Bestsellers, Penguin Group (USA) Weekly Update - 10/5

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The New York Times Bestseller Highlights for the Week of October 11th

Penguin Group (USA) has four debuts on The New York Times bestseller list for the week of October 11th: on the hardcover fiction list, Hothouse Orchid by Stuart Woods (Putnam) is #5, while Hardball by Sara Paretsky (Putnam) is #9; and on the children’s picture books list, Otis, written and illustrated by Loren Long (Philomel) is #8, while Miss Smith and the Haunted Library by Michael Garland (Dutton) is #10.

Here are more New York Times bestseller highlights:

On the hardcover fiction list, The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Amy Einhorn Books/ Putnam) is #4 in its 26th week; Spartan Gold by Clive Cussler with Grant Blackwood (Putnam) is #10 in its fourth week; and Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris (Ace) is #12 in its 21st week.

On the mass market fiction list, Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell (Berkley) is #3 in its fifth week; Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs (Ace) is #19 in its fifth week; and Rough Weather by Robert B. Parker (Berkley) is #20 in its fourth week. In addition, Ace's Charlaine Harris holds five slots this week: From Dead to Worse at #8 in its 25th week; Dead Until Dark at #10 in its 44th week; Dead to the World at #14 in its 24th week; Club Dead at #15 in 30th week; and Dead as a Doornail at #16 in its fifteenth week.

On the paperback nonfiction list, Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Penguin) is #2 in its 139th week; Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (Penguin) is #12 in its 139th week; In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan (Penguin) is #15 in its 22nd week; The Reason for God by Timothy Keller (Riverhead) is #16 in its eighth week; and The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan (Penguin) is #19 in its 106th week.

On the advice, how-to, and miscellaneous lists, Gotham’s The Conversation by Hill Harper is #8 in its third week on the hardcover side, while on the paperback side, How to Take Over The Wurld by Professor Happycat and icanhascheezburger.com (Gotham) is #4 in its fourth week.

In the young readers sector, on the children's picture books list, Skippyjon Jones, Lost in Spice by Judy Schachner (Dutton) shoots up to the #1 slot in its second week; Listen to the Wind by Greg Mortenson and Susan L. Roth (Dial) is #3 in its 35th week; and Strega Nona’s Harvest, written and illustrated by Tomie dePaola (G. P. Putnam’s Sons) is #9 in its third week. On the children's paperback books list, Three Cups of Tea: Young Readers Edition by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Puffin) is #5 in its 36th week. And on the children’s series list, Vampire Academy is #6 in its eleventh week.

Penguin Young Readers Group Owns 50% of the New York Times Children’s Picture Book List, Including the #1 Slot, Occupied by Judy Schachner’s Skippyjon Jones Lost In Spice

The Penguin Young Readers Group scores five titles on The New York Times children’s picture books list for the week of October 11th – occupying 50% of the list! In addition to Listen to the Wind by Greg Mortenson (Dial), which has held strong on the list for 35 weeks, and Tomie dePaola’s Strega Nona’s Harvest (Putnam), now in its third week on the list, the Young Reader’s group had two new debuts: Otis, written and illustrated by Loren Long (Philomel), and Miss Smith and the Haunted Library by Michael Garland (Dutton). Rounding out the achievement is Judy Schachner’s Skippyjon Jones Lost in Spice (Dutton Children's Books), the fifth installment in Judy Schachner’s beloved series about a Siamese kitty who thinks he is a sword fighting Chihuahua, which has shot to the #1 slot in its second week.

Judy Schachner is in the midst of an incredibly successful two-week tour visiting bookstores in Boston, Milwaukee, Houston, Albuquerque, Denver, Salt Lake City, and San Francisco, as well as headlining festivals in Baltimore, Decatur, and Raleigh. Her events are drawing standing room only crowds, including a fully packed house of over 500 people at Bookworks in Albuquerque NM. Judy’s signing lines are lasting for upwards of five hours as every fan wants a chance to talk to the Mamalita behind Skippyjon Jones.

The New York Times praises Judy’s books, saying "A new craze is spreading...Judy Schachner's Skippyjon Jones books are all the rage.” Recent and upcoming media coverage includes features and reviews in Parents, Parenting, Scholastic Parent & Child, Bookpage (“Meet the Illustrator” profile), Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, Kansas City Star, Albuquerque News Journal, and Raleigh News & Observer and much more, including radio interviews and regional TV appearances.

Learn more about the crazy loco adventures of Skippyjon Jones and watch videos of Judy Schachner in her studio at www.skippyjonjones.com.