Teen Book Reviewer

Virtual Volunteering - Teen Book Reviewer

Please note that an active SJPL card is required for this volunteering activity.

Are you looking for a fun way to volunteer from home? San José Public Library is looking for avid book readers interested in writing book reviews. Each book you review counts as one hour of volunteering. You may write 1 review per month. Please only sign up for one library branch for this volunteer opportunity.

All reviews must be entirely the volunteer's own work.

How You Will Make a Difference

Teen Book Reviewers play a pivotal role in encouraging other teens to read the same fun books from our library catalog that you're reading.

Volunteers are needed to:

Write a book review following these guidelines (note: book must be included in the SJPL catalog)
- Book review must be one paragraph long
- Include a short summary of the book
- Write about what you liked or disliked about the book
- Include what age range you think is best suited to the book
- Avoid spoilers
Send your review to a designated branch librarian. The librarian will ensure it meets the guidelines and get back to you
Once you hear from the librarian, post your review on our library catalog, sjpl.bibliocommons.com
- Give it a Star rating
- Make sure your review is made public so that it can be seen
Send the librarian a screenshot of your review, and BOOM! You’ve just earned an hour of volunteer service

More Hours Per Month

To be eligible for up to 2 hours per month, you can read and write reviews for Teen Nonfiction and Biography titles that appear on the following SJPL Staff Picks lists. Writing a book review for a Teen Nonfiction or Biography title from one of these lists will receive 2 volunteer hours instead of 1. Pick a book from any of these SJPL Staff Picks Lists to read and review to qualify: