LitPick

LitPick is a book discovery and review website with a focus on YA and contemporary literature. What makes LitPick different from other similar sites is that young people contribute the reviews. Students or a group of students sign up with an adult sponsor (an educator, librarian, or family member) and can then request a book to review. The requested book will be sent to them as a hard copy (for a small fee) in two to three weeks, or as an e-book that's instantly downloaded. After reading and deciding how they feel about the book, students can write a review using LitPick's online form, and must do so in four to six weeks. They'll be asked to enter the review, some keywords that other kids can use to search, and a content rating that will help define the appropriate audience; then they'll need to wait for feedback. This feedback can come from a sponsor, or, if there's no sponsor, the review will be screened by a LitPick staff member. After the review has been revised based on this feedback (or if there was no revision needed), the review gets posted by the sponsor or LitPick staff member. After the review is posted, reviewers can request another book and keep writing.

By publishing their reviews, students will feel important and recognized. They'll also have an authentic context to practice writing. Of course, they'll also enjoy picking and getting books to read. Writing the review helps kids process what they've read, and they'll learn a lot as they formulate opinions. Students must learn and practice the language of criticism; they'll explore how to talk about what they like and don't like, and why. To do so, they'll need to think critically while reading and, hopefully, take notes too! That said, teachers will find themselves relying heavily on their existing curriculum. Aside from some review samples and the published reviews themselves, LitPick provides a very basic graphic organizer for review drafting and a lean Educator's Guide best for newer teachers. These resources are fine, but won't totally meet teachers' needs. 

Book choices are limited to those on the LitPick list. While many of these are offered for promotional purposes from publishers and authors (in fact, publishers can pay LitPick for consideration), there's a good selection of books, including some popular titles. There's one missed opportunity for communication, though: There's no place to comment on individual reviews, or to even follow specific reviewers to get book recommendations. Beyond that, the site's design feels, at times, cluttered, confusing, and ad-riddled. This is especially true on the book pages, where kids' reviews are curiously buried below the fold.