According to a report by Publisher's Weekly books such as Dav Pilkey's Captain Underpants, Barbara Park's Junie B. Jones and the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer are among the best selling books for children. If you look at the best books of the year chosen by the American Library Association, or those chosen by book review journals such as School Library Journal, The Horn Book, or Booklist you will not find any of these titles. (Diane Roback "Big Names Top the Charts," March 24, 2003.)
What is the role of books like these (best selling books for children) in developing and deepening children's response to literature?
Do you (or would you) include them in your classroom library?
Do you (or would you) read these best sellers aloud or include them as selections in book groups?
Discussion question from Charlotte Huck's Children's Literature by Barbara Z. Kiefer, Tenth Edition