#toptentitles Non-fiction

The nonfiction section had so many ties that there were more than 50 titles listed.   However, looking at the first 10 books listed, you can get a good idea of what types of books are the most popular, so in the interest of time, that is what I went with.

Here are the top ten non-fiction books based on circulation in our media center:

What?!  A cat book?!

Guess I better order some more military vehicle books for this upcoming year.

What are your top nonfiction books?

#toptentitles Wildcat Favorites

The Wildcat Favorites section in our media center is made up (mostly) of fiction series books that are the most popular with our patrons.  This can include picture books (E), easy chapter books (EC), upper fiction books (FIC), as well as middle grade fiction books (MG FIC), and graphic novels.  Because these are the most popular books, the number of circulations for these titles is higher overall.  To read more about the Wildcat Favorite section, click HERE.


Interestingly, this year Diary of  a Wimpy Kid did not take the top place, although it did appear in the top ten more than once.  It's nice to see that different series are becoming more popular...Bad Kitty, Lunch Lady, and Squish are among some of the favorites gaining ground.  Here are the top ten Wildcat Favorites from 2014-2015 in our media center.

Three Lunch Lady titles sharing the top ten spot with 3 other books

Another Lunch Lady and a Squish book along with a Dork Diaries title make the number nine spot.

Number eight includes another Lunch Lady and the first of many Bad Kitty titles and Diary of a Wimpy Kid titles along with 3 other favorites.

Number eight...no surprises there

Number six...the first DOAWK

Number five...a Bad Kitty title

Number four...a Bad Kitty title

Number three.,..they love Lunch Lady!

Number two...down several spots from last year...DOAWK titles

And the number one Wildcat Favorites of the year went to a Bad Kitty title and an I Spy title.

It seems that the books I have placed in the Wildcat Favorites have certainly earned their spots.  What are your patrons' favorite series books?

#toptentitles Middle Grade Fiction

I have a separate section in my media center just for fourth and fifth graders.  This section includes chapter books with more mature story lines as well as longer plots (i.e. more pages), usually with characters who are in middle school or about to enter middle school.  If you're curious as to why I created this section, you can read my post about it HERE.

Middle Grade fiction is another large section in our library and because of that, there are more books to choose from, so each book may not get a high circulation.  In addition, many of the titles in the top ten are newer additions to our collection and did not have the full year to circulate.

Number ten was a tie between two new additions to our collection.

The number nine spot was taken by three books, also newer additions to our collection.

The number eight spot is held by books that are a little older in our collection, but still new within the last two years.  This is not the only appearance of one of the NERDS titles to show up in this top ten.

I must confess that I have only read 1 out of  the three of  the books that hold the number seven spot, but Hoot is definitely on my "to be read" shelf.

The number six spot is a tie between 4 books, none of which surprise me.  All have eye catching covers and the story lines are pretty good.

Number five...Vampire books are always a hit.

Number four...the other two NERDS books in our collection made it to the top five!

The number three book...I may have had a little bit to do with the popularity of this title as I book talked it with both fourth and fifth grade classes, but it is also a really good action read.

The number two spot...another fun read for tweens

And the number one middle grade fiction book...

I was ecstatic to see that a Haddix book took the number one spot. I find her books so exciting and apparently the kids enjoy her books, too.

What are some of your favorite middle grade reads?  Any of these also popular in your library or media center?

#toptentitles Upper Fiction

Today's top ten covers the upper fiction section. This section includes longer chapter books, usually third grade reading level and up.  Upper Fiction top ten titles overall had lower numbers of check outs, but I attribute this to the fact that it is a larger section and there are more students checking out in that section so there are more books to circulate per student.

Number ten was a tie between 4 books.  All four of these books were acquired later in the year, so I fully expect that they will have many more check out this upcoming school year.

Number nine was a tie between 5 books.  I was happy to see the Ellray Jakes series is making a strong showing as this is a new series in our media center.

Number eight was also a tie between 5 books.  Ellray Jakes made another appearance and a Kickers book also showed up. This is no surprise as soccer is very popular in the city where I live.  Kickers is a new series to our media center, but one that I can see growing in popularity because of it's subject matter.

Spot number seven is shared between 8 books.  No surprise that another Whatever After book is in the top ten.  Those are super hot sellers at the Book Fair.  And look, Ellray Jakes and Kickers showed up again.  One of the Sisters Club books and The Lemondade War books also made their first appearances.

Number six was a tie between 5 books, with another Timmy Failure book and Sisters Club book.

Number five was a tie between the first Sisters Club book and the third Lemonade War book.

The number four spot goes to Stick Dog.  I think the larger print and pictures may have something to do with the popularity of this one.

I was happy to see a Clements book take the number three. Although many teachers use Clements books in their classrooms, he is an author that doesn't get checked out much in our media center, even though we have about 20 copies of different titles of his books.

Again, no surprise at what title took the number two spot.  So glad I purchased the next titles in the Lemonade War series last year.

And the top upper fiction book checked out in my media center for the 2014-2015 school year was...

This one was a bit of a surprise for me, even though we have 2 copies of every one of the books in this series.  It just didn't seem to me that it was being checked out that much.  Guess I was wrong.

See any surprises in my top ten?  

#toptentitles Easy Chapter Books

I created the Easy Chapter book section a few years ago to make it easier for patrons who were ready to move onto chapter books to find good reads, as well as for students who may need chapter books that weren't quite so long to read.  You can read more about this section HERE.

This year's top Easy Chapter books include many Henry and Mudge titles as well as most of the Buddy Files series, and a few happy new surprises for me.  Here are the top ten easy chapter books for our media center:

Number ten includes Buddy Files, Henry and Mudge, as well as a newcomer this year...a couple of Ricky Ricotta titles.

Spot number nine includes one of the Missy titles (Love Susan Nees!), a Ricky Ricotta title as well as a few Violet Mackerel titles, which are new to our collection.  It seems that they are a hit!

Spot number eight includes another Buddy Files, Ricky Ricotta, and a couple of Henry and Mudge titles as well as a Nancy Clancy title.

Number seven...Henry and Mudge

Number six...2 Henry and Mudge titles and a Mr. Putter and Tabby, as well as a Ricky Ricotta and a Buddy Files...see a pattern here?

Number five...another Henry and Mudge and a Dyamonde Daniel.  I was glad to see DD in the top ten this year.  I was really hoping that series would catch on.

Number four

Number three...no surprises there, based on the top 10-4

Number two...sounds about right

And the number one spot is shared by two Mr. Putter and Tabby books and Dog Diaries.

Taking the time to look up the top titles in different sections really helps me to figure out what series I need to invest in.  I think the Buddy Files, Henry and Mudge and Mr. Putter and Tabby take the cake this year, but I can see some other series gaining popularity. It will be interesting to see what this upcoming school year's circulation will be.

What are some of the most popular easy/early chapter books in your media center or library?