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Each year, as school comes to a close, I like to run some statistics to see how our collection is being used.  I run reports for the top 50 check outs of the school year, and then the top 10 based on format. It would come as no surprise to anyone who has spent any time at my school that graphic novels rule the day.  With 5 active comic book clubs, the format is beloved.  We do have some straight fiction and non-fiction in the mix as well.

Without further ado, here are some of the top 50 with the audience of tweens in mind!

Sunny Side Up, by Jennifer Holm











Nimona, by Noelle Stevenson











A Tale Dark and Grimm, by Adam Gidwitz












Auggie and Me, by R.J. Palacio












So You Want to Be a Jedi, by Adam Gidwitz












The Apothecary, by Maile Meloy











Diary of a Wimpy Kid, by Jeff Kinney












The One and Only Ivan, by Katherine Applegate












I'd love to know what your students/patrons loved this year!

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Well it's that time of year.  Looking back and looking forward.  Combing through my goodreads to look at what I read but didn't have time to blog.  Looking at other people's blogs to see what they have been loving in 2015.

What follows are my top 5 titles.  These are not *the* top five, simply five favorites of mine.

I'd love to hear about your favorites of 2015 as well, so please feel free to use the comments to let folks know what your top 5 titles are!!




First off, we have The Water and The Wild, by K.E. Ormsbee.  This book showed up in the mail for me one day, and boy I sure am glad it did.  There hasn't been loads of buzz around it, but THERE SHOULD BE!  As I've said before this is a charming story filled with magic and friendship and it's right up my alley!  If you don't want to take my word for it, check out Nafiza's review over at The Book Wars!






Next up is A Curious Tale of the In-Between, by Lauren DeStefano.  This book is a slow burn for me.  Of course, I was immediately drawn to the cover, but the story of Pram is a curious one, and she has taken up residence is a corner of my mind.  Perfectly creepy, this one dips its' toes into the truly frightening but has hope woven through all the text. This one gets some love over at Good Books & Good Wine as well!






On to Gone Crazy in Alabama, by Rita Williams-Garcia.  Here's where I kick myself for not blogging this one.  These are my favorite sisters in children's books.  They've even beaten out those Penderwick girls.  I am thinking this summer I may get my hands on the audio books for all 3 titles in the series and share them with my daughters. I feel like they beg to be enjoyed aloud.  Filled with humor, heart and family this was a super satisfying conclusion to the series.





Oh, The Truth About Twinkie Pie, I love you so.  Kat Yeh has written a story about family secrets, family history that is filled with charm and heart.  I love discovering stories that examine class differences, and Yeh does so with aplomb and manages to avoid falling into the didactic.  Every tween I've handed this to has come back raving about it.  Check out this review in the emissourian!






And rounding it out is My Diary from the Edge of the World, by Jodi Lynn Anderson.  This one is all about the world and the journey.  I just loved Gracie's family. The fact that they are slightly broken but hopeful in different ways created a kind of magic for me.  I loved imagining the USA as a place filled with dragons and overgrown cityscapes.  It really made me sit up and notice.






What are YOUR top 5 titles of 2015?

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It's the end of the year! My favorite part of year end festivities is all the best of lists. And of course, as a librarian and a reader, I have to make my own!

I couldn't pick just a top ten, so I decided to include different categories and include a long list of what my top picks area.

This are my personal favorites, books I've enjoyed for various reasons throughout the year, and what I felt were my personal top books of 2014. Also, it's hard to put them in a list order of what is number one, so I just did them alphabetically-I am a librarian after all!

I'd love to hear more suggestions if you have favorites too. My TBR pile is never too long! Ha!

• The Baby Tree by Sophie Blackall-Seriously, I adore anything she illustrates, and this book is perfection when it comes to talking about babies with kids.

• Bedtime at the Nuthouse by Eric Litwin-Once I read this one aloud in storytime, I was sold!

• The Boy and a Jaguar by Alan Rabinowitz, illustrated by Catia Chien-This is a beautiful, sensitive story about a boy who stutters and how he finds his calling with animals. It's just fantastic!

• Brother Hugo and the Bear by Katy Beebe, illustrated by S.D. Schindler-I love how the illustrations match the story and time period-so detailed and beautiful!

• Buddy and the Bunnies In: Don't Play With Your Food by Bob Shea-Pure Shea silliness and hilarity. I crack up every time I read it!

• The Farmer and the Clown by Marla Frazee-This is the book from 2014 that made me sigh with happiness and hug it when I was finished. 

• Flashlight by Lizi Boyd-The art is spectacular in the use of light and dark. 

• Have You Seen My Dragon by Steve Light-It's part seek and find, part counting book, and all fun in the use of subtle colors and masterful ink illustrations.

• Henny by Elizabeth Rose Stanton-A chicken with arms? It's just my kind of quirk!

• Hooray for Hat! by Brian Won-Retro style illustrations, friendship, and animals!

• Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker by Patricia Hruby Powell, illustrated by Christian Robinson-So jazzy and stylish and intriguing!

• Kid Sheriff and the Terrible Toads by Bob Shea, illustrated by Lane Smith-Another hilarious tale from Bob Shea that again had my laughing out loud.

• Little Elliot, Big City by Mike Curato-A little elephant, cupcakes, and beautifully adorable illustrations. Another one I hugged after reading. 

• The Right Word: Roget and his Thesaurus by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet-I never knew I would be so fascinated with a biography! And the use of various textures and words in the illustrations is fantastic.

• Viva Frida by Yuyi Morales-I'm a sucker for unique illustrations and I love photographs and this book has a stunning use of both. 

• 100 Sideways Miles by Andrew Smith-OK, yeah Smith's other book, Grasshopper Jungle, is on many year end best of lists, but for me 100 Sideways Miles was perfection. Great characters, lots of heart (in an honest and real way and not sappy), and great exploration of relationships. I also like examples of fantastic writing in parent/child relationships and this book has that.

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I've never done this before and I thought it'd be fun.  Tomorrow I'll do the books the didn't do it for me.

1. Before I Fall, Lauren Oliver 


2. The Sky Is Everywhere, Jandy Nelson



3. The Mockingbirds, Daisy Whitney



 4. Spirit Bound, Richelle Mead


5. The Agency, Y.S. Lee




I thought I reviewed The Sky Is Everywhere, but I didn't!  Must get on that!

Now here are some honorable mentions:

Personal Demons, Lisa Derochers
Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins
Last Sacrifice, Richelle Mead
Halo, Alexandra Adornetto
Bright Young Things, Anna Godberson

What about all of you?  Do you agree with my list?

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