If you're an author, hoping for a book review, please know upfront that I only review books available for checkout through my public library. That's why all my book pictures have a barcode across the top, annoyingly obscuring some of your beautiful covers. No need to send me an ARC -- ebook or printed book. Don't even offer. I won't read it, unless I can check it out of my library. This is an accessibility issue, because I review books for children who don't have wallets or disposable incomes to purchase books, even inexpensive ones priced at 99-cents. My library has to purchase your book before I'll review it.

If you're an indie pubbed author, the bad news is, my library recently dropped Ingram as a book vendor, and I've been told to expect indie, Ingram published book requests to be turned down in the future. I enjoyed two years of reading indie pubbed works and interviewing their authors, but that has come to an end for the next 3-5 years, until the county goes out for the next book vendor RFP (request for proposal).

In the interim, I've switched to reviewing small press published books, ones my library can still get through its approved vendors, Baker & Taylor and Brodart. It helps if your book has a review from Kirkus, or SLJ or other reputable book reviewing publication. And the library will usually purchase more than one copy, if a patron request is approved. I can't promise how many it will purchase; I've seen it purchase between 2-13 copies.

It also almost always denies purchases of adult works. I have not had any luck with these. I do read some adult books, primarily horror and mystery, and review them on GR whenever I have time but they tend to be traditionally published, for this reason.

Therefore, in case there are issues acquiring a book, I never promise authors a book review. Never.

Also, if I don't feel the book warrants five (5) stars, I just don't review it. I never post negative reviews.

I review mostly MG books, for readers ages 8 to 12, with a few YA thrown in every now and then (about one a month, sometime fewer, so that's 10-12 books each year).

You also have a much better chance of getting a review if your book is set in my state, or has FREE teaching materials to accompany it, preferably for grades 6-8 and correlated to Common Core or your state's grade level teaching standards. I have been known to review and feature books aimed at the lower MG crowd, in elementary school 3rd-5th grades, as well.

Thank you so very much for your interest and I look forward to hearing from you!

Gentle, Inventive Read