Testing the Tastemakers: Children’s Literature, Bestseller Lists, and the “Harry Potter Effect”

The bestseller list makes hidden assumptions about genres and taste cultures. The editorial pre-selection of the New York Times bestseller list affects the reception and circulation of various types of books, specifically children’s literature. This essay discusses the power of the bestseller list to determine what will sell well and be accepted as mainstream culture and how its tastemaking capacity has affected the field of children’s literature.