Bookshop lets children have first word

By Mary Mulkerin, Globe Correspondent, 9/14/2003

WINCHESTER -- "Anthony Horowitz really blew me away!" is the kind of praise authors pray for when their books are reviewed.

That's how Sam Holland, 12, of Winchester, began his review of Horowitz's "Skeleton Key," which he recently reviewed as part of the Student Reviewers program at Bookends, an independent bookstore in Winchester.

The review is tacked onto a bulletin board -- along with dozens of others -- in the children's section of the store. Most of the hand-written reviews are heartfelt, if not always positive.

Elise Augenstern thought "Pig Tale" by Verlyn Flieger was "easy to predict" and "confusing." Then, perhaps not wanting to be too negative, she said she would "suggest it to someone interested in pigs."

"Kids are very opinionated about what they like and don't like," says Pat Byrne, children's book specialist at Bookends, "and their opinions are very valuable to other kids and especially to adults," who are shopping for books.

Last fall, knee-deep in advance copies of soon-to-be-published books, Byrne had an idea -- lend interested children the copies and ask them to write "reviews" of the books.

In the past year, more than 50 children have worked as critics, earning a $2 store credit for each book they read and wrote about. About 30 of the children gathered at Bookends last Sunday for a "thank you" reception. Eric Berg, 14, of North Reading, whose reading tastes tend toward science fiction and fantasy, has reviewed several books and says that a big part of the fun is getting first crack at a book that hasn't even been published yet. "It's fun to be able to read it before everyone else," he says, "so you can have an unbiased opinion."

Berg's mother, Isabel, who works at Bookends, says many authors of children's and young adult books have loyal followings and the kids are very enthusiastic about getting their hands on soon-to-be-released titles. "They're not just waiting for `Harry Potter'," Berg says, noting Eoin Colfer's "Artemis Fowl" series and Lemony Snicket's "A Series of Unfortunate Events" sagas generate almost as much excitement as J.K. Rowling.Once a book is published and in stock, Bookends stops circulating the advance copy. But the reviews, usually written on 4-by-6-inch notecards, are placed in display copies for anyone to read.Byrne says the young critics are realizing that they don't have to like everything they read and that there's always another book out there to pick up.