I look forward to writing this column every year. I love seeing which titles were most popular and what was sought after at the Juniata County Library. It helps me gain a glimpse into the interests here in Juniata County. I’m always surprised to see an item on the list that I wouldn’t have imagined to be as popular as it turned out to be. Conversely, I find it interesting that some books or authors are missing from the list.

Top 5 most checked out nonfiction books:

“Hillbilly Elegy” by J.D. Vance (19 circulations)

“The House of My Mother: A Daughter’s Quest for Freedom” by Shari Franke (10 circulations)

“Three Wild Dogs (And The Truth): A Memoir” by Markus Zusak (10 circulations)

“Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results: An Easy & Proven Way To Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones” by James Clear (9 circulations)

“ASVAB Prep Plus 2024-2025: 6 Practice Tests + Proven Strategies” (9 circulations)

Top 5 most checked out kids’ fiction books

“Island and the Enemies” by Marianne Hering (17 circulations)

“Refugees on the Run” by Chris Brack (16 circulations)

“I Survived The Children’s Blizzard of 1888” by Lauren Tarshis (15 circulations)

“Escape To the Hiding Place” by Marianne Hering (14 circulations)

“The Redcoats Are Coming!” By Marianne Hering (14 circulations)

Top 5 most checked out DVDs (movies and TV shows)

“How to Train Your Dragon” (2025 version) (11 circulations)

“Moana 2” (11 circulations)

“Tulsa King Season One” (10 circulations)

“Dog Man” (10 circulations)

“The King of Kings: A Story Told by Charles Dickens” (10 circulations)

Some other fun facts from 2025

4,162 DVDs circulated in 2025, a 6% increase from 2024. We rent out movies and TV seasons for three weeks. New DVDs are $1 for three weeks, and older DVDs are 50¢.

18,136 adult books were circulated in 2025, a 2% increase from 2024.

28,863 children’s books were circulated in 2025, a 13% increase from 2024.

139 items were suggested that we add to our collection. Those items were checked out 2,958 times in 2025.

We have a total of 44,455 items in our collection.

We provided 122 free programs for youth in 2025. 2,357 people attended those programs.

Book of the week!

If you are going to read one book, give this one a try…

“Decoy Saves Opening Day” by Shohei Ohtani and Michael Blank, illustrated by Fanny Liem

(New kids’ picture book: baseball, animals) ~ 32 pages for ages 5-7.

In a nutshell: Ohtani, pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, teams up with Blank and Liem to tell the story of how his dog, Decoy, threw out a ceremonial first pitch.

It’s a big day. Decoy leaps “off the bed. Then back onto the bed. Then off the bed.” The enthusiastic pup heads outside to practice with his lucky baseball but is quickly distracted by squirrels (“we’ll play later!”), airplanes (“flyin’ high!”) and flowers (“smell ya soon!”).

Dog and pitcher then head to the ballpark. In the locker room, Decoy high-paws Shohei’s teammates. It’s nearly time. But as Shohei prepares to warm up, Decoy realizes that he’s forgotten something important: his lucky ball. Without it, there will be “no championships, no parades and no hot dogs.” Back home he goes, returning just in time.

With Shohei at the plate, Decoy runs from the mound to his owner, rolling the ball into Shohei’s mitt for a “Striiiiike!” Related from a dog’s point of view, Ohtani and Blank’s energetic text lends the tale a sense of urgency and suspense. Liem’s illustrations capture the excitement of the first day of baseball season and the joys of locker room camaraderie, as well as Shohei and Decoy’s mutual affection, even when the ball is drenched in slobber. Shohei’s love for his pet shines through, and clearly, Decoy is focused when it matters.

Bottom line: A charming tale of an athlete who may not steal any bases but who will certainly steal readers’ hearts.

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Vince Giordano has been the librarian and director of the Juniata County Library since 2015.