Chapter 16: Crowdsourced List of Middle School Authors


Chapter 16: Crowdsourced List of Middle School Authors

This chapter contains a crowdsourced list of authors created via a google form filled out by middle school teachers (5-8) about the authors that they teach and/or suggest to students on a regular basis. This google sheet has each suggestion timestamped with the most recent addition on 7/21/2016, the author’s last name, and first name. Lists like this one being created by the teachers and librarians in the field could be very beneficial to other librarians and teachers- as it gives both the names of respected authors but also shows the amount of times the author was suggested. This could help with collection development and also making sure that you are aware of the most important authors in that area, in this case middle school authors. Some of the top suggested authors were (in alphabetical order, followed by the amount of times suggested): Kwame Alexander, 12; Laurie Halse Anderson, 9; Tom Angleberger, 4; Katherine Applegate, 5; Joan Bauer, 5; Kiera Cass, 4; Eoin Colfer, 4; Suzanne Collins, 5; Sharon Creech, 6; Christopher Paul Curtis, 4; Kate DiCamillo, 7; Sharon Draper, 12; Margaret Peterson Haddix, 5; Jeff Kinney, 6; Jo Knowles, 6; Gordan Korman, 6; Cynthia Lord, 4; Lois Lowry, 10; Marie Lu, 4; Mike Lupica, 5; Wendy Mass, 7; Kate Messner, 6; Walter Dean Myers, 6; RJ Palacio, 6; James Patterson, 4; Gary Paulsen, 11; Rick Riordan, 12; J.K. Rowling, 7; Gary Schmidt, 5; Neal Shusterman, 5; Jordan Sonnenblick, 6; Gary Soto, 5;  Jerry Spinelli, 4; Raina Telgemeier, 5; Jacqueline Woodson, 10. These are a small few of the names on the list, but the were the authors that had their names repeated the most which shows how revered they are for their work in for Middle school aged students.

Reflection:

I think this source is a really great use of the technology that we now have in being able to survey people from all over. This resource is great for collection development and reading ladders to help teachers and librarians to know what to suggest next. I think it is also very important to recognize the holes that you have in your knowledge. While I would love to say that I know all of these authors and read most of their works, I simply would not be telling the truth. There are definitely some that I know of by reputation only as I have not read their works yet, while others like Wendy Mass who was suggested 7 times that I had not heard of before. This allows me to recognize the authors that I might need to know more about and to make sure I have their books on the shelves. This would also be a great way to collect data on books most selected or suggested in your own library or school to inform you collection development plan for the future.


For example, if I look at the list of authors above I can evaluate my knowledge of middle school authors. I know (at minimum authors and their works- not necessarily familiar with all of their works) 25 out of 35 authors listed. This means that of the list above I should familiarize myself with those 10 I am missing knowledge on to better myself as a teacher, librarian, and YA reader. 

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