Presenting the 227 starred books for the first half of 2023, SLJ has created a special section, out this month and available to subscribers.

It’s your must-have list, including the best in:

• Board books
• Picture books
• Transitional books
• Middle grade
• YA
• Graphic novels
    Nonfiction graphic novels
• Manga
• Nonfiction
  Elementary
  Middle/high school
• Poetry
• Adult Books 4 Teens
• Professional reading

“The books that change lives. The ones that burrow themselves into the hearts of the young people you serve. The books that have staying power. These are the titles that get starred every month,” writes SLJ reviews editor Shelley Diaz in her preface to the July Stars Issue.

What do the honored titles of 2023 tell us? Amanda MacGregor shared her takeaways: themes involving “courageous choices, large and small; connections to the natural world; intergenerational bonds with grandparents; how and why we grieve; and trailblazers in a wide range of disciplines.

“Additionally, starred reviews value inventive, unique approaches to both format and story and show a continued appreciation for novels in verse, a format that has exploded in popularity over the past two years.”

The starred reviews package appears in the digital edition of the July issue as well as in print.

Staying Power: SLJ reviewers share what makes a book a “star” | From the Editor