See Westfieldās most borrowed books from the first half of 2025
Westfield Memorial Library patrons borrowed more than 152,000 books during the first 6 months of 2025. A majority of the books borrowed were print books, with eBooks representing only 22%. More than 119,000 print books were borrowed, representing an increase of 19% over last year. Read on to see what books have been the most popular for various age groups.
Adult Fiction
Intermezzo, by Sally Rooney. Set in Dublin and rural Ireland, the novel follows two brothers in the aftermath of their father’s death: Ivan, a 22-year-old former chess prodigy who begins a relationship with Margaret, a 36-year-old arts program director, and Peter, a 32-year-old human rights lawyer navigating complicated relationships with both his younger girlfriend Naomi and his ex-girlfriend Sylvia.
Here One Moment, by Liane Moriarty. From the beloved author of Big Little Lies, Apples Never Fall, and The Husbandās Secret comes a moving novel of love, marriage, family, and trying to find certainty in a fragile world.
An Eye for an Eye, by Jeffrey Archer. Two deaths thousands of miles apart spell the start of a rollercoaster investigation for Chief Superintendent William Warwick in this propulsive thriller from the master storyteller.
Three Days in June, by Anne Tyler. A novella about a socially awkward mother dealing with all kinds of emotions and memories as her daughter prepares to get married.
Passions in Death, by J.D. Robb. Homicide Detective Eve Dallas hunts a killer who turns a wedding party into a murder scene in the next novel by the #1 New York Times bestselling author.
Adult Nonfiction
Confronting the Presidents: No spin assessments from Washington to Biden, by Bill OāReilly. From Washington to Jefferson, Lincoln to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Kennedy to Nixon, Reagan to Obama and Biden, the 45 United States presidents have left lasting impacts on our nation. Some of their legacies continue today, some are justly forgotten, and some have changed as America has changed.
Half Baked Harvest Quick & Cozy, by Tieghan Gerard. Colorful. Convenient. Comforting. 120+ recipes for delicious, soul-warming comfort food that comes together in a flash, to make you feel cozy any time of year-from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Half Baked Harvest Every Day.
Simply Jamie, by Jamie Oliver. Whatever your needs, you can trust that these tried and tested recipes will slot right into the rhythms of your week–from 20-minute-to-table dishes and no-time-to-shop pantry rescues to weekend wins that create smart leftover ideas, meaning mealtimes are simple in the days that follow.
Dinner Tonight: Simple meals full of Mediterranean flavor, by Meliz Berg. Inspired by her Turkish-Cypriot heritage, a self-taught cook and recipe developer follows up her best-selling cookbook with a second collection of quick and nourishing meals including One-Pot Orzo, Leftover Hummus Soup, Cheater’s Lahmacun Pide Pockets and Tavuk Kebab Curry.
101 Organic Gardening Hacks: Eco-friendly solutions to improve any garden, by Shawna Coronado. Presents a collection of environment-friendly gardening tips to promote green-living values, including harvesting rain water, planting wildflowers that support bees, creating a raised bed using recycled materials, and mulching with seashells.
Picture Books and Easy Readers
I Broke My Trunk! by Mo Willems. Gerald the elephant tells his best friend Piggie a long, crazy story about how he broke his trunk.
Too Much Ooze! (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) (Step Into Reading). Can Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles stop the Kraang from mutating the whole world? Children ages 3 to 7 will love this Step 2 Step into Reading leveled reader featuring foil on the cover and two sheets of shiny stickers.
The Spaceman, by Cecil Randy. When a large bird makes off with his ship, a tiny Spaceman is forced to venture out into this new world–planet Earth–on foot, coming to a pond where he meets a friendly, goofy, slobbery beast and wonders if he’s found a new home.
Letās Pick Apples! (Barbie) (Step Into Reading) by Kristen Depken. Barbie and her sisters spend a fall day picking apples.
Peppa Pig and the Busy Day at School. Peppa the pig is excited for Special Talent Day at school, but when she has trouble deciding what special talent she should demonstrate, Madame Gazelle helps her realize that what she loves to do most is also what she does best.
Juvenile Fiction (Middle Grade)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, by Jeff Kinney. Greg Heffley tells about his summer vacation and his attempts to steer clear of trouble when he returns to middle school and tries to keep his older brother Rodrick from telling everyone about Greg’s most humiliating experience of the summer.
Captain Underpants and the Preposterous Plight of the Purple Potty People: The eighth epic novel, by Dav Pilkey. Harold and George’s time-traveling Purple Potty lands them in an alternate universe where everything seems delightful, but evil lurks just beneath the surface, and leads to a battle between Captain Underpants and his own evil twin.
Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride, by Kate DiCamillo. Mr. and Mrs. Watson’s porcine wonder, Mercy, loves nothing more than a ride in the car. It takes a fair amount of nudging and bribing and a “You are such a good sport, darling” to get the portly pig out of the driver’s seat, but once the convertible is on the road, Mercy loves the feel of the wind tickling her ears and the sun on her snout.
The Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan. Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson is on the most dangerous quest of his life. With the help of a satyr and a daughter of Athena, Percy must journey across the United States to catch a thief who has stolen the original weapon of mass destruction ā Zeusā master bolt.
Smile, by Raina Telgemeier. Raina just wants to be a normal sixth grader. But one night after Girl Scouts she trips and falls, severely injuring her two front teeth. What follows is a long and frustrating journey with on-again, off-again braces, surgery, embarrassing headgear, and even a retainer with fake teeth attached. And on top of all that, there’s still more to deal with: a major earthquake, boy confusion, and friends who turn out to be not so friendly.
Juvenile Nonfiction
Meet the Pokemon, by Michael Teitelbaum. This is a basic introduction to the world of PokƩmon, including examples of each type and details on how they evolve. Kids will learn how to read whilst also developing their knowledge of the PokƩmon cast.
Komodo Dragon vs. King Cobra (Who Would Win?), by Jerry Pallotta. Find out what would happen if a Komodo dragon and a king cobra got in a fight and who would win. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards.
Weird But True! Dinosaurs: 300 dino-mite facts to sink your teeth into, by National Geographic Kids. Collects three hundred facts about dinosaurs.
Who Was Anne Frank?, by Ann Abramson. Learn about Anneās life before the secret annex, what life was like in hiding, and the legacy of her diary. Black-and-white illustrations including maps and diagrams provide historical and visual reference in an easy-to-read biography written in a way that is appropriate and accessible for younger readers.
Dolphins, by Kate Riggs. A Kindergarten-level introduction to dolphins, covering their growth process, behaviors, the oceans they call home, and such defining physical features as their fins.
Juvenile Comics
Big Nate: Move it or lose it! by Peirce Lincoln. A gang of eighth-graders steals Nate’s favorite lunch spot. Alan Chen chooses a new name (hint: it begins with N) in a brazen attack on Nate’s uniqueness. And when a post-hypnotic suggestion works a little TOO well, the lovable Chad becomes P.S. 38’s unlikeliest bully.
The Baby-Sitterās Club: Mary Anneās bad luck mystery, by Cynthia Cheng. Mary Anne should never have thrown away that chain letter she got in the mail. Ever since she did, bad things have been happening to everyone in the Baby-sitters Club. With Halloween coming up, Mary Anne’s even more worried — what kind of spooky thing will happen next?
Narwhalās School of Awesomeness, by Ben Clanton. Narwhal and Jelly become the coolest teachers in the world wide waters in the hilarious sixth book of this blockbuster graphic novel series! Dive into four new stories about Narwhal and Jelly becoming substitute teachers!
Cat Kid Comic Club, by Dav Pilkey. A pioneering new graphic novel series by Dav Pilkey, the author and illustrator of the internationally bestselling Dog Man and Captain Underpants series.
Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea (Dog Man), by Dav Pilkey. With themes of friendship and doing good, Dog Man: Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea is packed with action and hilarity. Featuring “Chomp-O-Rama,” a brand-new song, a monstrous Mighty Mite ā and so much more than ever before! IT’S HEROIC, IT’S EPIC!
Teen/YA Fiction
The Hunger Games (Series), by Suzanne Collins. The series consists of a trilogy that follows teenage protagonist Katniss Everdeen, and two prequels. The Hunger Games universe is a dystopia set in Panem, a North American country consisting of the wealthy Capitol and 13 districts in varying states of poverty.
Blue Lock (Series), by Muneyuki Kaneshiro. A Japanese manga series centering around Yoichi Isagi, a high school soccer player who joins a rigorous training program to become the worldās best striker.
Dragon Ball Z (Series), by Akira Toriyama. A series of manga books that follow the adventures of Goku who, along with the Z Warriors, defends the Earth against evil.
The Evil Secret Society of Cats, by Pandania. A hilarious, full-color manga about scheming cats from the creator of Yokai Cats. They may seem cute and cuddly, but these kitties are up to no good! Under the direction of the purple-caped Feline Commander, the Evil Secret Society of Cats schemes against humanity in a series of humorous stories as adorable as they are diabolical.
The Outsiders: 50th Anniversary Edition, by S.E. Hinton. The struggle of three brothers to stay together after their parents’ death and their quest for identity among the conflicting values of their adolescent society.
The above lists are based on the number of print books borrowed from the Westfield Memorial Library January 1st through June 30th of 2025. Some titles were not included to avoid redundancy of authors and series. All of the books can be reserved for checkout at wmlnj.org.
