for books to support primary curriculum topics.
Letterbox Library is a fantastic source of inclusive books. Their themed booklists are exceptionally useful.
Books can be of great therapeutic value. Healthy Books provides themed lists of children’s books on specific emotional and physical needs.
The Federation of Children’s Book Groups has lists on a variety of themes.
I recommend the School Library Association Riveting Reads. I’m proud to have contributed in a tiny way to the latest one, A World of Books in Translation.
It’s worth keeping an eye on book award winners. IBBY UK has a useful overview of major national and international prizes. The Heart of the School site has another valuable list, including local book awards.
Finally, I find Twitter enormously helpful for keeping up to date. Almost all of the sites and organisations I’ve listed have good Twitter feeds. The book review page on my website contains a book bite section, with book items that have caught my attention on Twitter, or that I have tweeted about.