Two Very Different Critiques for the Same Book

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​Sometimes ideas just come. That’s what happened last night when I posted my review for The Best Seat in Kindergarten. I loved the story! I thought it was perfect for its audience, Preschool and Kindergarten kids. I gave it 5 out of 5 stars. But when I went into Amazon, it had one review, for one star.
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If you’re a writer, that hurts. It’s not easy  to get a book published traditionally. The bar is high, and everyone involved works hard to do it well.

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 Review Title: Terrible message for kids! "Do things for people so they will like you".
Review: If I had seen this in a store I would never have bought it. Sam spends the entire book getting things for the other kid and at the end he has nothing for his own project, but he thinks he has friends. No, Sam. Friends would have gotten you something, too, not used you. Get this if you want to teach your child to be a lackey. Pass if you don't want them to feel they have to serve their peers to be wanted.
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​ My Review Title: The Power of Helping Others
 
My Review: This would be a great first day of school book, but it’s also something more. It’s about the power of friendship, of helping others. The first day of school finally arrives, and his teacher takes the class outside for a nature walk. The assignment – find something and bring it back for show-and-tell. Guess who finds the best thing of all? Sorry, you’ll have to read to find out what Sam found. 
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My Additional Paragraph: I'm a retired teacher, and I read the other review. I never saw this as a story about buying friends. For me it's about a sweet little boy who likes to help others. In over 33 years teaching 2nd grade I've seen lots of kids who have trouble making friends. One of the best ways to help them, is to teach them how to be a friend. Often these same kids push others away. This story has lots of small examples of kindness that can help kids learn how to be a friend.
 
My Final Thoughts: Writing reviews is a wonderful thing! Readers get a peek into the best/not so best parts of the story. It helps them to decide whether or not to buy that book.
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For a writer, a good review is priceless. It sells our books, sometimes to people who have never heard of them. Did you know 50 or more reviews puts a book at the top of Amazon’s search list?  I have 17. I’d given up on getting more, but then I thought why not try? It never hurts to ask!

If you’ve read Neil Armstrong’s Wind Tunnel Dream, please consider writing an honest review. The best part – a kid or their parents might read your review and pick my book. Whenever I autograph one, I always write about dreams. Neil’s first one was the wind tunnel, and you know where it took him. Mine was to write and publish a book. Thanks to Neil, I did it!

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​Do you see that silver badge? Neil earned it from Readers’ Favorite. They only give out four or five stars. If you get 1, 2, or 3, they’ll send you your review, but they won’t post it. No one likes a bad review.

Readers’ Favorite reviews are incredible! First is a 125-word summary of the book. Last is 125 words on whether or not the reviewer liked it. I thought about becoming one of their reviewers, but I don’t have time. I’m happier writing my short reviews.

If you’d like to read my Readers’ Favorite review, click on this link: 
​http://www.rindabeach.com/blog/im-a-star-a-readers-favorite-star5555029