Also called: Youth Book Review Editor, Children's Book Critic
Reads and reviews new picture books and young adult novels for magazines that librarians and teachers use to decide what to buy.
A box of advance copies arrives each month. You read a middle-grade fantasy, a picture book about a grandma's garden, and a teen novel, then write tight 200-word reviews judging story, art and who will love each one. A starred review from you can help a book get into thousands of libraries.
Most reviewers are freelance and paid per review; staff editors earn more.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 6 years after high school. Often a master's in library science or children's literature; many are working librarians who review on the side.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $60k – $150k.
Majors to look at: Library & Information Science, Children's Literature, English.
Growing slowly. A small field; review outlets have shrunk.
Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. AI can summarize books quickly; honest judgment about quality and which kids a book will reach stays human.
Classes: English literature, Creative writing, Journalism.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-3041.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.