What Are They Reading for Fun?
RSSCompiled by Marlene Charnizon
Besides vampires and werewolves, the new paranormal creatures of choice are zombies: Serena Valentino's How to Be a Zombie: The Essential Guide for Anyone Who Craves Brains (Candlewick, 2010) is a hit with the tween crowd. Urban fiction is a big draw. Teens constantly check out such series as L. Divine's "The Drama High" (Dafina), Babygirl Daniels's "Babygirl Drama," and Darrien Lee's "Denim Diaries" (both, Urban Books). In addition to series, older readers especially gravitate to novels dealing with adversity, such as Cheryl Rainfield's Scars (WestSide, 2010) and Courtney Summers's Some Girls Are (St. Martin's, 2010). Manga enthusiasts are always picking up Ho-Kyung Yeo's Honey Mustard (Tokyopop, 2005), Nobuhiro Natsuki's "Rurouni Kenshin," Hiromu Arakawa's "Full Metal Alchemist," and Rumiko Takahashi's "Ranma" (all, Viz Media). Rachel Renée Russell's "Dork Diaries" (S & S) is a newer series that is generating a lot of interest among our tween girls, while Jen Yates's Cake Wrecks: When Professional Cakes Go Hilariously Wrong (Andrews McMeel, 2009) is popular among teens with a sweet tooth for Schadenfreude. Amy Cheney, Alameda County Library, Oakland, CA: Standard favorites are Ishmael Beah's adult title A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier (Farrar, 2007), Cupcake Brown's A Piece of Cake: A Memoir (Three Rivers Pr., 2006), and Allison van Diepen's Street Pharm (S & S, 2006). Monique W. Morris's Too Beautiful for Words (HarperCollins, 2001) is a read-alike for Sister Souljah's Coldest Winter Ever (Pocket, 2006) without the sex, and it is set in Oakland. Lac Su's memoir, I Love Yous Are for White People (HarperPerennial, 2009) is a surprising standard, too. The hottest titles of all right now for boys are Simone Elkeles's Perfect Chemistry (2009), Rules of Attraction (2010, both Walker), Leaving Paradise (2009), and Return to Paradise (2010, both Flux). I can't find any of the numerous copies I've purchased of Kate McCaffrey's In Esctasy (Annick, 2009), Alexander Gordon Smith's Lockdown (Farrar, 2009), G. Neri's graphic novel Yummy: the Last Days of a Southside Shorty (Lee & Low, 2010), or the fun and interesting National Geographic Weird but True! 300 Outrageous Facts, volumes 1 and 2 (2010). Jim Eaton's Ghosts Caught on Film 2 (David & Charles, 2010) and other titles like them are still hot. Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" series (Little, Brown) is sitting on the shelf, but I just got the kids into Suzanne Collins's "The Hunger Games" (Scholastic). Robbie L. Flowers, Detroit Public Library, MI: Alyxandra Harvey's "The Drake Chronicles" titles Hearts at Stake and Blood Feud (both Walker, 2010) have carved out a niche among the vampire-loving teens. Jo Knowles's Lessons from a Dead Girl (Candlewick, 2007) and Tanya Lee Stone's A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl (Random, 2006) have remained popular as well. William Sleator's Hell Phone (Abrams, 2006) captivates even the most reluctant readers, while Julie Anne Peters's timeless Luna (Little, Brown, 2004) still circulates regularly. Of course, urban teen fiction doesn't stay on the shelves and I constantly take requests from patrons. One series that some of them can't do without is "Kimani Tru," especially Earl Sewell's If I Were Your Boyfriend (Kimani, 2008). Among the most heavily browsed nonfiction titles are Theresa Cheung's Numerology (Hodder, 2006) and Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul: 100 Stories of Life, Love, and Learning by Jack Canfield et al. (Health Communications, 1997). This article originally appeared in the newsletter Extra Helping. Go here to subscribe.
Lalitha Nataraj, Chula Vista Public Library, CA:
In Chula Vista, located in the South Bay region of San Diego County, seven miles from the Mexican border, we serve a primarily Spanish-speaking population.
We serve primarily African-American and Latino youth. On average, the kids have a fifth-grade reading level, but they will often choose more demanding books because of their interests.
The library's Bowen Branch serves a predominantly Latino community nestled away in an urban area. Some of the newer novels teens are reading are Natalie Standiford's Confessions of the Sullivan Sisters (Scholastic, 2010) and Ariela Anhalt's Freefall (Harcourt, 2010).
