A little bit of everything...
Pop-culture trends and Children’s Literature trends have a
great deal in common. Current events and the return of classic topics also
affect the top trends in popular Children’s Literature topics. Concurrently
these trends affect how children’s books are used in and out of the classroom. Scholastic
publishes a yearly report and prediction for popular Children’s Literature
trends. For the year 2017 the list mentions four major trends: lessons in
kindness, book anniversaries reintroducing classics to a new generation, funny
books that make kids laugh out loud, and reinvented classics (Barrett, 2016).
Lisa, a local public school librarian and close family friend, with 15 years of
experience, confirmed and expounded on the predictions made by the global
children’s publishing, education, and media company. Lisa was kind enough to
answer a few questions pertaining to these and other trends in current
Children’s Literature.
Q: What topic seems to be flying of the shelves this school
year?
A: Fairy Tales with unexpected twists and turns. We have a
great deal of new books on the shelves that tackle traditional fairy tales in a
new light. Some of them are even from the villain’s point of view. This trend
seems to mirror the sudden pop-culture fascination with classic fairy tale
movies and television shows like ABC’s Once Upon A Time or the newly released
version of Beauty and the Beast.
Q: What style of book is difficult to keep on the shelves?
A: Graphic novels are, hands down, the most popular style of
book. We can barely keep them on the shelf. It doesn’t matter what the topic of
the novel is. We have some historical fiction, superhero, supernatural, and
tons of other topics in graphic novels and all are constantly being checked out.
The combination of vibrant pictures and dynamic words really appeal to our
students.
Q: Are there any popular series you’ve noticed in more
recent months?
A: Warrior Series by Erin Hunter is a frequent favorite. It
appeals to both girls and boys and there are a lot of books in the series. Kids
like the animals on the covers and they always come back for more books in the
same series. It’s a great combination for lovers of fantasy novels and animal
novels.
Q: Are there any books your students are asking for that you
do not or cannot keep stocked in the library for one reason or another?
A: 13 Reasons Why has been a really tough book for us to
deny students. A great many of our students have been allowed to watch the
popular Netflix series, which was adapted from the bestselling novel. However,
much of the material covered in the novel has been deemed to mature for our
middle school students. Still, we do recommend for those students that request
the novel, that they obtain the novel from the public library with parental
permission.
Q: What is the most controversial topic in children’s
literature in recent months?
A: LGBT books seem to be the most prevalent issue we’re
faced with. Due to the age of middle school students we do have some students
who have identified themselves as members of the LGBT community. However, there
is a big difference in maturity and self-awareness between the 6th
and 8th grade students. Combined with the fact that the majority of
parents feel like the LGBT topic is one better left for the home, means that
the current climate dictates we not allow this topic on the shelves. As with
the novel 13 Reasons Why, we urge students to obtain these books from the
public library.
Q: Is there a remarkable difference in the amount of female
or male students checking out certain books or series?
A: I don’t find a very noticeable trend in what girls and
boys pick based solely on gender. You would be surprised how many of my girls
pick up the graphic novels and how many of the boys pick up the popular fairy
tale books. Both girls and boys easily enjoy most of the popular books.
Q: How about the previous favorites like Twilight, Percy
Jackson, and Harry Potter. Are they still popular?
A: Twilight’s popularity has definitely declined over the
past year or two. Though I did see a
slight uptick in interest when the new anniversary edition of the book came out
last year. I still have a few kids ask for it after an older sibling mentions
it to them or if the student sees the movie for the first time. The same goes
for the Percy Jackson series. Harry Potter is another topic all together. With
the recent Cursed Child book and play, and the Fantastic Beasts book and move,
there has been a remarkable resurgence in students requesting them. Also, the
new illustrated editions, of the first two books, have brought more students to
the series.
Q: Are dystopian novels still popular? Series like The
Hunger Games, and Divergent?
A: Absolutely. These favorites still frequently get checked
out. There is also a new series by Victoria Aveyard, The Red Queen, which has
combined the dystopian novel with the magical powers of fantasy novels. The
books from this series are very difficult to keep on the shelf. We also saw a
huge rise in students reading Lois Lowry’s The Giver after the book was adapted
into a movie.
Q: Are there any other trends you have noticed in recent
months?
A: Some classic stories like Goosebumps are making a
comeback because of the anniversary editions being released alongside the
recently released movie. Other trends go hand in hand with the Virginia Reader
program we promote. The program always provides a variety of books from
different genres and encourages students read books from outside their normal
comfort zone, which can lead to students discovering new favorites.
Q: What do you predict will continue to be popular or become
more popular as the year continues?
A: I can’t see the interest in graphic novels, dystopian
novels, or fairy tales declining anytime soon. We’ve encouraged our teachers to
read some of the more popular novels from this selection in an effort to
incorporate these interesting books into their lessons. It also allows our
teachers to gain an understanding of what their students find funny,
interesting, and engaging. It can help them teach plot summary and fiction
concepts with material the students find interesting.
Warrior Series by Erin Hunter:
13 Reasons Why:
GoodReads:
BookBub:
Sources
Barrett, Michael. 2016. Scholastic. Kids’ Book Trends In 2017. Retrieved from: http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/press-release/kids-book-trends-2017-scholastic-reading-club-editors-predict-next-years-must-reads
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