How To Rate Books, Write Reviews, and More!
Did you know that A Book And A Hug is more than just a place to read about great books? You can do much more, including rating books, collecting favorites, and even sharing your own reviews. Our top reviewers even get special recognition and a place in our online leaderboard! Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Create Your Account
First, you’ll need to create an account on A Book And A Hug. Just click on the “Login” link at the top of the screen:
Next, click on the “Register” button to register a new account:
The next part is easy. Just fill out the form with your first name (which will be public on the site), email address, whether you’re a student or a teacher, etc. If you’re younger than 13, you’ll need the permission of a parent, guardian, or teacher. Also choose a username (this will NOT be visible on the site) and a password you can remember easily.
(NOTE: If you’re a librarian or teacher, you can create a login that reflects the entire class. See our Classroom Guide for Teachers & Librarians to learn more.)
Step 2: Welcome to Your User Profile!
Great! You are now officially registered as a User on A Book And A Hug! You can check out your new Profile at any time by clicking “My Profile” on the bottom section of the website:
If you ever want to edit your Profile information, you can always do so:
Step 3: Add A Book To Your Favorites
Now it’s time to really get into it! Search the site for a book you know and love (use the handy search bar at the top of the site). Once you find a book, you’ll see a new button that says “Add to favorites.” This will add the book to your list of favorites that you can come back to later:
You can always view your Favorites by clicking on “My Favorites” from your Profile page or at the bottom of the site. By default, they’ll be arranged in a detailed list:
However, you can view them in a grid format by clicking the little button at the top right:
Step 4: Rate Books and Write Your Own Reviews
But the best part is the fact that you can rate and review any book on the site! Just click on the “Write Review” button:
This will open the “User Reviews” section. Make sure you rate the book with 1-3 stars—1 star means you didn’t like it, 2 stars means it was ok/good, and 3 stars means you loved it. Then, tell other people what you thought about the book by writing your own review! It doesn’t have to be short—write a whole bunch if you want to. There’s no limit except your imaginaton, so let us know what you think!
Once you’re written your review, you’ll have to wait until a website administrator approves it. (We know it’s a bummer, but it’s necessary to keep our site a positive and safe place for everyone.) This can take up to a day or two, depending on when our administrators are available:
You can always see the complete list of your approved reviews at any time by clicking on “My Reviews” on your Profile page or at the bottom of the website:
Step 5: Like and Write Comments On Other Users’ Reviews
As if that wasn’t awesome enough, you can even Like/Dislike and leave Comments on other peoples’ Reviews! Underneath each Review is a thumbs-up or thumbs down button that you can click to like or dislike it. Better yet, you can click on the “Comments” link to leave your own comment on the Review. (Again, all comments will need to be approved by a moderator before they will be visible on the site.)
You can always see the complete list of your approved reviews at any time by clicking on “My Reviews” on your Profile page or at the bottom of the website:
Step 6: Become A Top Reviewer
Now that you know the ropes, why not try to join the ranks of our site’s top reviewers? Those in the top positions will get special recognition underneath their username:
We also maintain an online leaderboard of reviewers that you can check in on. Do you have what it takes to be a top 10 reviewer, or maybe even reach the #1 slot? You’ll never know unless you try!
We hope you enjoy writing and sharing your own book reviews on A Book And A Hug. Off we go!