Wanted: Young readers to build book buzz

“We love to hear what kids think of our books, and this is a great way
to see what they’re reacting to,” said Suzanne Murphy, vice president
and publisher at Disney Book Group, one of two dozen publishing houses
that send advance copies to the young Bethesda readers.

The Bethesda group is one of 16 across the nation that belong to a galley review program started by the Young Adult Library Services Association, a division of the American Library Association.

The teen critiques come at a boom time in the young-adult market, said
Murphy, whose Disney group owns the Hyperion imprint and publishes
authors including Rick Riordan, Ally Carter and Melissa de la Cruz. At
times, she said, she reads the reviews and thinks, “Oh, you’re right.”
The feedback is important, she said, because “they are really at eye
level.”  —Donna St. George, Washington Post