http://www.readkiddoread.com/

Read Kiddo Read was born out of Patterson and his wife’s experiences with their son as a reluctant reader. Their goal was to get books into his hands that “he wouldn’t just read but would love to read.” Patterson’s blog is an excellent resource for librarians, teacher, parents, and concerned citizens who want to create more young readers, particularly boy readers.

The blog reviews books for beginning, emergent, and middle grade readers. On the home page, review resources are prominently featured and color coordinated. Viewers will also find interesting blog posts displayed to continue the conversation about creating a new generation of readers.

The book reviews are divided by reading level, from Illustrated Books (0-8) to Great Advanced Reads (10 & Up). Each reading level category contains sub-sections of fiction genres, and “just the facts” for nonfiction. Reviews provide generous descriptions of the plot (no spoilers); analysis of successful tone, character development, and format; and program ideas.

Contributing reviewer bios list the individuals’ credentials as teachers, authors, librarians, and booksellers. The “Educators” page provides engaging lesson plan links for dozens of book titles.

This review blog has a clear sense of purpose. Respect for children and their diverse reading choices is evident on every page. ( )

A highly organized and easy to navigate review blog inspired by James Patterson’s dream to find books that his son would love to read. The book reviews are sorted into four categories, with subcategories in each: Great Illustrated Books (Ages birth to 2) – Books for Babies, Storybooks, Easy Kid Reads, and Just the Facts; Great Transitional Books (Ages 5 and up), Pageturners (Ages 8 and up), and Great Advanced Reads (Ages 9 and up) – Fantasy and Other Worlds, Real World Fiction, Action/Adventure/Mystery, and Just the Facts. Upon clicking either the in-color cover of the book or the title listed below, viewers will be redirected to a detailed summary and review for each selection. Additionally, there are both parent reviews and educator reviews available for each title, although for most titles the difference between the two is limited. Upon scrolling through each individual review, themes of the book are provided as well as a list of “If you love this book, then try.” On the far right side of the screen, users have the option to rate, add to a read or want to read list, recommend via facebook link, critic reviews, or multiple options to get this book, including links to a library finder and Amazon. Also included are tabs for educators to find lesson plans, brief introductions about the reviewers, a middle school sweepstakes to enter to win free books, and a tab to learn about James, himself. ( )