Squeaky Clean Reviews

Squeaky Clean Reviews

  As a parent of an avid reader, I sometimes find it hard to keep my daughter supplied with books.  Often when we go to the library we comb through the selves of juvenile books searching for something new to read.   It seems like with so many books on the shelves there ought to be something she would enjoy, but I am usually hesitant to get books by authors I don't know.  While I don't think I am overly strict with what I allow my children to read, I don't want to hand them books that promote bad attitudes or questionable morals.  One resource I like for help in choosing new books is Squeaky Clean Reviews.

  Squeaky Clean Reviews is a site for “book reviews with a Christian focus,” begun in 2009 by Kristi Simonson.  Born out of a desire to provide readers—and especially parents of young readers—with a place to check the content of a book before picking it up, it is essentially a literary “Plugged in Online.”  Unlike Focus on the Family’s site, however, SCR allows anyone to contribute by writing reviews, which are then checked and posted by the site’s editors.  This system has allowed them to accumulate over 950 books over the last four years, and they’re pushing for 1,000 in 2014.

  Despite coming from a Christian perspective, SCR’s inventory isn’t limited to Christian-labeled books: readers will find reviews for popular series like The Hunger Games and Twilight, as well as classics like Dickens and Shakespeare.  Listed genres include Contemporary, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Mystery, and Sci-Fi, among others.  Readers can also search by age range—particularly useful for parents.  Apart from offering hundreds of book reviews, however, SCR also offers readers a place to hone their critical thinking skills by writing reviews more thorough than a brief, “I liked it.”

  So how does SCR work?  To reflect a book’s merits as accurately as possible, the site uses a two-part review system that shows both entertainment and value levels. This provides prospective readers with a quick way of checking how worthwhile a book may be.  The book’s plot, morality, and objectionable content is then laid out in a structured review, while a conclusion highlights areas of concern and details the book’s pros and cons.  Only one review per book is allowed, but the editors strive to make that review as thorough and helpful as possible and will edit based on other readers’ input.  They also try to avoid spoilers: always a plus for those of us who want to know what we’re getting into, but don’t care to have the ending given away.

  If you’ve ever been surprised by unpleasant content in a book, or if you just want to know whether to assign that “classic” to your student, take a look at Squeaky Clean Reviews!  You can follow the reviews with just a click by “liking” their Facebook page, facebook.com/SqueakyCleanReviews . 

  You can browse through the entire selection of reviews at their website: www.squeakycleanreviews.com. 

* Special thanks to Abigail at Squeaky Clean Reviews for helping me put this together.