Endangered Series (#25): Amelia’s Notebook

Popularity comes, popularity goes. As librarians we’re always balancing between what will circulate like crazy and what we need to have in the collection. And we’re not the Library of Congress – we can’t (and shouldn’t) keep everything.

An endangered series is one that appears to be waning in terms of popularity. But popularity isn’t everything. Should it stay, or should it go? Or think of it this way – if you were starting a library today, would this series make the cut? Let’s discuss.

Amelia’s Notebook (series) by Marissa Moss

This 29 book series, which ran from 1995 to 2015, has an interesting publishing story (which Marissa Moss explains on her website). The first four books were published by Tricycle Press. American Girl then bought those books, reissued them, and began publishing new ones. After 15 books the list was sold to Simon & Schuster, who is the current publisher.

The Case for Keeping: The diary format of these books was ahead of it’s time. Books like Dork Diaries prove that this sort of book continues to hold appeal for young readers.

The Case for Not: How are your copies looking these days? Holding up? Ours are definitely worn, prompting me to start thinking about what to do with the series as a whole.

Refresh? It depends on where you look, but many of the Amelia’s Notebooks are still available. Spinoff series Daphne’s Diary of Daily Disasters is also one to consider.

My Verdict: Keeping what we have for now, and pushing the Dork Diaries, Ellie McDoodle, Amelia’s Notebook read-alike trio.

What are you doing with this series at your library? Anyone willing to fess up that they still have these on the shelf?

Previously:

Endangered Series #1: The Boxcar Children

Endangered Series #2: The Hardy Boys

Endangered Series #3: American Girl

Endangered Series #4: The Baby Sitter’s Club

Endangered Series #5: The Bailey School Kids

Endangered Series #6: Nate the Great

Endangered Series #7: Cam Jansen

Endangered Series #8: The Kids of the Polk Street School

Endangered Series #9: Pony Pals

Endangered Series #10: Little Bill

Endagered Series #11: Animal Ark

Endangered Series #12: Arthur

Endangered Series #13: The English Roses

Endangered Series #14: Marvin Redpost

Endangered Series #15: Little Critter

Endangered Series #16: Spiderwick Chronicles

Endangered Series #17: Junie B. Jones

Endangered Series #18: Magic School Bus

Endangered Series #19: Dear America

Endangered Series #20: The 39 Clues

Endangered Series #21: Dear Dumb Diary

Endangered Series #22: The Adventures of Mary-Kate and Ashley

Endangered Series #23: Horrible Harry

Endangered Series #24: Santa Paws

Filed under: Endangered Series