When an AI seeks out young people as victims
Guide

When an AI seeks out young people as victims

Oliver Fischer
2.12.2024
Translation: machine translated

I'm looking for reading material for my daughter. To do this, I looked at the current bestsellers in children's and young adult literature in Switzerland and Germany. There are an incredible number of series, but also some books that are completely unknown to me that sound exciting - and my favourite classic is also included.

If my family doesn't have anything planned for a Sunday, we plan something anyway. Just in the comfort of our own home. Then we add things to the to-do list like: Playing board or card games, making music, playing Mario Jamboree (or Mario Kart ...), cooking together - and always a reading hour. We make ourselves comfortable in the children's room, on the balcony (less so at the moment) or in the living room and everyone reads their book, perhaps with a cup of tea. Mum, dad and daughter (9 ¾).

Ergo, we're all always on the lookout for the next book, because of course we don't just read during those rare Sunday reading sessions, but actually every day. If your family and especially your children are similarly inclined, then you might be interested in the following list. For the next round of Christmas gift inspiration, I'm compiling a selection of the children's and young adult bestseller list from Switzerland, from the Swiss Booksellers and Publishers Association, and from Germany, from the Spiegel bestseller list.

I specifically ignore books from series because:

  • Opinion

    Just spare me the umpteenth magical children's book series

    by Oliver Fischer

But: If you are looking for book series for your children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews or godchildren, you will definitely find what you are looking for.

If you're looking for something to read yourself or to give as a gift, you might find something here:

  • Guide

    Those who can read have a clear advantage: the Swiss bestsellers in November

    by Oliver Fischer

Bestselling children's books

The little smart arse by Marc-Uwe Kling

The smart aleck (picture book) (German, Marc-Uwe Kling, Astrid Henn, 2023)
EUR12,–

The smart aleck (picture book)

German, Marc-Uwe Kling, Astrid Henn, 2023

The smart aleck (picture book) (German, Marc-Uwe Kling, Astrid Henn, 2023)
Children's books
EUR12,–

The smart aleck (picture book)

German, Marc-Uwe Kling, Astrid Henn, 2023

Marc-Uwe Kling made a name for himself with the Kangaroo Chronicles and the NEINhorn, the third volume of which is also presented below. Things are just as anarchic in the Theufel family home as they are in these stories. Because it's not just the parents and both children who are literally smart arseholes, there's also a real smart arsehole living in the attic.

Recommended for ages 6 and up

Biscuit Crumbs in Space by Dagmar and Heino Falcke

Biscuit crumbs in space. How big is infinity? (German, Heino Falcke, Dagmar Falcke, 2024)
EUR16,90

Biscuit crumbs in space. How big is infinity?

German, Heino Falcke, Dagmar Falcke, 2024

Biscuit crumbs in space. How big is infinity? (German, Heino Falcke, Dagmar Falcke, 2024)
Children's books
EUR16,90

Biscuit crumbs in space. How big is infinity?

German, Heino Falcke, Dagmar Falcke, 2024

If there's one thing parents love most, it's their children's existential questions. "Why is the banana crooked?" for example. Or "How big is the sky?". Jana, known as Kekskrümel (because that's how small she feels), asks her father this last question. Luckily, he is an astrophysicist - just like the author Heino Falcke, by the way - and can answer this and all other questions about the universe for Jana.

Recommended for ages 5 and up

Happy Winter Night by Lorenz Pauli

Happy winter night (German, Lorenz Pauli, Kathrin Schärer, 2024)
EUR18,–

Happy winter night

German, Lorenz Pauli, Kathrin Schärer, 2024

Happy winter night (German, Lorenz Pauli, Kathrin Schärer, 2024)
Children's books
EUR18,–

Happy winter night

German, Lorenz Pauli, Kathrin Schärer, 2024

Things get wild here. When the big (dangerous?) bear finally goes into hibernation, first a little mouse and later a squirrel, a woodpecker and a badger make themselves comfortable in the warm, soft fur. Cosy quickly turns into fun and a veritable animal party - until the bear wakes up ...

Recommended for ages 3 and up

The NEINhorn and the birthday of Marc-Uwe Kling

The NEINhorn and the birthday (German, Marc-Uwe Kling, 2024)
EUR15,–

The NEINhorn and the birthday

German, Marc-Uwe Kling, 2024

The NEINhorn and the birthday (German, Marc-Uwe Kling, 2024)
Children's books
EUR15,–

The NEINhorn and the birthday

German, Marc-Uwe Kling, 2024

As mentioned above: Das NEINhorn is one of Marc-Uwe Kling's best-known creations - and this is already the third book (one before the series ...). As usual, things get chaotic between NEINhorn, KönigsDOCHter, WASbär and the other friends when a birthday party is coming up.

Recommended for ages 3 and up

Why not? A story about discovering our bright sparkling possibilities by Kobi Yamada

Why not? - A story about discovering our brightly sparkling possibilities (German, Kobi Yamada, Gabriella Barouch, 2024)
EUR14,95

Why not? - A story about discovering our brightly sparkling possibilities

German, Kobi Yamada, Gabriella Barouch, 2024

Why not? - A story about discovering our brightly sparkling possibilities (German, Kobi Yamada, Gabriella Barouch, 2024)
Children's books
EUR14,95

Why not? - A story about discovering our brightly sparkling possibilities

German, Kobi Yamada, Gabriella Barouch, 2024

Little text, lots of pictures and therefore a lot of message. That's what Kobi Yamada's book conveys. Why not be amazed? Why not make the world a better place? Why not dream? Rather than telling a story, Yamada turns readers young and old into the protagonists and gives them ideas, inspiration and courage for life.

Recommended for ages 4 and up

You must be crazy by Kai Pannen

Kai Pannen has created an Advent evergreen. First published in 2015, "Du spinnst wohl" appears in the bestseller lists every year before the Advent season. On 1 December, spider Karl-Heinz catches Bisy the fly, who is to become his Christmas feast. For 24 days, Bisy does everything she can to get on the spider's nerves so much that he releases her again.

Recommended for ages 5 and up

Bestselling books for young people

A spark of time - A date with Mr Darcy by Kira Licht

A Spark of Time - A date with Mr Darcy (German, Kira Light, 2024)
EUR18,–

A Spark of Time - A date with Mr Darcy

German, Kira Light, 2024

A Spark of Time - A date with Mr Darcy (German, Kira Light, 2024)
Children's books
EUR18,–

A Spark of Time - A date with Mr Darcy

German, Kira Light, 2024

The German author aims for the hearts of her young readers. This is also the case in the second part of "A spark of time". If you haven't read part one, you should do so before jumping into "A date with Mr Darcy", because the story picks up seamlessly where part one ended. A romantic time travel fantasy novel.

Recommended for ages 14 and up

The reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson

The Reappearance of Rachel Price (German edition) (German, Holly Jackson, Sabine Schilasky, 2024)
EUR16,–

The Reappearance of Rachel Price (German edition)

German, Holly Jackson, Sabine Schilasky, 2024

The Reappearance of Rachel Price (German edition) (German, Holly Jackson, Sabine Schilasky, 2024)
Fiction
EUR16,–

The Reappearance of Rachel Price (German edition)

German, Holly Jackson, Sabine Schilasky, 2024

The British author is known for her "A good girls guide to murder" series, which was made into a film and can currently be found in the ZDFMediathek. "The reappearance of Rachel Price" is Jackson's most recent work. In it, a woman who disappeared 16 years ago, Rachel Price, suddenly reappears during the filming of a true crime documentary about her case. Daughter Bel's world is turned upside down.

Recommended for ages 14 and up

Erebos by Ursula Poznanski

Erebos (German, Ursula Poznanski, Loewe books for young people, 2022)

Erebos

German, Ursula Poznanski, Loewe books for young people, 2022

Erebos (German, Ursula Poznanski, Loewe books for young people, 2022)
Children's books

Erebos

German, Ursula Poznanski, Loewe books for young people, 2022

"Erebos" was published in 2011. The fact that it has now climbed the bestseller lists again is probably due to the novel's highly topical mix of themes: Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Play Games, MMORPG for short, artificial intelligence and the question of who is actually in control when dealing with it, the player or the game.

Recommended for ages 14 and up

Wolf by Saša Stanišić

Wolf (German, Sasa Stanisic, 2023)
EUR14,–

Wolf

German, Sasa Stanisic, 2023

Wolf (German, Sasa Stanisic, 2023)
Fiction
EUR14,–

Wolf

German, Sasa Stanisic, 2023

The multi-award-winning author Saša Stanišić has written his first book for young people, "Wolf". In "Wolf", he deals with bullying, friendship, empathy and puberty. At the centre of the story are Jörg, a victim of bullying and exclusion, and Kemi, who initially observes the events from the outside until he overcomes his fear, the symbolic wolf, and takes action.

Recommended for ages 10 and up

A thousand heartbeats - The call of destiny by Kiera Cass

One A thousand heartbeats - The call of destiny (German, Kiera Cass, Cherokee Moon Agnew, 2024)
EUR18,–

One A thousand heartbeats - The call of destiny

German, Kiera Cass, Cherokee Moon Agnew, 2024

One A thousand heartbeats - The call of destiny (German, Kiera Cass, Cherokee Moon Agnew, 2024)
Children's books
EUR18,–

One A thousand heartbeats - The call of destiny

German, Kiera Cass, Cherokee Moon Agnew, 2024

Author Kiera Cass does in "A thousand hearbeats" what she has always done and does best: Fantasy meets RomCom. A princess and a simple soldier, who couldn't be more different, fall in love against all odds and have to overcome all kinds of obstacles to - perhaps (?) - find their happy ending in the end.

Recommended for ages 14 and up

The Neverending Story by Michael Ende

The Neverending Story (German, Michael End, Eva Schöffmann-Davidov, 2019)
EUR20,–

The Neverending Story

German, Michael End, Eva Schöffmann-Davidov, 2019

The Neverending Story (German, Michael End, Eva Schöffmann-Davidov, 2019)
Children's books
EUR20,–

The Neverending Story

German, Michael End, Eva Schöffmann-Davidov, 2019

My personal highlight. In my opinion, "The Neverending Story" is one of the greatest books ever. I read Michael Ende's story about Bastian Balthasar Bux, Atreyu, the Childlike Empress and the attempt to save Fantasia every three to four years. Apparently I'm not alone in my enthusiasm, as the book, which was published in 1979, is currently back in the top 10 of the bestseller list for young people.

Header image: Photomontage: Oliver Fischer

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Globetrotter, hiker, wok world champion (not in the ice channel), word acrobat and photo enthusiast.


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