The Year's Most Popular Titles

The end of the year means circulation statistics.

Image from here.
This time around, I've delved deeper into specifics, and I think I know a lot more about my user population and their reading habits. This week I learned the following:
  • Ninth grade boys don't very read much. I didn't realize that their circulation numbers were so abysmal compared to everyone else until I broke it down this spring. I **think** it's because most of my 9th grader ELA teachers don't require classroom novels, and fifteen year old boys just aren't that anxious to read for fun.
  • 8th graders and 9th graders read very different things. Books popular at the 8th level don't even break into the top ten at the 9th grade level. This could be because 8th graders are exploring titles that weren't available in the middle school library, while most 9th graders read these books the previous year.
  • Blockbusters, like Hunger Games, are popular with EVERYONE.
  • New books aren't always the most popular. Older titles like Twisted and The Lovely Bones were well-read across the board. This is probably the result of ELA teacher booktalks which get the kids pumped for specific titles.  
Most Popular Books Overall in the Junior High:
  1. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
  2. Mocking Jay by Suzanne Collins
  3. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
  4. Numbers by Rachel Ward
  5. Twisted  by Laurie Halse Anderson
  6. Matched by Ally Condie
  7. Z for Zachariah by Robert C. O'Brien
  8. Fallen by Lauren Kate
Most Popular Books Among Females in the Junior High:
  1. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
  2. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
  3. Mocking Jay by Suzanne Collins
  4. Numbers by Rachel Ward
  5. Matched by Ally Condie
  6. Fallen by Lauren Kate
  7. Crossed by Ally Condie
  8. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold 
Most Popular Books Among Males in the Junior High:
  1. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
  2. Mocking Jay by Suzanne Collins
  3. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
  4. Z for Zachariah by Robert C. O'Brien
  5. Numbers by Rachel Ward
  6. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by
  7. Football Champ by Tim Greene
  8. Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson


What titles drew top honors in your library this year?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Updated Facebook Template

Image
For the last couple of years, we've been using a PowerPoint Facebook page as a final product for a research unit. When we used the template last year, my students were quick to point out that the template was "old school" - Facebook has made major tweaks to the layout and design of its site, which weren't reflected in this version. This year, I finally got around to updating the template to reflect Facebook's current look. Click here to download the  new template for PowerPoint 2010 . No, it doesn't have the timeline interface (I'm not using it yet on my own personal Facebook page, so I don't feel comfortable enough trying to recreate it), but otherwise it reflects many of the recent design changes. It is hyperlinked, so when you're in "View Show" mode, you can click on "Wall," "Info," and "Pictures," and go directly to those parts of the PowerPoint - making it behaving like a traditional Facebook page. ...
Read more

Supporting Social-Emotional Learning with Library Bulletin Boards

Image
  As librarians, we cover so many different standards. Information literacy? Check. English Language Arts? Check. Reading? Check. STEM? Check. Computer science? Check. Over the last year or two, I've added social-emotional learning to the list of skills and competencies I teach through library instruction.  Some strategies are super obvious - like direct instruction as part of my teaching, but other methods like book displays and bulletin boards are more subtle. One primary focus of my library program is supporting students' mental health, which is directly tied to the SEL strand of emotional regulation.  Emotional regulation refers to the ability to manage and express emotions in a healthy and appropriate way. Emotional regulation is essential for secondary students, who are navigating the challenges and complexities of adolescence. During this time, my junior high kids feel a huge range of intense emotions, from excitement and joy to frustration and anger and everything...
Read more

January Bulletin Boards & Book Displays

Image
I thought I'd share our January displays and bulletin board before the month is officially over. Luckily, this month's themes are pretty universal, so they'd work just as well any other time of the year. In the library we went with a black and white color scheme and a "Get Inspired" theme. We hung white puff balls (snow?) leftover from a bridal shower and made large, over-sized silhouettes to define the book types at each display. This meant a jumbo chef's hat by the food books, a sled by the sports books, and a pair of scissors by the craft books. Our bulletin board was inspired by this pin . I thought it was a great January idea as the board's title is "Happy New Beginnings." The board displays the first line from 12 different books. When students lift the flap, they see a photo of the book cover that corresponds to that quote. I tried to pick titles that had really great first lines -- it was harder than you'd think! I...
Read more