Happy Drop Everything and Read Day! I’m thrilled that my friend, librarian Beimnet Baissa, is here to talk about some of her favorite books, current trends in middle grade books, as well as offer some suggestions for encouraging lifetime readers.
Beimnet, thank you SO MUCH for letting me interview you! Tell me, in this age of technology, what does a middle school librarian do?
I advocate for student choice in what to read, as well as making time to read. I work with ELA teachers to find books and projects for students, and I am a teacher resource, meaning I provide technology assistance, materials research, and in-class support. The library is also a community space for the school, a place for students to complete projects and take tests.
What is your favorite part of being a school librarian?
I love reading out loud to students and helping them find books to read for fun.
What is the hardest part?
Middle grade is the hardest book buying age—the range of what is appropriate for early middle grade differs greatly from what students want to read by 8th grade.
How many books do you read a year?
I read about 150 books a year, and probably half of those are titles I’m considering for the library.
I read mainly middle grade (fiction and nonfiction), historical fiction, romance, and I have a particular love for novels in verse.*
*Joanna sidenote: This is true! I have read several wonderful novels-in-verse at Beimnet’s recommendation. I highly recommend: Audacity by Melanie Crowder, The Poet Slave of Cuba by Margarita Engle, and Worst-Case Collin by Rebecca Caprara.
Who are your favorite book characters?
This instantly put a smile on my face. I love all the ones from childhood: Arthur, Amelia Bedelia, Ms. Piggle-Wiggle, Matilda, Ella from Ella Enchanted. Then there are the ones from my favorite books like Betsy from Betsy-Tacy and Anne from Anne of Green Gables. There’s something special about the books you read as a child. I would read and reread my favorites, so those have a more permanent place in my memory than the books I read now just one time.
What are your all-time, Top 5 favorite books?
The Betsy-Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace
Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery
The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
Last month, author Beth Weg offered some tea-and-book pairings. What is your favorite tea to drink while reading?
You can’t go wrong with Constant Comment and a book on a Saturday morning.
What is your “toxic book trait?”
Starting a new book at night, and then not being able to stop reading!
What are 5 new books that you recommend?
Safiyyah’s War by Hiba Noor Khan This one is for upper elementary and middle school students, and I loved it! I love history, and I didn’t know about this from World War II, and it was so well-written.
Black Girl You Are Atlas by Renée Watson This is such a beautiful book of poetry that I want for myself, and probably good for middle school and up.
The Probability of Everything by Sarah Everett Warning: read this one at home if you don’t like crying in public! There’s a twist, and it’s written amazingly. Great for middle school, and I can’t wait to recommend it to some of our students.
The Lonely Hearts Book Club by Lucy Gilmore Finally, a book for adults! This one is not a romance, don’t let the title dissuade you! This is a love letter to books and how they bring us together.
Frizzy by Claribel A. Ortega A graphic novel for upper elementary school and middle school students. As someone who wrote multiple poems about frizzy hair as a child, I loved this book!
How do kids find books?
Definitely BookTok for our 8th graders. They are always telling me what they're seeing on there, and that’s what they want to read. For our 6th and 7th graders, they read what their friends recommend, continue a series they started years ago, and by hearing what is popular among our other students.
How can parents find books for their kids?
I think it depends on what kind of book your kid would like and how you like to get your information! If you like getting information without talking to people, you can get on a newsletter list for your local bookstore or try the Indie Next List and they’ll send out recommendations that are very helpful for finding out new books that booksellers across the country recommend.
NoveList and NoveList K-8 Plus are databases that are usually available through your local library. They can help you find books based on what you've enjoyed before - genres, descriptions, character types, storylines, and so much more. I love it!!
You can also always ask a local librarian! You can email them or go in person, and I’m sure they’ll overwhelm you with recommendations. If your child doesn’t love reading and you can get them into reading a series, then you can be set for a while.
Which genres are middle school readers asking for most right now?
Manga that corresponds to the anime they’re watching, horror, murder mysteries, and romance. This can be hard because a lot of the popular books in these genres are not necessarily written for middle schoolers, so when I do get them in the library, they are often checked out quickly.
Have students ever recommended books to you?
Yes! Three that come to mind that I’ve recently enjoyed are:
The Someday Suitcase by Corey Ann Haydu
Space Case by Stuart Gibbs
One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Which nonfiction topics are currently popular in middle grade?
Books about different sports teams and World War II nonfiction or biographies. They stand the test of time, they’re always popular!
Is there a book you wish to see more of- or is there a book kids need that hasn’t been written yet? This kind of goes along with some of the other answers I have, but I would love, love, love to see more horror and romance books for 6th-8th grade students. The books that appeal to a 6th grader in those genres don’t necessarily appeal to our 8th graders, and then the books that the 8th graders want, aren’t necessarily appropriate for 6th graders, and we all have to share the same library collection.
What are your best tips for helping a reluctant reader?
I would try to see why they’re reluctant first. Is it because they’re more interested in something else or is it that they haven’t found a book for them yet, or is it that they find it hard to focus on the book, or is it that reading is hard for them? Obviously, there are more reasons, but those are the reasons I see the most.
If they’re interested in something else, then start with an article, magazine, or short story about that topic. The point is that kids are reading, not that they’re reading what we loved or a novel that we’ve decided that kids at that age are “supposed” to be reading.
If they haven’t found an interesting book, then I would start getting some recommendations. Sometimes it takes a few tries, but if you can find a book they like, then you’re good (at least until you need the next suggestion!).
If they find it hard to focus, maybe you can read with them or try an audiobook while they draw, walk, or stretch or do something to keep their hands busy, but not so busy that they can’t focus.
If they struggle with reading, then I absolutely recommend audiobooks or graphic novels. That counts as reading, and they’ll get sucked into the story, and enjoy what we all enjoy about stories!
Finally, what are some of your favorite book-to-movie adaptations that might help parents and kids find a new favorite read together?
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart (series previously on Disney+, currently unavailable)
Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen (2005 film - Hulu, Hoopla, Starz)
Ms. Marvel by G. Willow Wilson (Disney+)
Enola Holmes series by Nancy Springer (Netflix)
Thank you, Beimnet for joining me! I know your suggestions have helped parents and kids find new books worthy of Drop Everything and Read Day!