[English] Bestselling Children's Books (NYTimes this week)

[stephen at melbpc.org.au]

NYTimes: Bestselling Books (This Week)
 
Children's Books  
(April 10, 2009) 


PICTURE BOOKS 
This Week (at the start) & Weeks on List (at the end) 

1 LISTEN TO THE WIND: THE STORY OF DR. GREG AND "THREE CUPS OF TEA", by 
Greg Mortenson and Susan L. Roth. (Dial, $16.99.) A school grows in 
Pakistan. (Ages 4 to 8) 11 

2 THE HOUSE IN THE NIGHT, by Susan Marie Swanson. Illustrated by Beth 
Krommes. (Houghton Mifflin, $17.) A key, a bed, a book, a light, the 
moon. (Ages 4 to 8) 9 

3 THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR, written and illustrated by Eric Carle. 
(Philomel, $29.99.) Still hungry after 40 years. A pop-up book. (Ages 3 
and up) 3 

4 GALLOP!, written and illustrated by Rufus Butler Seder. (Workman, 
$12.95.) Animals seem to move when you flip the page. (Ages 4 to 8) 73 

5 THE COMPOSER IS DEAD, by Lemony Snicket. Illustrated by Carson Ellis. 
Music by Nathaniel Stookey. (HarperCollins, $17.99.) A whodunit tour of 
the orchestra, with audio. (Ages 9 to 12) 5 

6 LADYBUG GIRL AND BUMBLEBEE BOY, by David Soman and Jacky Davis. 
Illustrated by David Soman. (Dial, $16.99.) A dynamic duo’s play-date. 
(Ages 3 to 5) 5 

7 CAT, written by Matthew Van Fleet and photographed by Brian Stanton. 
(Wiseman/Simon & Schuster, $16.99.) All kinds of cats, in motion and 
rhyme. (Ages 2 and up) 8 

8 NAKED MOLE RAT GETS DRESSED, written and illustrated by Mo Willems. 
(Disney-Hyperion, $16.99.) The rodent as individualist. (Ages 3 and up) 
13 

9 SWING!, written and illustrated by Rufus Butler Seder. (Workman, 
$12.95.) Children seem to move when you flip the page. (Ages 4 to 8) 25 

10 ALL IN A DAY, by Cynthia Rylant. Illustrated by Nikki McClure. 
(Abrams, $17.95.) Sunrise, sunset and everything in between. (Ages 4 to 
8) 3 
 

CHAPTER BOOKS 
This Week  Weeks on List 

1 TWILIGHT: DIRECTOR’S NOTEBOOK, by Catherine Hardwicke. (Little, Brown, 
$17.99.) The making of "Twilight," the movie. (Ages 9 to 12) 3 

2 MILES TO GO, by Miley Cyrus. (Disney-Hyperion, $24.95.) The life of 
Miley Cyrus. (Ages 9 to 12) 5 

3 THE GRAVEYARD BOOK, written by Neil Gaiman. Illustrated by Dave McKean. 
(HarperCollins, $17.99.) To avoid a killer, a young boy lives in a 
cemetery. First Chapter (Ages 10 and up) 27 

4 THIRTEEN REASONS WHY, by Jay Asher. (Razorbill, $16.99.) Before 
committing suicide a girl records and sends explanatory audiotapes to 13 
people. (Ages 14 and up) 24 

5 THE HUNGER GAMES, by Suzanne Collins. (Scholastic, $17.99.) In a 
dystopian future, a girl fights for survival on live TV. (Ages 12 and up) 
30 

6 STARGAZER, by Claudia Gray. (HarperTeen, $16.99.) Vampire love in 
school. (Ages 12 and up) 2 

7 WINTERGIRLS, by Laurie Halse Anderson. (Viking, $17.99.) A life-and-
death story of anorexia. (Ages 12 and up) 3 

8 FADE, by Lisa McMann. (Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster, $15.99.) 
Nightmares haunt Janie the dream-hopper. (Ages 14 and up) 8 

9 SCAT, by Carl Hiaasen. (Random House, $16.99.) An eco-mystery, with a 
dismal swamp and a cast of wild characters who are not always what they 
seem. First Chapter (Ages 9 to 12) 10 

10 BASEBALL GREAT, by Tim Green. (HarperCollins, $16.99.) Two friends, a 
reporter and an athlete, are digging in the dugout for clues in 
this “tween thriller.” (Ages 8 to 12) 1 
 

PAPERBACK BOOKS 
This Week  Weeks on List 

1 EVERMORE, by Alyson Noël. (St. Martin’s Griffin, $9.95.) Immortals in 
school. (Ages 12 and up) 9 

2 THE BOOK THIEF, by Markus Zusak. (Knopf, $11.99.) A girl saves books 
from Nazi burning and shares them with a Jewish man in hiding. First 
Chapter (Ages 14 and up) 82 

3 THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS, by John Boyne. (Random House, $8.99.) A 
boy’s innocence is eroded in evil times. (Ages 12 and up) 22 

4 THREE CUPS OF TEA: YOUNG READERS EDITION, by Greg Mortenson and David 
Oliver Relin. (Puffin, $8.99.) A former climber builds schools in 
Pakistani and Afghan villages. (Ages 9 to 12) 11 

5 THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN, written by Sherman 
Alexie. Illustrated by Ellen Forney. (Little, Brown, $8.99.) A boy leaves 
his reservation for an all-white school. (Ages 12 and up) 2 

6 TWEAK, by Nic Sheff. (Atheneum, $9.99.) The addiction memoir of 
the “Beautiful Boy.” (Ages 14 and up) 11 

7 THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY, by Trenton Lee Stewart. Illustrated by 
Carson Ellis. (Megan Tingley/Little, Brown, $6.99.) Gifted kids on a 
mission. (Ages 9 to 12) 33 

8 CORALINE, by Neil Gaiman. Illustrated by Dave McKean. (HarperFestival, 
$6.99.) A movie tie-in. (Ages 9 to 12) 12 

9 THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX, by Kate DiCamillo. Illustrated by Timothy Basil 
Ering. (Candlewick, $7.99.) A mouse, a rat and a girl on a magic trip. 
(Ages 10 and up) 62 

10 THE SUMMONING, by Kelley Armstrong. (HarperCollins, $8.99.) A girl who 
sees ghosts is locked up. (Ages 12 and up) 1 
 

SERIES BOOKS 
This Week  Weeks on List 

1 THE TWILIGHT SAGA, by Stephenie Meyer. (Megan Tingley/Little, Brown, 
hardcover and paper) Vampires and werewolves in high school. (Ages 12 and 
up) 87 

2 DIARY OF A WIMPY KID, written and illustrated by Jeff Kinney. (Abrams, 
hardcover only) A boy records the hazards of adolescent life. (Ages 9 to 
12) 12 

3 HOUSE OF NIGHT, by P. C. Cast and Kristin Cast. (St. Martin’s, 
hardcover and paper) Vampires in school. (Ages 14 and up) 32 

4 MAXIMUM RIDE, by James Patterson. (Little Brown, hardcover and paper) 
Winged children try to save the world. (Ages 10 and up) 48 

5 THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS, by Cassandra Clare. (McElderry/Simon & 
Schuster, hardcover and paper) A girl battles the forces of darkness. 
(Ages 14 and up) 2 

6 THE 39 CLUES, by various authors. (Scholastic, hardcover only) A 
brother and sister travel the world in search of the key to their 
family’s power. (Ages 9 to 12) 5 

7 FABLEHAVEN, by Brandon Mull. (Shadow Mountain/Aladdin, hardcover and 
paperback) Evil is afoot in a sanctuary for magical creatures. (Ages 9 to 
12) 6 

8 MAGIC TREE HOUSE, by Mary Pope Osborne. Illustrated by Sal Murdocca. 
(Stepping Stone/Random House, hardcover and paper) Children travel in 
time. (Ages 6 to 9) 205 

9 JUNIE B. JONES, by Barbara Park. (Random House, hardcover and paper) 
Antics in the classroom. (Ages 4 to 8) 181 

10 FANCY NANCY, by Jane O’Connor. Illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser. 
(HarperCollins, hardcover and paper) The divine life of a glamour girl. 
(Ages 4 to 8) 36 

<www.nytimes.com/2009/04/19/books/bestseller/bestchildren.html?
_r=1&8bu&emc=bu>

Rankings reflect sales, for the week ending Apr. 4, at many thousands of 
venues where a wide range of general interest books are sold nationwide. 
These include hundreds of independent book retailers (statistically 
weighted to represent all such outlets); national, regional and local 
chains; online and multimedia entertainment retailers; university, gift, 
supermarket, discount department stores and newsstands. An asterisk (*) 
indicates that a book’s sales are barely distinguishable from those of 
the book above. A dagger (†) indicates that some bookstores report 
receiving bulk orders. Among those categories not actively tracked are: 
perennial sellers; required classroom reading; text, reference and test 
preparation guides; journals and workbooks; calorie counters; shopping 
guides; comics and crossword puzzles. Click here for an explanation of 
the difference between trade and mass-market paperbacks. Publishers have 
provided the age designations for their best-selling children's titles. 
These lists are an expanded version of those appearing in the Apr. 19 
print edition of the Book Review.
--

Judy writes,

> Re: [OZTL_NET] HELP: indigenous resources and stolen generation 
 
Apologies for this late response, but end of term reporting etc has meant
I have not kept up to date with my reading of this listing. Amyway, I
have a suggestion for you - I think it is a fantastic book and sounds so
perfect for your unit - and I'll just hope that it's not too late for
your use.

This picture book is called "Down the hole : up the tree, across the 
sandhills, running from the state and Daisy Bates"

(Edna Tantjingu Williams and Eileen Wani Wingfield ; illustrations by 
Kunyi June-Anne McInerney. Alice Springs, N.T., Jukurrpa, 2000)

It tells of indigenous children who would be hidden each day by their 
parents in holes under the ground, so that they would avoid detection. I 
actually used it with a Yr 9 English class - in a unit on the stolen 
generation - and they loved it! I think it would have suitability for a 
very wide range of year levels.

Anyway, I hope this may still be of some help

Rgds

Judy Bolton
St Paul's School
--

Cheers,
Stephen