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This month The Edge of the Forest interviews Ruthann Heidgerken, Youth
Services Librarian, Glenside Public Library, Glendale Heights, Illinois about what’s in the backpacks of her young
readers.
The Edge of the Forest: Ruthann, thanks so much for agreeing to be interviewed for this month's
The Edge of the Forest.
Ruthann: Hi, Kim. Thanks for having me. I’m always glad to share what I can about the book world, especially here at
Glendale Heights.
The Edge of the Forest: First of all, please tell us a little bit about yourself.
Ruthann: Well, I’m sort of an atypical librarian. I used to be head of the youth services department at Dundee
Public Library in Dundee, IL. I resigned when my husband’s job took us to Sweden five years ago. We were only there six
months, but we’ve continued to move around. So I’ve concentrated more on my writing than on returning to a library. I have
recently started subbing at the Glendale library and it’s been fun. I remember why I became a librarian.
The Edge of the Forest: What kind of community does your library serve?
Ruthann: Glenside Library serves a diverse community and parts of three separate school districts. We’re situated
across the street from a middle school and just down the block from another middle school and a primary school. So we serve
as a main after-school gathering spot. Many children wait at the library for their parents to get off work.
The Edge of the Forest: Sounds like the perfect opportunity to share a love of books with young minds.
Ruthann: Because these kids often spend one to three hours in the library without parents, they rely on us, the
librarians, to lead them to interesting books. They also rely on us to help them with their homework, but that’s another
story. We still see a lot of peer recommended books going out, but we also have a good chance to suggest. This is one of my
favorite parts of the job.
The Edge of the Forest: Any stories to tell about a recommendation gone right?
Ruthann: Last week I had the perfect librarian experience. A disappointed little guy informed me that he had read
all of the Captain Underpants books and asked what he was supposed to do now. I handed him a copy of
Tut, Tut from Jon Scieszka’s Time Warp Trio series. I wasn’t too sure I wouldn’t find it later on the dump cart. But, the
next afternoon, he came up to the desk, showed me the book and gave me the thumbs up sign. Now he’s reading the rest of the
series. That’s the beauty of a series. You get a kid hooked on one, and they don’t stop until they’ve read them all.
Unfortunately, it works both ways. There are more and more series out there that aren’t necessarily what we’d like to see
the kids reading.
The Edge of the Forest: You mentioned earlier that you served as head of the youth services department at Dundee
Public Library in Dundee, Illinois. Do you see any differences in reading preferences between your readers?
Ruthann: One of the main differences between Glenside and Dundee (And Gail Borden in Elgin, where I worked before Dundee) is
location and access. Most patrons at the other libraries had to be driven to the library. So they came with their parents.
There’s a different dynamic with the parent present. Many parents only want their child to take ‘good’ books. These are
often books they remember from their childhood and don’t really reflect their child’s world.
Kids today are much more open, worldly and politically aware. They aren’t excited about Little House on the Prairie.
I know some parents who will only let their child read books on the Accelerated Reading List. [It’s a system whereby
children read designated books, take a test and get points at school.] Unfortunately, the AR list contains a lot of
‘junk food’ books and omits a lot really good stuff.
I’m not saying having the parent there is all bad. It can be a very good thing, especially when the parents are in sync
with their child’s abilities and likes and dislikes. They can, and should, be the child’s greatest mentor. The very best
situation is to have parents exploring books together with the child. But now I’m getting preachy.
The Edge of the Forest: What brought you to a career in children’s books?
Ruthann: When I was a child I read constantly. I used to get into trouble for staying inside and reading. ‘I needed
more fresh air. My eyes needed to practice focusing farther away (I did not make this up.) And I was wasting time reading
make-believe stories.’
My favorite book was Peter Pan. Our local library had a wonderful illustrated copy, and I checked it out so many
times, I probably owe the library for wear and tear. I didn’t realize it then, but it was Peter and Wendy who took me away
from my mundane little life and into a world where anything was possible, and where even the bad guys were funny.
Later, when I was a stay-at-home mom, I started volunteering at the boys’ school library in Montery, California. There I
met Eleanor Avila, their school librarian. She became my hero. I watched her artfully lead reluctant readers to just the
right book to get them hooked. I saw her show children how to find their favorite books. She got to know the kids and
discussed with them, not their homework or their favorite foods, but their favorite literary heroes. She brought an energy
to the library that I had not seen.
We moved on to Maine and Iowa where I continued to volunteer at the school libraries and public libraries. At each step I
met people who were dedicated librarians, trustees and volunteers. Each one had a story, and each one was an inspiration.
When my youngest was a junior in high school I decided it was time to get on with my life in preparation for the empty
nesting years. I was working part time as a bookmobile librarian. And I was close enough to the University of Iowa to go
there for graduate school. It seemed like the right path to take.
And here’s the real reason—In library school, as with everything in the world, there was a pecking order of status. At
the top were academic libraries, law libraries and medical libraries. At the bottom were public libraries. Within the
public libraries there were adult services at the top and children’s at the bottom. I found myself defending children’s and
young adult services as worthy. And I talked myself right into children’s services. I’ve never been sorry.
The Edge of the Forest: What can you tell us about the children who visit your library?
Ruthann: The children in our library mostly come from middle-income, educated homes. There are Hispanic, Asian and
Middle Eastern children. Several are disabled, but are just part of the group. And the kids don’t seem to hang in ethnic groups like
I’ve seen other places. In fact, I look at our library as pretty much a poster child for diversity working.
The Edge of the Forest: This time of year children are bombarded by ads, music and messages of the season. Have the
reading habits of your young patrons changed to suit the season? If so, can you share with us some of the most popular titles
among your readers (middle grade, tween, YA, etc.)?
Ruthann: I haven’t seen any change in the reading habits due to the holiday season. Parents tend to pick up Christmas
books, but the kids don’t seem to notice that the holiday is even coming.
The Edge of the Forest: Librarians and teachers typically spot holes in children’s literature before publishers and
writers do. Do any topics come to mind that you’d love to see writers write about?
Ruthann: I’d like to see more books that appeal to middle grade boys that aren’t graphic novels and aren’t based on
bathroom humor, more books like the Time Warp Trio. Boys like humor, but they want to appear macho. So I’d like to
see the book be about a super hero, who’s funny. That’s the draw of Captain Underpants. But I’d like to see a
version that’s a little more literate and less guttural. Fantasy for middle grade boys with a humorous thread would also be
a good sell.
The Edge of the Forest: Any holiday books you'd like to see more of?
Ruthann: There are a lot of holiday picture books out there, but not a lot of great middle readers. I’d like to see
more books like The Best Christmas Pageant Ever—humorous, with the real Christmas message, but not at all overt.
The Edge of the Forest: What titles/topics are most popular with middle grade readers?
Ruthann: Dragon Ball Z and any Yu-Gi-Oh! books fly off the shelves. I haven’t read any of the
Yu-Gi-Oh! books. I tried, but I can’t wrap my mind around them. In case you aren’t familiar with the term, they’re
translated from Japanese graphic novels. They read backwards, to maintain authenticity. They don’t seem to have many words.
This may be part of the great draw.
Anything in a series is popular. The younger kids are reading The Mallory books by Laurie Friedman. We can’t keep
these on the shelves. They’re also still reading Junie B. Jones, Judy Moody, Geronimo Stilton.
Goosebumps are still popular,
and definitely the Lemony Snicket books. One of the most popular books in our library that’s a stand alone is
Ida B: and her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World by Katherine Hannigan.
I don’t know if it’s a passing phase, because one of the librarians booktalked it at the middle schools. But
Ida B is becoming our most popular little girl this season.
The Edge of the Forest: Do tweens have an appetite for books at your library? If so what are they reading?
Ruthann: The tween population is reading a mixture of fantasy and realistic fiction. The most popular books, again,
mostly series, are Artemis Fowl, Eragon, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and Gossip Girl.
The Edge of the Forest: What about your teen readers?
Ruthann: Glenside has a separate teen section, so I don’t keep that good of tabs on what they’re reading, but I did
check with the young adult librarian last night for a quick overview, knowing we were doing this interview today. She told
me that she’s seeing a good mixture of fantasy and problem novels. From talking to other librarians and from my past
experience, I would say there’s probably more fantasy reading going on because there are just a lot more fantasy novels
available than five years ago.
The Edge of the Forest: In addition to your day job you’re a writer as well. How does your work with young readers
inform your writing?
Ruthann: I think working with the kids and seeing what they read keeps me fresh as a writer. And there’s an
advantage to a small library like Glenside, where we see a lot of the same kids every day. If I like a book and the kids
don’t seem to, I can ask them what it is they didn’t like, and vice versa. We deal with a lot of homework
problems—literally. Helping kids with their homework gives me a good sense of their comprehension skills and their
academic levels. This helps me match reading level with interest level in my writing.
The Edge of the Forest: Since the year is coming to a close, it seems appropriate to ask you about your favorite
reads for 2006. Care to share?
Ruthann: Ah! My favorites of 2006? My favorite usually tends to be the last book I read. A new one I really like,
and seasonally appropriate, is Miracle on 49th Street by Mike Lupica. This updated version of the movie classic
has the boy appeal of lots of basketball action and the girl appeal of a strong girl protagonist. It’s touching without
getting maudlin, which is always a tricky line.
One I’m just reading that is incredible is The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation,
Vol. 1; The Pox Party, by M.T. Anderson. Octavian is raised with the best of everything, only to learn that he is not
only a slave, but the subject of a scientific experiment. The book is almost eerie, and it provides a much deeper look at
the question of slavery, the question of mental abuse versus physical abuse, and the Revolutionary Era’s take on morality.
The Edge of the Forest: Thanks for chatting with me, Ruthann. You were a delight.
Ruthann: Thanks for having me. I enjoyed it. Please wish all your readers a Merry Christmas and happy reading and
writing!
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