Will you look at that? We have ourselves a new No. 1 with John Grisham’s Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer, which is aimed at middle-grade readers.
But I’m going to go out on a limb here (insert heavy sarcasm) and predict that this is the only week he’ll enjoy the top spot, for lo, next week, Stephenie Meyer’s novella, The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner will take over (I’ve got my copy, do you?). The real question is, How many weeks will she stay there?
| CHAPTER BOOKS | |||
| This Week | Weeks on List | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | THEODORE BOONE: KID LAWYER, by John Grisham. (Dutton, $16.99.) He”s only 13, but he knows what to do when he encounters a murder case. (Ages 8 to 12) | 1 | |
| 2 | THE RED PYRAMID, by Rick Riordan. (Disney-Hyperion, $17.99.) Ancient gods (this time from Egypt) and a mortal family meet in a new adventure. (Ages 10 and up) | 4 | |
| 3 | INFINITY (CHRONICLES OF NICK), by Sherrilyn Kenyon. (St. Martin’s Griffin, $17.99.) Zombies and werewolves and brain-eating demons complicate academic life. (Ages 12 and up) | 1 | |
| 4 | THE HUNGER GAMES, by Suzanne Collins. (Scholastic, $17.99.) In a dystopian future, a girl fights for survival on live TV. (Ages 12 and up) | 90 | |
| 5 | CATCHING FIRE, by Suzanne Collins. (Scholastic, $17.99.) The protagonist of “The Hunger Games” returns. (Ages 12 and up) | 39 | |
| 6 | THE CARRIE DIARIES, by Candace Bushnell. (Balzer & Bray/HarperCollins, $18.99.) Carrie Bradshaw, years before “Sex and the City.” (Ages 14 and up) | 5 | |
| 7 | BIG NATE: IN A CLASS BY HIMSELF, written and illustrated by Lincoln Peirce. (Harper/HarperCollins, $12.99.) Where Nate goes, trouble follows. (Ages 8 to 12) | 9 | |
| 8 | DORK DIARIES, written and illustrated by Rachel Renée Russell. (Aladdin, 12.99.) Reflections of a junior Samuel Pepys of the female variety. (Ages 9 to 13) | 12 | |
| 9 | FALLEN, by Lauren Kate. (Delacorte, $17.99.) Thwarted love at boarding school. (Ages 12 and up) | 25 | |
| 10 | EARLY TO DEATH, EARLY TO RISE, by Kim Harrison. (Harper/HarperCollins, $16.99.) A slain girl who managed to retain a body works to change the system. (Ages 14 and up) | 1 | |
| PAPERBACK BOOKS | ||
| This Week | Weeks on List | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | THE BOOK THIEF, by Markus Zusak. (Knopf, $11.99.) A girl saves books from Nazi burning. Excerpt (Ages 14 and up) | 142 |
| 2 | PINKALICIOUS AND THE PINK DRINK, written and illustrated by Victoria Kann. (Harper Festival/HarperCollins, $3.99.) The color pink meets lemonade in a series of experiments. (Ages 3 to 7) | 1 |
| 3 | THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN, by Sherman Alexie. Illustrated by Ellen Forney. (Little, Brown, $8.99.) A young boy leaves his reservation for an all-white school. (Ages 12 and up) | 59 |
| 4 | FANCY NANCY AND THE LATE, LATE, LATE NIGHT, by Jane O’Connor. Illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser. (HarperFestival/HarperCollins, $3.99.) The celebrity lifestyle leaves Nancy exhausted. (Ages 4 to 8 ) | 5 |
| 5 | IF I STAY, by Gayle Forman. (Speak/Penguin, $8.99.) A young cellist falls into a coma after she suffers an accident. (Ages 12 and up) | 8 |
| 6 | THREE CUPS OF TEA: YOUNG READERS EDITION, by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. (Puffin/Penguin, $8.99.) A former climber builds schools in Pakistani and Afghan villages. (Ages 9 to 12) | 70 |
| 7 | L.A. CANDY, by Lauren Conrad. (HarperCollins, $9.99.) Excitement in TV land. (Ages 14 and up) | 21 |
| 8 | SCAT, by Carl Hiaasen. (Knopf, $8.99.) An eco-mystery, with a dismal swamp and wild characters. Excerpt (Ages 9 to 12) | 5 |
| 9 | SAVVY, by Ingrid Law. (Puffin/Penguin, $7.99.) Mibs is about to turn 13, the age at which supernatural abilities are conferred on members of her family. (Ages 9 to 12) | 9 |
| 10 | LITTLE BROTHER, by Cory Doctorow. (Tor/Tom Doherty, $9.99.) Technology vs. privacy, with a few curveballs from Homeland Security. (Ages 14 and up) | 1 |
Novel Novice 
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