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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

YIKES, BIRDS!

by RANSOM, CANDICE (2025)

AD

This 24-page book belongs to the "Creepy Creatures" series. Eye-catching glossy paper over board covers and catchy titles make this series shelf-candy. Alas, like candy, it is somewhat lacking in n...

Reviewed by Teresa Mar 10, 2026
Grades: Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade

Water Flower : The Journey Of A Lotus Seed

by Chen, Yingting (2025)

R

The Water Flower: The Journey of a Lotus Seed features incredible watercolor illustrations that beautifully capture the delicate stages of a lotus plant’s growth. The book clearly explains the plan...

Reviewed by Deborah Mar 8, 2026
Grades: 3rd Grade, 4th Grade

When The Mapou Sings

by Pinede, Nadine (2024)

AD+

Sixteen year old Lucille lives in rural Haiti with her father and her aunt and dreams of one day opening her own school with her best friend, Fifina. However, Fifina goes missing one day, and after...

Reviewed by Jill Mar 8, 2026
Grades: 9th Grade, 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade

Snap! Crunch! Munch?

by Castillo, Diana (2025)

AD

A beginning comic-style early reader, SnapQ Crunch! Munch? tells the story of a young boy imagining different family members as animals enjoying various dishes at the dinner table (i.e. Aunt Gloria...

Reviewed by Tanya Mar 7, 2026
Grades: Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st Grade

Incredibly Penelope

by Myracle, Lauren (2025)

AD+

Incredibly Penelope by Lauren Myracle is a delightful modern retelling of The Little Princess. Penelope Goodheart is a bright, kind, spunky nine-year-old who sees the best in everyone. With her mot...

Reviewed by Molly Mar 7, 2026
Grades: 4th Grade, 5th Grade

Frankenstein

by Barder, Gemma (2024)

R

This symbolized classic tells the simplified story of Mary Shelley’s classic story. Short, simple sentences with symbols above each word are on one side and a larger black, white, and gray illustra...

Reviewed by Kris Mar 6, 2026
Grades: 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade

History Comics : Ellis Island : Immigration And The American

by Feggo, Felipe Galindo (2025)

R*

The book begins near today, when a storm floods New York City. Two families in the same building shelter in the higher level apartment of first generation Hispanics. Both families have children, ...

Reviewed by Jodie Mar 6, 2026
Grades: 4th Grade, 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade

Save Our Forest!

by Dasnes, Nora (2024)

R

In this interconnected standalone graphic novel sequel to Cross My Heart and Never Lie by the same author/illustrator, readers get a story centered around Bao, a seventh grade girl. Bao and her fri...

Reviewed by Megan Mar 5, 2026
Grades: 5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade

Famous Anonymous

by Baden, Morgan (2025)

R

Everything about Famous Anonymous will make middle schoolers love it. Told from multiple points of view, two sets of siblings, who are neighbors, reconnect to become the latest viral video sensatio...

Reviewed by Stacy Mar 4, 2026
Grades: 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade

My Dad Is The Best

by Pintadera, Fran (2025)

AD+

Two boys argue back and forth about how strong their own dad is. The ability of their dads to lift something heavy starts with a truck, then with elephants in the truck - now the elephants are pre...

Reviewed by Karen I. Mar 3, 2026
Grades: Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade