Mahnaz Dar

New York

Young Readers' Editor at Kirkus Reviews

Young readers' editor, @KirkusReviews Words in @FOXTV, @RetrofiedMag, @SLJournal, @LibraryJournal, & @ScreenSlate

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Articles

Ultimate Summer Reads: 5 Novels for Middle Graders

1 month ago | kirkusreviews.com | Mahnaz Dar

What makes for a perfect summer read? Breezy, fast-paced, and fun are a few adjectives that come to mind. Books that take place at the beach or at camp make for escapist fare for young armchair travelers. But summer also offers kids free time to linger over a beloved book, drawing connections between the stories they read and their own lives.
4 SFF Novels That Take Kids on Fantastic Voyages

1 month ago | kirkusreviews.com | Mahnaz Dar

Years later, I can still recall my first trip to Narnia, my first flight to Neverland, and my first meeting with Mrs Whatsit, Mrs Who, and Mrs Which, the enigmatic witchlike trio in Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time. Science fiction and fantasy transported me to far-off lands and introduced me to otherworldly beings while imparting real-world lessons.
Looking for a New Children’s Series? Begin Here

1 month ago | kirkusreviews.com | Mahnaz Dar

Lately, I’ve been inundated with news articles bemoaning the difficulty of making—and keeping—friends. So I decided to catch up with some of my oldest and dearest pals. I’m pleased to report that Frog and Toad are still friends, Bunnicula the vampiric rabbit continues to menace veggies the world over, and literal-minded Amelia Bedelia is still stymied by domestic tasks such as drawing the drapes and dressing the chicken.
Rebecca Stead Taps Into Childhood’s Big Emotions

2 months ago | kirkusreviews.com | Mahnaz Dar

“We’re moving.” Few phrases are more likely to strike fear into the hearts of children. Relocating means saying goodbye to friends and neighbors, fretting as treasured possessions are packed up, adjusting to new sights, sounds, and even smells. But children lucky enough to have a copy of Rebecca Stead’s Anything (Chronicle Books, April 29) will feel a little more courageous as they prepare for their own moves.
Best of the Century: ‘Watercress’

Mar 29, 2025 | kirkusreviews.com | Mahnaz Dar

In Watercress, after a Chinese American family spot the titular greens growing by the side of the road, they pull their car over to pick some. The moment awakens feelings of joy in the parents—immigrants nursing fraught memories of their homeland—and resentment in their daughter, who wonders what passersby will think.
Best of the Century: ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’

Mar 29, 2025 | kirkusreviews.com | Mahnaz Dar

In the early 2000s, kid lit was awash with overachievers, from Harry Potter to Percy Jackson. And then there was Greg Heffley. The socially inept protagonist of Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid: A Novel in Cartoons torments a group of kindergarteners, lets hapless BFF Rowley take the fall for his own misdeeds, and endures a string of humiliations at the hands of bullies—all to the delight of young readers.
Best Books of the Century (So Far): Children’s

Mar 29, 2025 | kirkusreviews.com | Mahnaz Dar

A box of rebellious crayons goes on strike. A robot raises a young goose. A little girl befriends a squash. A quick look at our Best Picture Books and Best Middle Grade of the 21st Century (So Far) proves that there’s no end to the creativity of children’s book authors. As I revisit these titles, I’m also struck by how much the publishing landscape has transformed over the last 25 years. Though there’s still work to be done, kid lit is far more inclusive than it once was.
Best of the Century: ‘The Hate U Give’

Mar 29, 2025 | kirkusreviews.com | Mahnaz Dar

Angie Thomas’ first novel, The Hate U Give, has left an indelible mark on both the literary world and the entire nation. Centering on Starr Carter, a Black 16-year-old whose friend is killed by a white police officer, the book debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list, garnered numerous awards, and spawned a 2018 film starring Amandla Stenberg. The novel has another distinction—it frequently tops banned book lists.
Best of the Century: ‘Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive’

Mar 29, 2025 | kirkusreviews.com | Mahnaz Dar

Bossy and volatile but undeniably charismatic and side-splittingly funny, Mo Willems’ Pigeon was born to be a star. Since the publication of Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, the irascible bird has appeared in numerous sequels, inspired a musical and an opera, and headlined a traveling art exhibit. Most importantly, he’s proven irresistible to the preschool set; youngsters clamor for rereads and flock to author signings with the ardor of rock ’n’ roll groupies.
NBCC Award Winners Are Revealed

Mar 21, 2025 | kirkusreviews.com | Mahnaz Dar

The National Book Critics Circle revealed the winners of its annual awards Thursday evening at a ceremony in New York. Winning the autobiography prize was Patriot, written by the late Russian anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny and translated by Arch Tait with Stephen Dalziel.