6. SR: What books do you see children checking out the most in the library? Why?
TB: It is so hard to generalize, but I will take a chance and offer some categories. In my library, we run the Maine Student Book Award program for fourth and fifth graders, so that shelf is enormously popular. The MSBA list includes approximately 40 fiction and nonfiction titles each year selected by a committee of librarians and teachers from the best books published in the previous publishing year.
In middle grade fiction, the three most popular categories are humor like Dian Curtis Regan's In picture books, kids still love humor and texts that invite participation, whether with refrains or cumulative structures. My second picture book, Dawdle Duckling, has been popular for that reason. Who can resist chorusing, "No, QUACK, QUACK. I won't catch up?" 7. SR: What are some of your favorite current young adult novels? Do you view some of the content of this genre as problematic for children's librarians? What are your views on censorship? TB: As a librarian, I have this in common with all librarians. We live and work by a professional code of ethics that commits us to intellectual freedom and the right of all people to freely view and read. Censorship is the enemy of a free exchange of ideas. Therefore, no, I don't consider YA content to be problematic. I support examination of all topics in YA literature. My own adolescence would have been made much easier had I had access to some of the grittier YA novels published now. My favorite recent "edgy" YA novel was America by E.R. Frank. What an honest and noble book it is. However, YA doesn't have to be "edgy" to appeal to me. One of my favorite YA novelists is Nancy Werlin
