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Puget Sound Council

For Reviewing Children's & Young Adult Literature

Connecting readers with quality children's and young adult books through trusted peer reviews.

Welcome

Welcome to the (new & improved!) review management system for the Puget Sound Council. Please access the features of this site via the menu bar above.

If you have questions or comments, cannot locate a book, or need to report an error, please contact pugetsoundcouncil@gmail.com.

For questions about membership, how-tos, and issues that are not site-related, please contact Eve Datisman at datseve@gmail.com.

Schedule of Events

General Meeting Dates — 2025–2026

Time: 9:00 – 11:00 AM

Location: Shoreline Conference Center, Professional Library, Building H

Sep

Sat, Sep 13, 2025

9:00 - 11:00 AM

Nov

Sat, Nov 15, 2025

9:00 - 11:00 AM

Jan

Sat, Jan 10, 2026

9:00 - 11:00 AM

Mar

Sat, Mar 7, 2026

9:00 - 11:00 AM

May

Sat, May 2, 2026

9:00 - 11:00 AM

Jun

Sat, Jun 6, 2026

9:00 - 11:00 AM

Reminder:

PSC 2025 dues are due January 1, 2026. Oral reviews must be posted by Wednesday 11:59 PM before the meeting.

The Shoreline Conference Center Professional Library is open 7:00 – 4:30 weekdays during the school year. Members are encouraged to drop by and pick up books at your convenience. Please call Tina Marier at 206.393.4225 or email tina.marier@ssd412.org to make sure the room is available.

How to Review Books

Important:

When finished writing a review, make sure you change the "Published" setting to "Yes." Otherwise, it will not be visible to others.

Oral Reviews

Books reviewed at the following meeting. Usually first-time authors, particularly noteworthy books, or discussion-worthy books. Oral books are returned and donated to charities.

Written Reviews

Books not reviewed orally. After reviews are submitted, these books may be added to your library collection.

Steps to Review

  1. Select the books you wish to review. We have a responsibility to review all books sent to us by publishers — please review them in a timely manner.
  2. At the meeting, separate your books into Oral and Written piles.
  3. Use the scanner to enter your choices. Select your name from the dropdown, choose oral or written, and scan the ISBN for each book.
  4. To enter a finished review: Log in, go to Reviews → My Reviews To Do, select a book, fill out the fields, and set "Published" to save.

Rating Scale

R* Highly Recommended. Superior book; should be part of every collection.
R Recommended. Superior in style, liveliness, integrity and format.
AD+ Additional Plus. Good solid book but has some minor flaws.
AD Additional. Satisfactory but will be excelled by other books in its field.
AD- Additional Minus. Mediocre.
M Marginal. Contains many weaknesses; might be considered only as supplementary material or to meet special localized subject needs.
NR Not Recommended. Does not meet library standards in style, content, or design.
NR* Not Recommended*. Appropriate for another kind of collection or different age levels.

Recent Reviews

I Am Rebel

by Montgomery, Ross (2025)

AD+

Rebel, now 5, is a good dog, tied to Tom, who rescued him as a pup. He loves lamb bones, being told he's a good dog, and just about every minute of the day on the farm. In fact, during the first ...

Reviewed by Jodie May 2, 2026
Grades: 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade

Engineering : How The Six Simple Machines Support The World

by Mooney, Carla (2025)

R

Explains the six basic "simple machines": inclined plane, lever, pulley, screw, wedge, and wheel and axle. Each simple machine is a device that has no or very few moving parts, but makes doing work...

Reviewed by Kelly May 2, 2026
Grades: 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade

Bitter Tea And Rock Candy

by Gu, Yan (2025)

R

Through vibrant illustrations, this picture book depicts a young child’s relationship with her grandmother as the child tries her grandmother’s favorite tea: liangchia. This sweet story shows the r...

Reviewed by Erin May 1, 2026
Grades: Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade

You Can Say Hi With Only A Smile

by Saunders, Merriam Sarcia (2025)

R

You Can Say Hi With Only a Smile is a thoughtful picture book that explores the many ways people can greet one another. The story provides a variety of examples, celebrating diversity and offering ...

Reviewed by Deborah Apr 30, 2026
Grades: Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade

STOP THE BALL!

by STRASSER, SUSANNE (2026)

AD

In this board book duck, owl and spider and dog all run after the ball after duck kicks it. They follow it into the pond where the little girl catches it and kicks it into the soccer goal.

Reviewed by Kay Apr 30, 2026
Grades: Pre-Kindergarten

Scarlet And The Ring

by Rae, Elspeth (2023)

R

From the Meg and Greg series of decodable phonics of vowel and letter storybooks that is helpful to readers with "dyslexia or other language-based learning difficulty." Created to help struggling ...

Reviewed by Karen I. Apr 29, 2026
Grades: 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, 4th Grade

BLACKPINK : K-POP SENSATIONS

by ROSE, RACHEL (2025)

M

While those unfamiliar with the K-Pop group might learn about the genre from this brief biography, the formulaic book offers little specifics on the group. Backmatter includes a glossary, bibliogra...

Reviewed by Stacy Apr 29, 2026
Grades: 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade

Hide And Seek History : The Vikings : With More Than 80 Flap

by Evans, Harriet (2025)

NR*

This colorful board book with over 80 lift-the-flap (many flaps within a flap) has everything you need to know about the Vikings: their trading and raiding; daily life and afterlife; war and combat...

Reviewed by Kris Apr 26, 2026
Grades: Pre-Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade

You Are A Burst Of Color

by Choi, Sook-Hee (2025)

R

A young girl starts the day filled with wonder and excitement about what the day will bring. She’s a bright yellow bouncing her way to school, filled with excitement for the day to come. She’s tick...

Reviewed by Jill Apr 26, 2026
Grades: Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade

Nahia

by Jones, Emily (2025)

R*

9+ A sweeping prehistoric coming‑of‑age adventure set 8,000 years ago in what is now Spain, following eighteen‑year‑old Nahia, the Headwoman’s daughter, whose exile forces her into apprenticeship w...

Reviewed by Eve Apr 26, 2026
Grades: 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade