a children's literature monthly | Volume I, Issue 2
March 2006 |
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:: what's in their backpack |
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Welcome to What's in their backpack? This new series explores what's hot with young readers through informal book
talks with children's librarians, teachers, and independent bookstores.
This month, The Edge of the Forest correspondent Kim Winters
interviewed Jane Gardner, Children's Services Professional with the Des Plaines Valley Public Library District-Lockport
(located approximately 35 miles south of Chicago), about what's hot with her readers.
The Edge of the Forest: What children's books are on the move in your library?
Jane: For preschool to third grade, anything movie related. The Curious George books by H.A. Rey are a good example.
We built a display of the books on our front desk. We tried keeping it up, but couldn't. It seemed that every time we put
up another book, someone checked it out. Even the older stories, the ones you and I grew up with, are popular.
The Edge of the Forest: Anything else popular with the younger crowd?
Jane: Books featuring any of the Disney princesses—like Cinderella, Ariel, Snow White and Jasmine.
Thomas the Tank Engine books by Rev. W. Awdry or his son Christopher are very popular with boys.
The Edge of the Forest: What are middle graders taking home?
Jane: For middle grade, the Junie B. Jones books by Barbara Park are extremely popular, and surprisingly,
they're a big hit with second, third and fourth-grade boys.
The Edge of the Forest: Boys? That's unexpected news.
Jane: The trend surprised me, too, especially because the main character is a girl. I haven't yet pinpointed why boys are
drawn to these books. Maybe it's Junie's spunk, or maybe it's her wild schemes. Whatever it is, something's working.
The boys really like these books, and so do many of our reluctant readers.
The Magic Tree House books by Mary Pope Osborne are hits, especially with the girls.
The Edge of the Forest: What's popular with upper middle grade readers?
Jane: My fifth through eighth graders are scrambling for copies of Eragon and Eldest by
Christopher Paolini, and they tell me they're eagerly awaiting the third book in the Inheritance trilogy.
They're also reading and rereading an old favorite, Holes by Louis Sachar.
The Edge of the Forest: Which YA books are flying off the shelves?
Jane: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants books (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,
The Second Summer of the Sisterhood, and Girls in Pants) by Ann Brashares are very popular with my
teen readers, as are any of Meg Cabot's books. (Avalon High is one of Cabot's most recent titles.)
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