Amanda Hurley, manager of Inkwood Books in Tampa, Fla., shared news of some titles with double appeal: books, she reports, that “are selling well – and that I’m having a lot of fun selling.”
In picture books, I’d have to say that Mother Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins is a real favorite. It’s hilarious and fun. I immediately point it out to parents, and most who buy the book come back and tell me how much they, and their kids, love it. The bear is so lovingly grumpy, and the illustrations are great. I’ve seen a lot of parents very excited about this book.
My favorite early readers right now are Abby Hanlon’s Dory Fantasmagory and its sequel, Dory and the Real True Friend. Dory is so hilarious, and so relatable to both girls and boys, with her being the youngest sibling. And her imaginary friend is so very funny. Parents love these books, and sales of both really took off after the first came out in paperback in July, at the same time that the second came out in hardcover. I had one little girl come in a week after I had given her Dory Fantasmagory, and she told me she “really needed” the second book. Obviously it’s easier to sell a book at a lower price point, but once kids get hooked on a book, it’s unlikely that parents will tell a child that they can’t have the new hardcover sequel. Dory is almost like a new Junie B. Jones, and it’s been hard to keep these books on the shelf.
I run one of our store’s book clubs for kids, and one of the most popular books that we’ve read, and one I’m really enjoying selling, is Katherine Applegate’s Crenshaw. I love this novel because it is such a simple, quiet story, but it packs such a punch. The author does such a great job illuminating for kids what it’s like to be homeless, and this book makes readers think of things they never thought of before. I loved reading Crenshaw, but for me the real reward is hearing kids’ reactions. Everything I hoped they’d take from the book they did take from it. One boy in the book club told me he used to pass panhandlers on the way to school, and he thought they just didn’t want to work, but this novel taught him that sometimes things get really, really hard for people. Applegate does a great job imparting such a big message to young readers.
Another middle-grade favorite, which we also read in the book club, is The Bamboo Sword by Margi Preus. It is great historical fiction that takes place in Japan in the mid-19th century, and it’s told from two perspectives: one of a cabin boy on an American ship, and the other of a Japanese boy who is a servant and has always dreamed of becoming a samurai. But he knows that isn’t possible, because of class restrictions, and that he’ll always be a member of the serving class. The story led to great discussions among the book club kids. This is another good example of an author bringing big issues to light and making them very understandable to kids.
In YA, I really love Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli, which is a very good handsell. The writing style is very simple, and Simon, who exchanges emails with a male classmate, tells the story. Both characters are gay, and haven’t come out to anyone, but someone who finds the emails blackmails Simon. The author has found a smart, funny, and intuitive way to tell a coming-out story, with a sweet and satisfying ending.
On the older edge, I also really like The Game of Love and Death by Martha Brockenbrough. The writing is so smart and clever, and the novel has a supernatural aspect, but is still grounded in reality. I made the mistake of finishing it on a plane, bawling my eyes out in front of other people. This is an excellent book, but one you shouldn’t finish in a crowd!
