What Are They Reading for Fun?

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compiled by Marlene Charnizon -- School Library Journal, 11/9/2009 12:17:00 PM

Tracy Weiskind, Chicago Public Library:
The Vodak-East Side branch serves a diverse population, largely of Hispanic heritage. Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” (Little, Brown) is, of course, a major hit with our teens, as is anything vampire. We place several holds on English- and Spanish-language versions of the series. Works by Ellen Hopkins, Sarah Dessen, and Scott Westerfeld are eagerly sought after, along with Darren Shan’s “Cirque du Freak” (Little, Brown) and Jeff Smith’s "Bone" graphic novel series (Scholastic). 

Other books steadily in demand are Reymundo Sanchez’s memoirs My Bloody Life: The Making of a Latin King (2000), Once a King, Always a King: The Unmaking of a Latin King (2003), and, with Sonia Rodriguez, Lady Q: The Rise and Fall of a Latin Queen (2008, all Chicago Review Pr.). 

We get lots of requests for “scary stories.” Creepy Chicago: A Ghosthunter's Tales of the City's Scariest Sites by Ursula Bielski (Lake Claremont Press, 2003) is popular with tweens and so are Arielle North Olson’s Ask the Bones: Scary Stories from Around the World (1999) and its sequel, More Bones: Scary Stories from Around the World (2008, Viking). Our Teen Volume book club meets once a month to discuss a title chosen by the adult moderator; Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games (Scholastic, 2008), Michael Scott’s The Magician (Delacorte, 2008), and Nancy Werlin’s Impossible (Dial, 2008) have all been well received.

Valerie Davis, Campbell County Public Library, KY:
Located just south of Cincinnati, the Newport Branch is an urban library that serves families from a wide economic base. The big trend with teens is series fiction: Suzanne Collins’s "Hunger Games" trilogy (Scholastic), Lisa McMann's Wake (2008) and Fade (2009, both S & S), Frank Beddor's “The Looking Glass Wars” (Dial). Cassandra Clare's “The Mortal Instruments” (S & S) has been popular since the first title, City of Bones, was issued. Joseph Delaney's Last Apprentice: Clash of the Demons (HarperCollins, 2009) has been making readers in search of something slightly creepy very happy. 

When teens started asking for books on forensics, we were surprised that they latched on to Jeff Lindsay’s adult “Dexter” series (Doubleday), which began with Darkly Dreaming Dexter, because of the concept on which it is based: sympathy for a serial killer. Manga is very popular in this branch with Yuna Kagesaki’s “Chibi Vampire” (TokyoPop), Bisco Hatori’s “Ouran High School Host Club,” and Hiromu Arakawa’s “Fullmetal Alchemist” (both Viz Media) most in demand.

Alyson Low, Fayetteville Public Library, AR: 
The sugar maples are aflame in Fayetteville, as is our teens’ enthusiasm for books in series. They are reading Dave Barry’s Peter and the Sword of Mercy (Hyperion, 2009), Suzanne Collins’s Catching Fire (Scholastic, 2009), Eoin Colfer’s The Time Paradox (Hyperion, 2008), John Flanagan’s The Siege of Macindaw (Philomel, 2009), and Trenton Lee Stewart’s Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner’s Dilemma (Little, Brown, 2009). 

Of Siege Luke said he enjoyed the unfolding of the Rangers’ plan and that they were able to take the castle even though they were outnumbered. Julia said she continues to find the riddles of MBS challenging to solve. Jeff Smith’s “Bone” (Scholastic); Darren Shan’s “Cirque du Freak” (Little, Brown), Garth Nix’s “The Keys to the Kingdom” (Scholastic), and Stephenie Meyer’s “Twilight” (Little, Brown) also maintain their popularity, as do Christopher Paolini’s “Inheritance” (Knopf), James Patterson’s “Maximum Ride” (Little, Brown), and Mark Walden’s H.I.V.E. (S & S) series.