I make the decision to review children's books with some trepidation. I love to gush about great books, but what about the ones that are less than satisfactory? Do I really want to spout off about those books?

I am a writer and I know it hurts when people say less than kind things about our work. I am also Christian and I believe that I should treat others as I want to be treated. Then, too, I know that even established authors don't like getting harsh reviews. It's not like writers ever grow out of wanting affirmation and grow into enjoying criticism. If I know that writers don't want bad reviews, am I being unloving if I give them bad reviews?

What am I to do if I don't love their books? Or worse—what if I don't even like their books? Maybe I should only review books I love.

I have to ask myself why I'm writing reviews in the first place. What is the goal of my site?

I have set out to build a site that will offer useful information to people who buy children's literature. My intended audience is not children's book authors. So, my plan is to pretend that the authors of the books I review will never see what I write. I'll write honestly—for good or ill. I'll tell my readers, "I loved this book, take a chance," or, "I hated this book, save your money."

Of course, my honest opinion is just that—an opinion.

That said, this is my judging curve:

Most books will get three stars ~

Three-star books are good books. I'm not editing them as I read, and I'm not tempted to put them down and forget them. They hold my interest all the way through, and there are no technical mistakes dogging the writing and making the prose unwieldy. To get three stars, the characters must be well motivated and the conflicts mustn't feel contrived. The books are satisfying reads.

But three-star books are not the books I would give as Christmas presents. They don't have that special character, or superb prose that makes them stand out. I’m not laughing, or crying, three days later, in fact I may not even remember the characters' names three days later. The books were fine while I was there but I'm not thinking about them after the last page is turned.

It's highly unlikely that a mass market paperback will get higher than three stars simply because packaging adds to my reading enjoyment and I don't give mass market paperbacks as Christmas presents. For a mass market book to get higher than three stars the prose and/or characters would have to be so good I couldn't stop thinking about the book for a month after I finished it.

Some of my favorites will get four stars~

These are excellent books. The characters are real, their actions are well motivated, their conflicts feel genuine rather than contrived. I remember the characters' names several days after I've read the book and may even remember phrases that make me laugh. There are no technical bumps as I read and when I turn the last page I know I'll surely buy the next book the author writes. These are also books that make fine Christmas presents. The binding and paper weight must be good for a book to rate four stars.

Only a few will get five stars ~

After all, how many perfect books are there? Five-star books, I thoroughly enjoy. The crafting never jolts me and I'm never bored. When I turn the last page I am longing for the next book in the series or looking for another book by this author. Three days later some funny scene or phrase from the book pops into my head and I laugh out loud. But these books are more than enjoyable stories, these books have descriptions that sing, and the authors use delightful metaphors, or the characters are quirky, or deep, or humorous. These books move me in some way and I read them over, finding, upon the second read, treasures I'd not gleaned the first time around.

Binding and paper comes into play. Illustrations count. To gain five stars, the overall presentation has to be excellent, not just the story content.

Not many will receive two stars~

These books usually have several different kinds of mistakes working together to interfere with my reading enjoyment. Sometimes books start at a two but travel up to a three as they go. By the end of the book, I'm satisfied with the journey. Two-star books don't pull it out. When I close the book I feel like I could have invested my time more wisely. The stories may be worth telling and imaginative but crafting errors got in the way of my enjoyment as I read.

You won't find many two-star reviews here. I expect to be busy reading the latest, great three, four, and five-star books.

The very rare one-star book~

These books are so bad, I feel like I'm being punished when I have to read them. Their sins are many, littering every chapter. The only reason I would review a one-star book is if it's making a splash and it demands discussion.

Of course, this isn't an exact science. Some books will start at a two and travel to a four in my estimation. Some will go the other way. Some books will be full of crafting errors that would ruin the experience for another person and I won't even see the errors as I fly through a story I love. Once again, this is a subjective business.

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