Great Middle Grade Reads discussion

Hi everyone:

I have a question about the Geronimo Stilton books. I live here in Spain and every kid wants the new book for Christmas. Most have all of the series - seriously hefty tomes, about 500 pages each. They love them, and the spin-offs. However, my family in the UK with kids tell me they´ve never heard of the books and I can´t understand it. My questions are:

Are the books popular where you live?
And,
Why are they not so popular in the UK? I really think it can´t only be because of taste, as kids are kids and the themes are universal.

Thanks!

James

Hi,
They are popular in New Zealand. One retail bookstore (Whitcoulls) has a Top 50 children's book list that comes out every year. This is voted on by people who shop with them. For 2016 the Geronimo and Thea Stilton series were in 8th place.

My 9 yr old boy has read some of them but he didn't get really into the series.

Out here next door to San Francisco, they are apparently huge. Our library has about a million of them, and they go in and out as much or more than anything in the kids' room.

OK, brilliant, thanks, guys. The only mystery, then is the UK...

Weird!

I haven't heard of them, or seen them in my quick look in bookstores in the UK. Although they're all in the library.

Wonder why?

They are BIG in Singapore; consistently 8 out of the Top 10 bestsellers every week is from that series. The reason, my guess, is distribution. The main book distributor in Singapore, which has a shop in virtually even mall in Singapore in various parts of the country, has 2-3x more shelf space compared to other MG books. So in a way they dictate what's available for the MG readers and it perpetuates itself in that way. The kids don't have many book choices, get into the few available series and keep reading that series. Their peers see what they're reading and it becomes trendy to read those books coz they are everywhere.

Totally agree, Justine - which kind of leads me to what I´m thinking - what´s the problem with the distribution in the UK? I think Penguin do some of the books but they look nothing like the books I´ve seen here in Spain - the Kingdom of Fantasy, Travels in Time etc. They look like they´re directed more at younger readers - much younger readers. As has been noted, they´re in the libraries but just don´t seem to have taken off. Just wondering if it´s a case of kids just not going for them, or bad distribution and marketing?

I don't think there's a problem per se. Probably book rights, and someone making judgement on what kids in each country like or not. Michael Morpurgo is very popular here in UK, but from what I see and understand, not so in SG and USA. Yet vice versa, I have't seen The Magic Tree House here in UK even though they are also very popular elsewhere. Enid Blyton, even though she is a British author, is not really popular anymore in UK, but her books are just as popular as G Stilton in SG.

Many of Enid Blyton's books have just been re-released in new covers. She was out of favour for many years - I don't know whether these new books have been updated, though; there were many stereotypes from the 'post-colonial' era in them.

It hasn't been translated to Swedish and is unknown here. The tv-show aired here, but I've never heard anyone talking about it.

Just to clear up some of the mysteries, there are a few types of Geronimo Stilton books. There are "easy reader" books aimed at about 7-8 year olds. There are also graphic novels, aimed at grade schoolers of all ages who can't handle the picture-heavy regular books. And then there are the "Specials" which are much thicker and longer, but I think still use the picture-heavy format.

My daughter here is Australia can't get enough of these books! Absolutely loves them.

I teach third grade in the US and my students love Geronimo. They love how it's a cross between a graphic novel and a regular novel and like that Geronimo is a reluctant hero.

They are very popular with reluctant readers in the 7-10 year old age range in my school library in Australia.

They are very popular with 4th grade reluctant readers. I base this on what I see where I teach in South Florida. I agree that they are a nice bridge to longer chapter books.

Catherine wrote: "They are very popular with 4th grade reluctant readers. I base this on what I see where I teach in South Florida. I agree that they are a nice bridge to longer chapter books."

Popular with 4th grade, but very decidedly below the reading level they should be at. Which doesn't preclude the 4th graders reading them for fun, of course; not every book should be a stretch.

Three to six years ago, when I was volunteering at my daughter's elementary school library (Southern California), the younger versions of Geronimo Stilton were very visible on the spanner racks, and quite a few kids checked them out. I had no idea there were bigger books--and a TV show??

They are popular here in Indiana, as well. I have grades 6-8 and the 6th graders mainly request them still. I think they are more popular in the lower grades, though. We have the chapter books here.

Thanks everyone - interesting!

My cousin in India only likes to read Geronimo Stilton. She doesn't like reading in general.

Very popular with Junior and early Middle school students in my library in Victoria, Australia

They are huge in New Zealand. My kids liked looking at the pictures even before they could read. Now they I see them reading them now and again.