What Are They Reading for Fun?
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compiled by Marlene Charnizon -- School Library Journal, 12/15/2009
Hayden Bass, Seattle Public Library, WA:
The Central Library Teen Center in downtown Seattle serves a diverse population of kids from throughout the city. “Twilight” (Little, Brown) mania is ebbing, and science fiction is heavily in demand, especially titles with a survivalist or adventure bent. Top of the list are James Dashner’s The Maze Runner (Delacorte); Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan (S & S, both 2009); and, of course, Suzanne Collins’s “Hunger Games” books (Scholastic).
David J. Pelzer’s A Child Called "It" (Health Communications, 1995) is a perennial favorite, as are similar true or realistic stories of children and teens overcoming abuse, drug addiction, and other obstacles. Our advisory board of 26 high school students has varied reading tastes. Many are fantasy fans, favoring Terry Pratchett’s “Discworld” series (HarperCollins), Philip Pullman’s “His Dark Materials” books (Knopf), and anything by Tamora Pierce. But they also gravitate toward historical fiction like M. T. Anderson’s The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing (2006) and Mal Peet’s Tamar (2007, both Candlewick). As they themselves are quick to point out, they also read lots of adult fiction and classics–everything from Douglas Adams’s The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy to Pride and Prejudice to 1984.
Shawna Sherman, Hayward Public Library, CA:
Hayward’s main library in the San Francisco Bay Area serves a diverse urban population of teens, a majority of whom are Hispanic. With the release of the movie Precious, we have seen a surge of requests for Sapphire’s Push (Vintage, 1997). Like nearly everywhere else, “Twilight” and almost anything vampire is hot, including P.C. Cast’s "House of Night" books (St. Martin’s), L.A. Banks’s “Vampire Huntress Legends” (St.Martin’s), and Heather Brewer’s “The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod” (Dutton).
But more than anything else, manga is the name of the game, with Masashi Kishimoto’s “Naruto” (Viz Media) still a heavy favorite. Also a big hit is the manga-inspired Gamer Girl by Mari Mancusi (Dutton, 2008). Matt Groening’s The Big Brilliant Book of Bart Simpson (2008) and The Big Beastly Book of Bart Simpson (2007, both Harper) are also in heavy rotation. Other popular titles include Sara Zarr’s Sweethearts (Little, Brown, 2008) and Ni-Ni Simone’s A Girl Like Me (Kensington, 2008). Rounding everything out are Cassandra Clare’s “The Mortal Instruments” series (S & S), Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies, et al (S & S), and Suzanne Collins’s “The Hunger Games” books (Scholastic).
Brandy L. Danner, Wilmington Memorial Library, MA:
Wilmington is a middle-class, mostly Caucasian suburb about 15 miles north of Boston. Its teens are fairly typical in that the sun has yet to set on Stephenie Meyer’s "Twilight" and other vampire romances, but we’ve recently seen an increased interest in pirate-themed series: L.A. Meyer’s “Bloody Jack Adventure” books (Harcourt); Kai Meyer’s “The Wave Walkers” (S & S); and for fans of both supernatural bloodsuckers and the scourge of the seas, Justin Somper’s “Vampirates” (Little, Brown). Zombie fiction is catching on, led by Carrie Ryan’s The Forest of Hands and Teeth (Delacorte, 2009).
Ellen Hopkins’s Identical (2008) and Tricks (2009, both S & S) are frequently checked out alongside Laurie Halse Anderson’s Wintergirls (Viking, 2009), Elizabeth Scott’s Living Dead Girl (S & S, 2008), and the anonymous classic Go Ask Alice. Manga series, in particular Bisco Hatori’s “Ouran High School Host Club” (Viz Media), continue to see frequent turnover. Our most-circulated non-manga are Jeff Smith’s "Bone" (Scholastic), any “Star Wars” graphic novels (Dark Horse), and Marvel Comics’s “Runaways.”
