WHERE ARE MY BOOKS? got a starred review in Kirkus!!! Plus some Kirkus history

The first official review of WHERE ARE MY BOOKS? comes from Kirkus Reviews....and they gave my book a STAR!! I am thrilled, grateful and truly honored. You can read the review here.

For those not familiar with the publication, Kirkus Reviews is a U.S. book review magazine that is often used by librarians and booksellers when they are deciding how to stock bookshelves. They review more than 9,000 books per year.

According to Kirkus: on average, Kirkus' editors award the Kirkus Star to 10 percent of all the books they assign review. "Their decisions are based on their long-running, deep knowledge of contemporary trends in publishing and their appreciation for exceptional writing and illustration." The editors work closely with their reviewers to determine whether a book receives a Star, but the decision belongs ultimately to their editors."

Kirkus Reviews was founded back in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus, who headed a children's book department at Harper & Brothers (which eventually became HarperCollins). After she was told by her bosses that her department was going to be axed, she established her own book review service. Fascinating to read about the history of Kirkus; Virginia sounds like an amazing businesswoman with a ton of energy and determination. Apparently she read and reviewed nearly a thousand books in her first year of business! She worked alone for the first six months, writing all the reviews and mailing the bulletin herself.

To find out more about Kirkus reviews, check out their website and free weekly newsletter,, Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and YouTube. The website has info about how to get your book reviewed, whether it's for a traditional publisher or self-published.