Can you believe what you read?

So far today I've read about Obama's trip to Mars and Newt's suggestion that we pay middle- and high school students to take math and science classes. Before the world ends (on 12/21/12 in case you need to put it on your calendar...wait for it...the last calendar you'll ever need) I'll post a review of a children's book that I received from Candlewick Press (Random House) last year. 

White Water by Michael S. Bandy and Eric Stein, is one of many free review copies I received last year. For the record, I rarely accept them and review them even less often. While it's flattering to be contacted by publishers (and fun to get free books), it becomes something of a pain sometimes, especially - I know this will draw nasty replies - when the books are sent by self-published authors along with such a huge amount of hyperbole in the accompanying press material, it's matched only by the typos and grammatical errors in their books. I understand why many good writers choose to self-publish and self-publishing is certainly gaining (deserved) respect but I stand by my assertion that self-published shouldn't mean self-edited. But I digress.

Back to my point and headline: can you believe what you read here? (It's the only place I have complete editorial control. You're on your own with the Obama-on-Mars thing.) The answer is yes, because when I receive a review copy, I say so somewhere in the review. If I've reviewed a book for another publication - such as The Plain Dealer or Kirkus - I explain that in my reviews on this blog.

If you read much online and reviews in particular, you know that's how it's supposed to be done - and that it's not always. So. Yeah. You can believe what you read here. Next up: my review of White Water, a very interesting book for young kids, about racism. Until then...well, don't believe everything you read, ok?