This year at the Salem Public Library, wimpy kid Greg Heffley reigned supreme, Oppenheimer and Barbie competed for a top spot and Uni the Unicorn retained her crown in the picture books category.
There were over 1 million checkouts at the Salem Public Library in 2024, according to data from City Librarian Bridget Esqueda. Some titles, items and cultural passes were checked out again and again.
Here are the most popular library checkouts for Salemites this year, including books, DVDs and things. See last year’s rankings here.
Esqueda and library staff also shared their favorite reads of the year.
Top Five Checkouts
- Toddler Totes (themed bags with books and activities, like penguins and potty training)
- Cultural Pass: Gilbert House Children’s Museum
- Cultural Pass: Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum
- Cultural Pass: Oregon Garden
- Cultural Pass: Portland Japanese Garden
Adults
Top Five Adult Fiction
- The Women by Kristin Hannah
- Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
- Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
- The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
- The Inmate by Freida McFadden
Top Five Adult Nonfiction
- The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
- Atomic Habits by James Clear
- I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
- Why Didn’t You Tell Me? by Carmen Rita Wong (This is the 2025 Salem Reads pick.)
- Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity by Peter Attia
Teens
Top Five Teen Fiction
- The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
- Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
- A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
- The Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas
- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Top Five Teen Graphic Novel Series
- One-Punch Man
- Komi Can’t Communicate
- My Hero Academia
- Yona of the Dawn
- Jujutsu Kaisen
Top Five Teen Nonfiction
- Dungeons & Dragons Player’s Handbook
- Beautiful LEGO by Mike Doyle
- All Boys Aren’t Blue by George Johnson
- The Boys In the Boat by Daniel James Brown
- Cute Chibi Animals: Learn How to Draw 75 Cuddly Creatures by Phoebe Im
Children
Top Five Children’s Picture Books
- Uni the Unicorn and the Dream Come True by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
- Princess in Training by Tammi Sauer
- Magical Worlds; Illustrated By Nicoletta Baldari
- Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems
- The Pigeon Needs a Bath! by Mo Willems
Top Five Children’s Fiction
(All five are from the Diary of A Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney)
- Rodrick Rules
- Hard Luck
- Double Down
- Wrecking Ball
- No Brainer
Top Five Children’s Fiction Series
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
- Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey
- Percy Jackson and the Olympians By Rick Riordan
- Wings of Fire by Tui Sutherland
- The Wild Robot By Peter Brown
Top Five Children’s Nonfiction
- I Spy: A Book of Picture Riddles by Walter Wick
- Guinness World Records 2024
- National Geographic Kids Almanac
- Totally Random Questions by Melina Gerosa Bellows
- The Big Book of Hacks for Minecrafters by Megan Miller
Top Five Children’s Graphic Novel Series
- The Baby-Sitters Club
- Sonic the Hedgehog
- Big Nate
- Splatoon
- Pokémon Adventures
Top Five Library of Things
- Otamatone: Japan’s favorite musical toy
- Electric pressure washer: Craftsman
- Laptop Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Go: 4G LTE Mobile Internet service included
- Electric knife sharpener: Chef’s Choice
- Laptop Samsung Galaxy Book Go: no Internet service included
Top Five DVDs
- Oppenheimer
- Barbie
- The Holdovers
- Freelance
- Hypnotic
Staff picks
City Librarian’s Favorites
- Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
- HBR’s 10 Must Reads: The Essentials
- A.K.A Lucy: The Dynamic and Determined Life of Lucille Ball by Sarah Royal
- Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life by Eric Klinenberg
- Wonder by R.J. Palacio
Staff Favorites
Fiction
- On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
- All Fours by Miranda July
- Yellowface by R. F. Kuang
- Land of Milk and Honey by C. Pam Zhang
- Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey
- Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan
- So Late in the Day by Claire Keegan
- Palestine +100: Stories from a Century after the Nakba edited by Basma Ghalayini
- As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh
- Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad
- Everything for Everyone: An Oral History of the New York Commune, 2052-2072 by M.E. O’Brien and Eman Abdelhadi
- Indecent by Paula Vogel
- Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati
- Faebound by Saara El-Arifi
Graphic Novels
- Cat + Gamer by Wataru Nadatani
- My Brother’s Husband by Gengoroh Tagame
Horror
- Chlorine by Jade Song
- Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova
- Piñata by Leopoldo Gout
Nonfiction, memoir and perspective
- On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder
- No Country for Eight-Spot Butterflies by Julian Aguon
- Deeper by Dane Ortlund
- Messy Roots by Laura Gao
Young Adult
- Exes & Foes by Amanda Woody
- Bunt! Striking Out on Financial Aid by Ngozi Ukazu
- Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli
- Dear Wendy by Ann Zhao
- Heartless Hunter by Kristen Ciccarelli
- The Secret Language of Birds by Lynne Kelly
- The Buried and the Bound by Rochelle Hassan
Children
- El Peor Teddy del Mundo by Marcelo Verdad
- El Pedito by Géraldine Collet
- Let’s Go! by Julie Flett
Contact reporter Abbey McDonald: [email protected] or 503-575-1251.
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Abbey McDonald joined the Salem Reporter in 2022. She previously worked as the business reporter at The Astorian, where she covered labor issues, health care and social services. A University of Oregon grad, she has also reported for the Malheur Enterprise, The News-Review and Willamette Week.
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