Querying can be stressful. It is stressful. You are putting yourself and your work out there time and time again and expecting rejection. But we just can't help ourselves...
Truth be told while querying itself can be hard on the soul, building a solid list of agents can help decrease the chance of rejection and dare I say it, can be fun.
If you have no idea where to start I'd recommend QueryTracker where you can filter by genre and age group and come up with a basic list.
I recently discovered a site called AgentQuery that does something similar in this regard. And Jericho Writers has a subscription program that includes Agent Match.
After you've got a basic list together I'd use the Manuscript Wish List site, Twitter (using #MSWL), or agency/agent websites to get specifics on what the agent is truly looking for.
For instance you might find an agent that represents YA fantasy but hates portal fantasy, or doesn't love talking animals. Querying said agent might net an instant rejection when you thought you were querying someone who repped your genre. Save yourself the pain.
I think walking through those steps should give you a reasonably defined list, but if you want solid background before you query you can always look for agent interviews, personal websites, and Publisher's Marketplace to see what kind of deals they have represented in the past. If you find yourself interested in a newer agent don't discount them- just research the agency that will be supporting them.
Best of luck out there!
~B
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