Moody County readers like the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series, adult mysteries and books that advocate for education and overcoming hardships.
Those reads top the lists of most checked out books last year at the Moody County Resource Center. The most checked out book was “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Getaway,” by Jeff Kinney. Children’s books dominated the list, likely because the resource center is also the Flandreau School District library, said Erica Rorvik, librarian.
“They love the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” she said of the books geared toward third through sixth grade readers. “Usually, they’re not on the shelf. Those we have two of each. We do have a few of those in Spanish as well.”
Reader Adayln Krull, 8, hasn’t started tackling those books but likes graphic novels, which are like comic books with pictures and writing. She expects she will read Kinney’s diary books when she gets a little bit older, she said.
When it comes to adult books, New York Times best-selling author C.J. Box from Wyoming topped the top ten list with “Wolf Pack” and also had a book in 10th place. Box writes a series of mysteries that feature a game warden named Joe Pickett and a second series featuring a female former sheriff investigator named Cassie Dewell.
“Our readers are really big mystery readers. I would say that’s our biggest (category) checkout,” Rorvik said.
The top non-fiction book was “Malala: My Story of Standing Up for Girls’ Rights,” by Malala Yousafzai. The books on the non-fiction list were self-help, focused on education and included a book on how to draw Japanese characters, called Manga, with big eyes.
The most popular books checked out in 2019 were:
1. “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Getaway” by Jeff Kinney
2. “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School” by Jeff Kinney
3. “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul” by Jeff Kinney
4. “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Meltdown” by Jeff Kinney
5. “Ghosts” by Raina Telgemeier
6. “Real Friends” by Shannon Hale

7. “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Double Down” by Jeff Kinney
8. “Sisters” by Raina Telgemeier
9. “Drama” by Raina Telgemeier
10. “Be Prepared” by Vera Brosgol
The top adult books were:
1. “Wolf Pack” by C. J. Box
2. “A Spark of Light” by Jodi Picoult
3. “Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens
4. “Bird Box” by Josh Malerman
5. “Long Road to Mercy” by David Baldacci
6. “The Passage” by Justin Cronin
7. “The First Mistake” by Sandie Jones
8. “Sunset Beach” by Mary Kay Andrews
9. “The 18th Abduction” by James Patterson
10. “The Bitterroots” by C. J. Box
The list of most checked out non-fiction books are:
1. “Malala: My Story of Standing Up for Girls’ Rights” by Malala Yousafzai
2. “Educated: A Memoir” by Tara Westover
3. “The Playbook: 52 Rules to Aim, Shoot, and Score in This Game Called Life” by Kwame Alexander
4. “Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are So You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be” by Rachel Hollis
5. “Becoming” by Michelle Obama
6. “The Fort Sisseton Dakota Scouts and Their Camps in Eastern Dakota Territory 1863-1866” by Curtis A. Dahlin
7. “Brief Answers to the Big Questions” by Stephen Hawking
8. “Manga Workshop Characters: How to Draw and Color Faces and Figures” by Sophie-chan
9. “Weird but True! 2: 300 Outrageous Facts” by National Geographic Kids
10. “English-Dakota Dictionary. Wasicun ka Dakota ieska wowapi” by Working Indians Civil Association
Winter is a busy time at the library with people coming in to check out books because they are spending more time at home, Rorvik said. “People, if they know the weather is going t be bad, they stock up.”