Average Book Prices 2004: Stop the Insanity

It's time for someone to say, "Stop the insanity." Just when my colleagues and I at School Library Journal thought we had seen it all, comes the nonfiction title Frozen Vegetables. Targeting readers ages five and up, with a second-grade reading level, this book endeavors to tell us "where frozen vegetables come from," so students can learn "how machines prepare vegetables for freezing and why some vegetables freeze better than others."

With curricula becoming more advanced and pressure on schools to devote an increasing number of precious classroom hours to preparing for mandated tests, the ins and outs of frozen vegetables don't strike me as high priority learning for first or second graders. Neither do the intricacies of Milk, Cereal, or Applesauce—companion books in this series. This opens a whole new frontier. Imagine the possibilities: a whole series on "Where Paper Comes From," with books on paper towels, toilet paper, tissue paper, papyrus, liquid paper, and papier-mâché.

Don't get me wrong, this is not an assault on nonfiction series. SLJ reviews and recommends hundreds of nonfiction series every year, books that play a seminal role in helping students learn. No one is arguing against the need for easy-readers. It's just that I'm troubled by the thought of a child toiling with a book on how Twinkies are made or some other banality at the expense of another more insightful title that provides a genuine learning opportunity.

Let's not ignore the financial implications: one title in a series could run anywhere from $13, which is considered inexpensive, up to $30, with the whole series often costing hundreds of dollars or more. With the proliferation of nonfiction series, librarians need to rely on their skills of discernment—for both themselves and their teaching colleagues. Librarians also must encourage teachers to request and buy quality books.

Speaking of buying books—and the inexact science of calculating how much they will cost you—we have released our 2004 book prices, below. Children's hardcover prices have edged up slightly, while children's paperbacks and adult books represent a mixed bag of price fluctuations—around a dollar or so, with a couple of other wider variations. The fate of next year's economy and how much money you have in your pocket could very well depend on who is in the Oval Office in January 2005.

Evan St. Lifer, Editor, estlifer@reedbusiness.com