Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Hand-selling fiction

I'm sure every teacher librarian hand-sells books, fiction in particular.  Try this? Or this?  I loved this one....the people who loved that one also liked this...
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It's fun, and keeps you on your toes and aware of your stock, but it's also sometimes an interesting challenge.  I just keep up with the vampire-romance crowd (voracious they are, too!) but one boy's keeping me on my toes for sure.  Earlier this year, he asked me for fiction war stories.  I suggested, among other things, the Moran series by Wendy Catran.
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He worked his way through them, liking them, and came back for another recommendation.  Took a few goes, and then he went away happy with Temeraire.
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And worked his way through that series too.  Like me, he's keenly waiting for the next one (sometime next year).  Meanwhile, what else can I suggest?  I suggest a few, and he goes away happy with some steampunk (I'm widening his horizons a tad, I know...): Worldshaker.
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OK.  That took him hardly any time at all, and he's back for another one (since this is a stand-alone, not part of a series).  What about the brand spankin' new Scott Westerfeld steampunk, Leviathan?
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Took him less than a week - he really liked it.  Also a stand-alone (I don't know if a series is planned).  He came back on Monday this week, and muttered in the bashful way of a quiet lovely boy something about how he may as well ask me for another book, because I seem to be able to find things he likes.  The pressure... I was going to try Muchamore's Cherub series, but The Recruit (first book in the series) is on loan.  I show him several other possibilities, but he isn't keen on any of them.  I ask my work experience student for his ideas (he's a reader) - he thinks the Muchamore series would be good, but what about Ranger's Apprentice?  It's nearly bell time, and I have three students wanting to ask me things.  I hand the WExp student the first RA book, tell him to hand-sell it to our customer, and leave them to it while I attend to the others.  Our borrower is persuaded (yay for the WExp student!) and so has started (I hope) on another enjoyable series.
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I'm really appreciative that he trusts my suggestions (well, some of them!) but the pressure... if he's reading a book a week or so, that's over thirty books a year, and if like some, his focus/interests happen to be narrow, it's surely a challenge!  Each time he's come, it's usually taken half a dozen books before he's found one he wants to borrow (the others he quietly returns to wherever I got them - he usually only goes by what I say, the cover and the blurb, and if they don't catch him, he isn't caught.  What I say helps, but isn't enough - the book has to appeal).
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So if you have any ideas I can suggest to him when he comes by again, do leave a comment!
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I don't remember all of the hand-selling I do so clearly (the brain can only hold so much) but thought this was a progression I'd like to document here, to show the pattern of reading of just one of our many readers, and the impact hand-selling can have.  It's lovely to be trusted - a reputation for good book suggestions is another tool in the teacher librarian's arsenal to keep our students happy with their library's service, and to keep them happily reading.  It also helps our library remain effective in encouraging them to learn.  All good!
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Cheers
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Ruth
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ADDED LATER: lots of great comments, thank you.  Including a couple from My Humble Work Experience Student...!

9 comments:

Claire said...

Has he tried the Skullduggery Pleasant books? There's three books in that series so far.

Ruth Buchanan said...

It's a good idea, but it was (boo hoo!) one of the titles he put quietly aside. Might try it again (what is it they say about kids and veges, give 'em several tries???). Thank you! Ruth

Judi said...

Hi Ruth - I have just read and enjoyed Chris Morphew's Arrival - first in an Australian six-parter called The Phoenix Files. Part 2 is due in February, so give it to him late, cos he'll be chomping!

Sandra said...

A couple of books/series that spring to mind are:
The Postman by David Brin; Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series (The Dragonbone Chair etc) by Tad Williams; Dune series by Frank Herbert; Eragon etc by Christopher Paolini; The Spook's Apprentice etc by Joseph Delaney. This last one may be too similar to Skulduggery Pleasant for his liking. Good Luck.

Judi said...

Hi Ruth. Not sure what happened to my comment, so here goes again. I have just read Arrival, the first in a new Australian series (Phoenix Files) of six by 23-year-old Chris Morphew. Very fast paced, exciting scenario and well drawn characters (including a gutsy girl). Ends on a cliffhanger, with the second book due in Feb. 2010. I am sure he will enjoy.

Anonymous said...

What About Boy Solier, Andy Mcnab?

Your Humble work experience student said...

You could also try him on Alex Rider and Young Bond by Charlie Higson

Your Work Exp Kid said...

Also from your humble work experience Student (who just looked at his own books) you could try the Alfred Kropp Series, the Tenabran Series Dave Lucket or The Lab by Jack Heath
P.S Thanks For the great week

Tehani Wessely said...

You and your student might be pleased to know that there are sequels (series?) for both Worldshaker and Leviathan underway!

Details on Liberator (sequel to Worldshaker) here http://www.richardharland.net/worldshaker/WS.sequel/WS.sequel.htm

And Leviathan is at least a trilogy - from Westerfeld's website... "Look for the next book in the Leviathan series, called Behemoth, in October 2010!"

Did the young man not like the look of the Tomorrow series? I've just had a Year 9 lad discover and devour them in a fortnight!