In 2009, Jennifer M. Brown began Twenty by Jenny as a way to narrow down the search for the best children’s books in the industry out of over 9,000 books published each year. She selected the top 20 books for children, and from there, started reviewing the best books for kids of all ages.

She currently serves as the Vice President, Publisher, of Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers with over 25 years of expertise in the field, including being a children's book editor at HarperCollins and Pleasant Company, and was children's reviews editor at Publishers Weekly for ten years. She writes for School Library Journal and Kirkus Reviews, and was the former children's editor of Shelf Awareness, an e-newsletter for the publishing trade and consumers. She is also the director of the Center for Children's Literature at the Bank Street College of Education.

Jenny started Twenty by Jenny because her friends, family members--even people she'd just met--asked her for book recommendations for the young people in their lives. Children’s books are her passion. She lives in New York City.

The Next Chapter…

Starting in 2016, Clara Martin is the new curator and owner of Twenty by Jenny. She grew up in Jackson, MS, home to Eudora Welty, Willie Morris, and William Faulkner. She has always been surrounded by stories. She began her journey at Lemuria Bookstore, working there in the summers during high school.

After graduating from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN with a B.A. in both English and Art History, Clara returned to Mississippi, where she currently works at Lemuria Bookstore as the Children’s Books Buyer in Oz.  She also writes a weekly newspaper column in The Clarion Ledger on children’s books.

Clara hopes to help you find the best books for you and your child, at any age. 

Clara Martin, the new face behind the reviews at Twenty by Jenny