What Are Oklahoma Middle Schoolers Reading?

The Oklahoma Library Association just held its annual Information Matrix Summer Camp for ages 12 to 14. Twenty-one young teens from across the state (shown above at the Will Rogers Memorial) attended the camp in Tulsa, where they visited different libraries and collections, learned about the profession, participated in activities, and made a lifetime of memories. During one of the sessions, campers gave us a glimpse of what Oklahoma’s young people are reading.

When asked to name a favorite book or character, here’s what 19 campers said:

• I really like the Viking Quest series. My favorite character in it is Bree. I love the adventures she has.

• The Wakefield Dynasty

• The Host by Stephenie Meyer

• Three Shadows

• Three Willows

• Just Listen by Sarah Dessen because it is interesting, realistic, and well-written.

• Not So Simple Life. It’s a good read!

• My favorite book is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince because I like fantasy.

• Schooled

• Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep. It’s about different cancer patients.

• Elizabeth Bennet (Pride and Prejudice) because she is not afraid to speak her mind and is very witty.

• Hush Hush—it makes me happy, sad, excited, and almost every emotion at once.

• Ender Wiggen (Ender’s Game); he can be a hero without having any special traits (to me at least).

• All the Lovely Bad Ones. I like books that are scary and about ghosts.

• The Skin I’m In. It is very inspirational.

• Hit and Run because it’s a mystery and kind of a romance.

• The House of Night (series) because it always has a nice twist.

• Percy Jackson; I like mythology.

• Diary of a Wimpy Kid

I have to tell you, I’m pretty impressed with the diversity of books the teens listed. Their reading interests range from sci-fi/fantasy to realistic fiction, from swashbucklers to Christian Fiction, and from graphic novels to an Austen classic. Like I said, impressive!

Know some middle schoolers? What are they reading?

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