Scholastic Reveals The Year's 10 Trends in Kids' Books

Expanding the young adult audience

Dystopian fiction or titles that suggest the future may be worst than the present ("The Hunger Games" and "The Maze Runner")

Mythology-based fantasy ("Percy Jackson," "The Kane Chronicles," "Lost Heroes of Olympus" and "Goddess Girls")

Multimedia series with ties to online or video ("The 39 Clues," "Skeleton Creek" and "The Search for WondLa")

Focus on popular characters from movies and television shows (Fancy Nancy and Toy Story)

The shift toward less picture books for younger readers

Humor ("Diary of a Wimpy Kid," "The Adventures of Ook & Gluk: Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Future" and characters SpongeBob SquarePants and Phineas and Ferb)

Diary and journal formats ("Diary of a Wimpy Kid," "Dear Dumb Diary," "Dork Diaries," "The Popularity Papers" and "Big Nate")

Special-needs protagonists ("My Brother Charlie," "Marcelo in the Real World," "Mockingbird" and "Rules")

Paranormal romance beyond vampires ("Linger," "Beautiful Creatures," "Immortal" and "Prophesy of the Sisters")