What Are They Reading for Fun?
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compiled by Marlene Charnizon -- School Library Journal, 03/15/2010
Deborah Vose, East Middle School and South Middle School, Braintree, MA:
Students are exploring alternatives to Lisi Harrison’s “The Clique” (Little, Brown), including Heather Vogel Frederick’s “Mother-Daughter Book Club” (S & S), Doug Wilhelm’s The Revealers (Farrar, 2003), Denise Vega’s Click Here (to Find Out How I Survived the Seventh Grade) (Little, Brown, 2005), and a couple of vintage gems—Cynthia Voigt’s Izzy, Willy-Nilly (1986) and the “Bad Girls” series (both S & S).
There is a strong demand for books by Mike Lupica, whose “Comeback Kids” titles (Philomel) appeal to reluctant readers, as do fiction and biographies by Matt Christopher (Little, Brown). Demand for Tim Green’s Football Hero, etc. (HarperCollins, 2008), is growing. Students who devour sci-fi/fantasy have discovered Pete Hautman’s Rash (S & S, 2006) and the “Mythlopedia” series (Scholastic). All but the most fanatical Wimpy Kid fans are smirking at Sören Olsson’s In Ned’s Head (S & S, 2001), Lisa Yee’s Millicent Min, Girl Genius (Scholastic, 2003), Claudia Mills’s Losers, Inc. (1997) and You’re a Brave Man, Julius Zimmerman (1999, both Farrar), and Dan Gutman’s The Homework Machine (S & S, 2006). Art Spiegelman and Françoise Mouly’s Little Lit books (HarperCollins) are often requested by those who appreciate quirky humor. A surprise nonfiction hit is James L. Swanson’s Chasing Lincoln’s Killer (Scholastic, 2009).
Beth L. Meister, Milwaukee Jewish Day School, WI
Our school is located in the suburban Milwaukee area. We hosted a visit from David Lubar last week, so his books are very popular with our students right now, particularly Hidden Talents (Tor, 1999) and the short story collections. There’s always strong interest in Holocaust-related titles, including Carol Matas’s Lisa’s War (Aladdin, 2007). Bar and Bat Mitzvah-themed titles, like Fiona Rosenbloom’s You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah (Hyperion, 2005), also get attention. Other popular titles include Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” books (Little, Brown), Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games (Scholastic, 2008), and Rick Riordan’s “Percy Jackson” (Hyperion), as well as Anthony Horowitz’s Crocodile Tears (Philomel, 2009). Jennifer Allison’s Gilda Joyce, Psychic Investigator (Dutton, 2005) and its sequels are favorites with girls who enjoy the humor and adventure. Steadily in demand are books by Jerry Spinelli, particularly Stargirl (Knopf, 2000), as well as sports fiction by John Feinstein, Tim Green, and Mike Lupica.
Esther Keller, I.S. 278, Marine Park, NY:
While our school is in an almost-suburbanlike Brooklyn neighborhood, there is a huge demand for urban fiction, especially anything by Sharon Draper. Kids continue to savor vampire novels—Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” (Little, Brown), Ellen Schreiber’s Vampire Kisses (HarperCollins, 2003), and Heather Brewer’s The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod (Dutton), and they have discovered Alyson Noël’s “The Immortals” series (St. Martin’s). Anything in comic form is a definite hit. Miwa Ueda’s Papillon books (Del Rey), about a girl emerging from her twin sister’s shadow, are always being borrowed. James Patterson’s Maximum Ride: The Manga (Yen Press) is on our top 10 list of checkouts. As students wait for additional volumes to come out, they just continue on with the original series. Also part of the circulation merry-go-round are IllusionWorks’s Amazing Optical Illusions (Firefly, 2005) and Ian Keable’s The Big Book of Magic Fun (Barron’s, 2005).
