Book Review Guidelines

Read a Good Book Lately?

Launch Pad wants to hear about it! Books should appeal to readers ages 6 though 12. See the list below for suggestions, or review one of your favorite books. We are interested in books you wish to recommend to other Launch Pad readers, rather than negative reviews of books. The reviews should answer some or all of the following questions:

Each issue of Launch Pad will be dedicated to a theme. Some ideas for books to review in upcoming issues are included below to spark your imagination. (click on a theme to see a list of suggested books to review)

The Ocean

• Exploring the Titanic.
  By Robert Ballard. New York: Scholastic, 1988.
• Flotsam.
  By David Wiesner. New York: Clarion Books, 2006.
• The Adventures of Polo.
  By Regis Faller. New Milford, CT: Roaring Brook, 2006.
• Treasure Island.
  Robert Louis Stevenson (any edition).
• Surprising Sharks.
  By Nicola Davies. Illustrated by James Croft. Cambridge, Mass.: Candlewick Press, 2003.
• The Man Who Made Time Travel.
  By Kathryn Lasky. Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. New York: Melanie Kroups Books, 2003.
  
• Remember the Lusitania.
  By Diana Preston. New York: Walker & Company, 2003.
• Kensuke's Kingdom.
  By Michael Morpurgo. New York: Scholastic Press, 2003.
  
• The Sea King's Daughter: A Russian Legend.
  Retold by Aaron Shepard. Illustrated by Gennadii Spirin. Atheneum Books for Young Readers. 1997.
  

Animals

• Phantom Stallion: Wild Horse Island #1: The Horse Charmer.
  By Terri Farley. New York: HarperCollins Children's Books, 2007.
• Third Grade Pet.
  By Judy Cox. Illustrated by Cynthia Fisher. New York: Holiday House, 1998.
  
• Star in the Storm.
  By Joan Hiatt Harlow. New York: M.K. McElderry Books, 2000.
  
• The Animal Rescue Club.
  By John Himmelman. New York: HarperTrophy, 1998.
  
• Quest for the Tree Kangaroo: An Expedition to the Cloud Forest of New Guinea.
  By Sy Montgomery. Photos by Nic Bishop. Boston: Houghton Miflin, 2006.
  
• Gorilla Doctors: Saving Endangered Great Apes.
  By Pamela S. Turner. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2005.
  

Mysteries

• Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two.
  By Joseph Bruchac. New York: Dial Books, 2005
• Dinosaur Parents, Dinosaur Young: Uncovering the Mystery of Dinosaur Families.
  By Kathleen Zoehfeld. Illustrated by Paul Carrick and Bruce Shillinglaw. New York: Clarion Books, 2001.
• Shakespeare's Secret.
  By Elise Broach. New York: Henry Holt and Co., 2005.
• Flush.
  By Carl Hiaasen. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005.
• Detective LaRue: Letters from the Investigation.
  By Mark Teague. New York: Scholastic, 2004.
• The Sisters Grimm, Book One: The Fairy-Tale Detectives.
  By Michael Buckley. Illustrated by Peter Ferguson. New York: Amulet Books, 2005.
  

Fairy Tales & Fantasy

• Rumpelstiltskin's Daughter.
  By Diane Stanley. New York: Morrow Junior Books, 1997.
  
• Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
  By Lewis Carroll. Illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. Cambridge, Mass.: Candlewick Press, 1999.
  
• Merlin and the Making of the King.
  By Margaret Hodges. Illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman. New York: Holiday House, 2004.
  
• The Little Gentleman.
  By Philippa Pearce. Illustrated by Tom Pohrt. New York: Greenwillow Books, 2004.
  
• The Thief Lord.
  By Cornelia Funke. Translated by Oliver Latsch. New York: Scholastic, 2002.
  
• Troll with No Heart in His Body and Other Tales of Trolls, from Norway.
  By Lise Lunge-Larsen. Illustrated by Betsy Bowen. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1999.
  
• Ella Enchanted.
  By Gail Carson Levine. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1997.
  

Sports

• To Dance: A Ballerina's Graphic Novel.
  By Siena Cherson Siegel. Illustrated by Mark Siegel. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2006.
  
• The Top of the World:Climbing Mount Everest.
  By Steve Jenkins. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1999.
  
• Strong to the Hoop.
  By John Coy. Illustrated by Leslie Jean-Bart. New York: Lee & Low Books, 1999.
  
• Roberto Clemente: Pride of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
  By Jonah Winter. Illustrated by Raœl Col—n. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2005.
  

Heroes & Heroines

• Lugalbanda: The Boy Who Got Caught Up in a War
  by Kathy Henderson
  
• Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom.
  By Carole Boston Weatherford. Illustrated by Kadir Nelson. New York: Hyperion Books for Children, 2006.
  
• Harvesting Hope: The Story of Cesar Chavez.
  By Kathleen Krull. Illustrated by Yuyi Morales. San Diego: Harcourt, 2003.
  
• Rosa.
  By Nikki Giovanni. Illustrated by Bryan Collier. New York: Henry Holt, 2005.
  
• Charles A. Lindbergh: A Human Hero. By James Cross Giblin. New York: Clarion Books, 1997.
  

Book Review Ideas

Which part of the book did you like best?

What would you change?

If the book has illustrations, what did you like about them?

What is the main character like?

What is the funniest or most exciting part? (shhhh... don't give anything away that might spoil the fun for other Launch Pad readers!

Would you like to read more books by this author?

What would you tell a friend about this book?

Submit your own illustration of your favorite character or part of the book!