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Cool library contains riveting tales Photo by Drew Fleming David Christie peruses a magazine while Jenny Bengtson talks about the best books she's read this summer. Kids develop eclectic reading tastes By BILL KETTLER For some kids, when the dog days of August roll around, the library is the coolest place to be. And it's not just because of the air conditioning. Jenny Bengtson, 12, picks up tear-jerkers about kids plagued with fatal diseases. Keith Biddulph, 14, grabs fantasies for a break from books on computer programming. David Christie, 14, comes in to read science fiction, and the scarier the better. "It's cool to be scared," said David. "Why do you think they made so many Wolfman and Frankenstein movies?" Despite the Internet, MTV and soccer, summer still means time to read for many Rogue Valley youngsters. Some studies suggest reading is more popular than it has ever been, said Christine Perkins, young adult services librarian at the Medford branch of the Jackson County Library. "Summer reading gives kids a chance to read what they want instead of what somebody tells them they have to read," Perkins said. "They like to read what nobody's telling them to read. They can read as fast or as slow as they want to read wherever they want to read. "It's like taking a mini-vacation with every book they read." And read they do. ReadQuest 1999, the Jackson County Library's summer reading program, brought about 4,600 children into the library's 15 branches during the summer. About 1,100 teens registered to win free compact discs in the young adult library's CD Mania contests. "Of course, we're hoping they'll take home some books, too," Perkins said. The library organized several programs to lure younger children into the libraries during the summer. Professional storytellers visited many of the branches. A July presentation from the Southern Oregon Historical Society explained the history of Chinese people in the Rogue Valley. An August program featured Indonesian shadow puppets. By the time kids reach adolescence their tastes are as eclectic as any other group of readers, and Perkins said they're impossible to predict. "Some kids who I think would only want gritty fiction love sappy romances, and they'll read every single one," she said. "But you can't tell by looking at them what they'll want." Perkins said a few genres attract a large share of younger readers. Among the most popular are science fiction, mysteries, and angst-ridden "problem novels" in which adolescent protagonists struggle to find a solution to some weighty dilemma. Twelve-year-old Lyndsey Shaver enjoyed reading "Wanted!," by Caroline B. Cooney. It's the story of a girl who gets blamed for murdering her father after someone frames her with an e-mail confession written in her name. "It's really suspenseful," said Lyndsey, a mystery fan who confessed to turning to the last pages of some of her favorite books to see how they turn out. Mary Cockrum, 12, likes "sad books and scary books, and comedy books," but has a particular affection for the old Nancy Drew mystery series. "They've been updated," she explained knowingly when someone in the teen library observed that the books were popular decades ago. Like other avid readers, kids like to share information about books. When Robert Caster was checking out several of the "Goosebumps" thrillers, Jenny Bengtson told him he'd made a good choice. "Just read that book all in one night and you'll freak out," she said. Robert, 11, said he likes the "Goosebumps" books because readers can choose among several endings. "I don't like the choices they give," said David. Younger readers like a good scaring just as much as the grown-ups who devour Stephen King. "It's really fun to get flipped out and have chills up your spine," Mary Cockrum said. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA