Kiddie Lit

When I work at the Youth Services desk, I'm a little out of my league. Strangely enough, I minored in children's literature in my undergrad degree, but that was in 1996. I haven't done a very good job of keeping up with new authors and series since then. I read a few children's books here and there so I'm not completely unaware, but I'm just not as quick as the Youth Services Librarians are at youth readers advisory. I thought I'd share some of the series I like to recommend (my "go-to list"), and some online tools I use in the realm of children's literature.

My Go-To List

My favorite youth fiction authors to recommend are:
Avi (historical)
Patricia Reilly Giff (historical)
Andrew Clements (funny)
Margaret Peterson Haddix (sci-fi)
E.L. Konigsburg (funny)
Kate DiCamillo (fiction/realistic fiction)
Sue Stauffacher (funny/realistic fiction)

...and my favorite youth series to recommend are:
Time Warp Trio by Jon Scieszka (fantasy)
Freddie Fernortner, Fearless First Grader by Jonathan Rand (funny)
Ghostville Elementary by Marcia Jones (funny/fantasy)
Geronimo Stilton by a variety of authors (funny)
Royal Diaries by a variety of authors (historical)
Dear America by a variety of authors (historical)
Dragon Slayers' Academy by Kate McMullan (fantasy)


Online Tools

Fantastic Fiction
This site is out of the UK, and one-stop shopping for series lists, author information, and upcoming titles.

Carol Hurst's Children's Literature Site
I love the age-level and grade-level reading lists on this site, as well as themed reading lists. This site is great for students, but also teachers and homeschooling parents.

KidsRead.com
Reviews, author info, podcasts, and series summaries make this a GREAT place to find age-appropriate series for kids.

Mid-Continent Public Library Juvenile Series and Sequels
I love all the reading lists they make a MCPL, but this page is exceptional. It has "Juvenile Easy" lists for birth through 2nd graders, Juvenile lists for 2nd - 6th graders, and Young Adult lists for 6th - 12th graders.