Diane Foote - Popular Picks for Young Readers

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DIANE FOOTE is assistant dean at Dominican Universitys Graduate School of Library and Information Science in River Forest, Illinois, and is currently serving as fiscal officer and a member of the board of directors for the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of ALA. She was a member of the 2010 John Newbery Award Selection Committee and the 2011 and 2012 Coretta Scott King Book Award Juries, and cochaired the ALSC Preconference Planning Committee for the 2013 event that celebrated the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Caldecott Medal. She holds a masters degree in library and information science from the University of Illinois and is a former executive director of ALSC and a former associate editor of Book Links magazine. She lives in Chicago with her family.

2014 by the American Library Association

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ISBN: 978-0-8389-3605-4 (print); 978-0-8389-3606-1 (PDF); 978-0-8389-3607-8 (ePub); 978-0-8389-3608-5 (Kindle). For more information on digital formats, visit the ALA Store at alastore.ala.org and select eEditions.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Popular picks for young readers / edited by Diane Foote, Association for

Library Service to Children.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and .

ISBN 978-0-8389-3605-4 (alk. paper)

1. Childrens literature21st centuryBibliography. 2. ChildrenBooks

and readingUnited States. I. Foote, Diane, editor of compilation. II.

Association for Library Service to Children.

Z1037.P83 2014

011.62dc23 2013044912

Cover design by Kimberly Thornton. Cover image (c) iofoto/Shutterstock, Inc.

Text design in the Interstate and Miller typefaces. Composition by Scribe Inc.

Contents

This compilation would not have been possible without the expertise and hard work of the following Association for Library Service to Children member librarians. I thank each and every one of you for sticking with me through this project with forbearance and good cheer and, most of all, for your knowledge and appreciation for excellent books for kids and your dedication to the young readers we all serve.

Francesca Burgess

Brooklyn Public Library

Brooklyn, NY

Kevin Delecki

Greene County Public Library

Dayton, OH

Caitlin Dixon Jacobson

Schoenbar Middle School

Ketchikan, AK

Loretta Dowell

San Francisco Public Library (retired)

San Francisco, CA

Teffeny Edmondson

Fulton County Schools

Atlanta, GA

Steven Engelfried

Wilsonville Public Library

Wilsonville, OR

Roxanne Feldman

The Dalton School

New York, NY

Karen Lemmons

Detroit School of Arts

Detroit, MI

Karen MacPherson

Takoma Park Maryland Library

Takoma Park, MD

Claudette McLinn

Center for the Study of Multicultural Childrens Literature

Inglewood, CA

Mary Milligan

St. Lukes Episcopal School

San Antonio, TX

Ellsworth Rockefeller

Oak Park Public Library

Oak Park, IL

Brandy Sanchez

Daniel Boone Regional Library

Columbia, MO

Tessa Michaelson Schmidt

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

Madison, WI

Laura Scott

Farmington Community Library

Farmington, MI

Eva Volin

Alameda Free Library

Alameda, CA

Beatriz Pascual Wallace

Seattle Public Library

Seattle, WA

Terrence Young

Jefferson Parish Public School System

New Orleans, LA

Weve heard the debates before: Why dont popular books win awards? versus The awards are not for popularity. Popular books have their own awardstheyre called bestseller lists! No books seem to engender such fierce debate as the ones chosen for awards, particularly the Newbery Medal. But the dichotomy between popularity and literary quality represents a false choice that young readers shouldnt be expected to make. There are plenty of high-quality, well-reviewed books that kids love, and here is a compilation of nearly five hundred of them, all recently published.

How did we come up with this vast list? By asking the people who know best: Association for Library Service to Children members from across the country who work with children and books in school and public libraries in rural, suburban, and urban areas. This group represents men and women, those with varying levels of experience in the profession, and those of varying ethnic and cultural backgrounds. They all work, or worked, in direct service to children; since the projects inception, some have retired or moved on to other responsibilities. They were asked to suggest books three times, from among those published in 2010, 2011, and 2012; I culled duplicates and assigned annotations; and the tireless contributors wrote annotations. Here are the criteria we used for inclusion:

The book must have originated in that format and not be based on a movie or licensed character, such as Star Wars or Dora the Explorer.

The book must be a proven child favorite in contributors library.

The book must have received at least two favorable reviews in professional journals.

Series may be included.

Contributors were encouraged to consider a wide variety of formats (picture books, graphic novels, poetry, informational books, etc.) and books that reflect all kinds of diversity (ethnic, gender, socioeconomic, ability/disability level, etc.). Recommendations for a diverse collection (DC) are indicated throughout.

As librarians, we know genuine pleasure in books translates into increased time spent reading, which research shows leads naturally to greater reading (and writing) ability and broadens childrens general knowledge and awareness. We also know when we make reading recommendations, theres no substitute for familiarity with a childs individual reading ability and interests. No book, even one with starred reviews and awards, is suitable for every reader. But what if you dont know a particular child well? How do you know what kids really like? The books listed here have all been road tested by real kids, in real libraries. Each one is a proven kid favorite, with positive professional reviews to back up the literary quality. Some of them are even award winners!

Happy reading.

Diane Foote, Editor