Los Angeles Times Children’s Bestsellers

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Rankings are based on a Times poll of Southland bookstores.

*--* 1 ARTEMIS FOWL: THE ARCTIC INCIDENT by Eoin Colfer (Hyperion: $16.95) In a world in which modern-day fairies wear motorized wings, Artemis joins with his rival to fight a power-hungry pixie. Ages 10 and older 2 IF YOU TAKE A MOUSE TO SCHOOL by Laura Numeroff, illustrated by Felicia Bond (Laura Geringer Books: $15.99) A little rodent with a love for learning joins his little boy sidekick for a fun day in the classroom. Ages 3-7 3 HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE by J.K. Rowling (Scholastic: $8.99 paper) Lord Voldemort is on the heels of Harry, now 14 and dreaming of the Quidditch World Cup and completing his magic training. Ages 9 and older 4 HOLES by Louis Sachar (Yearling: $5.99 paper) In the Texas desert, a boy in a juvenile detention camp is forced to dig holes in search of a Wild West outlaw’s hidden treasure. Ages 9-12 5 THE BAD BEGINNING by Lemony Snicket (HarperTrophy: $9.95) The darkly comic story of the orphaned Baudelaire children, who go to live with a creepy relative out to get their inheritance. Ages 9-12 6 AMERICA: A PATRIOTIC PRIMER by Lynne Cheney, illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser (Simon & Schuster: $16.95) A red-white-and-blue romp through the alphabet that celebrates the United States. All ages 7 LEMONY SNICKET: THE UNAUTHORIZED AUTOBIOGRAPHY (HarperCollins: $11.99) A kooky glimpse of the writer behind the tales of the Baudelaire children. Ages 12 and older 8 CORALINE by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Dave McKean (HarperCollins: $15.99) A strange door in a little girl’s big house conceals a creepy mirror-world, including her “other mother” and “other father.” Ages 9-12 9 THE CROCODILE’S TRUE COLORS by Eva Montanari (Watson-Guptill: $14.95) An introduction to art that uses the story of a group of young animals in Africa who try to paint a picture of an elusive, mysterious crocodile. Ages 4-8 10 STARGIRL by Jerry Spinelli (Alfred A. Knopf: $8.95 paper) Tenth-grader Stargirl Carraway dances to the beat of her own drummer, causing fellow students to admire and resent her. Ages 12 and older

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