Written for librarians, teachers, and researchers, this is the second five-year supplement to the authors' Dictionary of American Children's Fiction, 1960-1984 (Greenwood, 1986). Its 567 entries cover 189 award-winning children's books by 136 authors published from 1990 to 1994. Included are concise critical reviews of novels, biographical profiles of authors, and descriptions of memorable characters. An appendix lists books by the awards they have won, and an extensive index allows complete access to the wealth of material contained within this reference work. Included are alphabetically arranged entries for those works that critics have singled out to receive awards or have placed on citation lists during the five years covered by the volume. The reference also contains biographical entries for leading authors of children's fiction, with entries focusing on how the author's life relates to children's literature and to particular works in this dictionary. The volume provides a list of awards, along with an appendix classifying individual works by the awards they have won. An extensive index provides full access to the wealth of information in this book.

Critical commentary on those books that have been singled out for awards or have been placed on citation lists.

Young adult readers have special needs and concerns, and librarians have become increasingly interested in selecting books suitable for them. This reference provides information about 290 books for young adults. These books received major awards between 1997 and 2001, reflect the voices of 242 different authors, and range from new to familiar themes. Included are nearly 750 alphabetically arranged entries for individual works, authors, characters, and settings. Many of these books were originally written for adults but have become popular among younger readers. Entries for works provide plot summaries and critical assessments, while author entries focus on those aspects of the writers' lives most relevant to literature for young people. The reference is a valuable selection tool for librarians and teachers and a useful guide for students.

**** The annuals, to which this is the index, are cited in Sheehy and BCL3. This five-year index gives access to 8771 reviews of references reviewed in ARBA, volumes 16 through 20. **** American Reference Books Annual (ARBA) is an essential tool, not only for libraries, but for reference book publishers as well (we at Book News would not be without it), and is cited in BCL3, Sheehy, and Walford. This five-year cumulative index provides access by subject, title, and author to reviews of the 9,284 reference works covered in the last five volumes of ARBA. In addition to being used to locate reviews, the index also serves as an anlytical tool for collection evaluation and development and acquisitions. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR