Booklist is the American Library Association’s nationally distributed book and media review publication. Since 1905, Booklist has been proud to publish thousands of book and audiobook reviews each year, helping library and education workers decide what to buy and how to guide patrons and students of all ages in choosing what to read, view, or listen to.
Booklist
Letter from the Editor
Adult Nonfiction
Spotlight on Reference
Top 10 Reference • These top 10 reference books were reviewed in Booklist between May 15, 2022, and May 1, 2023, and represent useful resources for libraries of all sizes.
Adult Fiction
Self-Published Books Showcase
Spotlight on Historical Fiction
Jewish American Historical Fiction
Top 10 Historical Fiction • India, Europe, the U.S., Sudan, the Caribbean, and China are all gorgeously evoked settings in these extraordinarily empathic, deeply anchored, and richly perceptive historical novels reviewed in Booklist from May 15, 2022, to May 1, 2023.
Top 10 Historical Fiction Debuts • The meshing of exceptional imagination, empathy, artistry, and historical authenticity elevates these debuts reviewed in Booklist over the past year to the very top of the historical fiction genre.
Graphic Novels
Youth Nonfiction
Continuing SERIES NONFICTION SHOWCASE
Youth Fiction
Focus on Board Books
Spotlight on Historical Fiction
Top 10 Historical Fiction for Youth • A good story is timeless, and these impeccable novels have plucked their subjects from the past, making them relevant to today’s readers. All titles were reviewed in Booklist between May 15, 2022, and May 1, 2023.
Surveillance States • Many late-twentieth-century dictatorships, some only a generation or two old, were marked by a tight grip on news media and widespread surveillance that often violently discouraged the spread of information, so it’s no wonder that documented facts about these regions can be hard to come by. These historical novels, for young-adult and middle-grade readers, each explores what life could be like under such tight control and watchful eyes, societies in which asking questions about the party line could have dangerous consequences and carrying contraband reading material could lead to arrest—or worse.
Audio
Spotlight on Historical Fiction
Top 10 Historical Fiction on Audio • This year’s list—from Booklist starred reviews published between April 1, 2021, and April 15, 2023—highlights the best in narration of historical fiction for adult listeners.
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