The Next Episode will begin in 15…14…13…
Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, YouTube, (any form of streaming service) does a fantastic job understanding what shows we like to consume. In a matter of seconds, the great and glorious algorithm makes a recommendation for what to watch next. It sees me watching the Great British Bake-Off and says…you might also like The Great Holiday Baking Show. (I’d like if Paul would stop handing out handshakes like they were oxygen masks on a plummeting plane. He has gone soft as choux pastry.) I love the, “If you like that, then you’ll surely love this” feature.
With that in mind, these are some algorithmic recommendations for the upcoming SOKY Book Fest. (There is no way to cover every author, but we want to showcase as many as possible. Watch responsibly or maybe I mean … Read Irresponsibly.)
If you have a preschooler who is currently loving….
SCIGIRLS or Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab TRY CeCe Loves Science by Shelli Johannes, Queen of Physics by Teresa Robeson
POCOYO or Tumble Leaf TRY Play This Book/Pet this Book by Jessica Young
Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood TRY Dictionary for a Better World: Poems, Quotes, and Anecdotes from A to Z by Irene Latham, Dazzling Travis by Hannah Carmona Dias, Ernestine’s Milky Way by Kerry Madden-Lundsford
If you have a kiddo learning to read… (who is in that Wimpy Kid Lite phase)
Xavier Riddle & the Secret Museum TRY Marvin Redpost Series by Louis Sachar
Phineas & Ferb TRY Stick Dog and Stick Cat Series by Tom Watson
Wild Kratts or The Little Mermaid TRY Mermaid Tales Series by Debbie Dadey, Unicorn Magic Series by Jessica Burkhart
If you have an eight- to twelve-year-old obsessed with …
Alexa & Katie TRY Roll With It by Jamie Sumner, The Memory Keeper by Jennifer Camiccia
Glow Up or Nailed It TRY Middle School’s a Drag-You Better Werk by Greg Howard
This is Us or Black-ish TRY For Black Girls Like Me by Mariama Lockington
Black Panther or any MCU Movie TRY Black Panther by Ronald L. Smith
A Series of Unfortunate Events TRY Over the Moon by Natalie Lloyd, Owl’s Outstanding Donuts by Robin Yardi
Number the Stars or Who HQ biography series TRY The Story That Cannot Be Told by J. Kasper Kramer, Walking Miss Millie by Tamara Bundy, The Story Collector by Kristin Tubb
Stranger Things TRY The Haunting by Lindsey Duga
Sailor Moon or Graphic Novels TRY Owly by Andy Runton
If you and the teens you know love young adult books and …
The Handmaid’s Tale or the podcast NoSleep TRY The Grace Year by Kim Liggett
Game of Thrones or Witcher TRY Deathcaster Series by Cinda Williams Chima
Stranger Things or Riverdale TRY Stranger Things: Suspicious Minds by Gwenda Bond and The Final Six by Alexandra Monir
Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl or Man in the High Castle TRY The Light in Hidden Places by Sharon Cameron and Flowers in the Gutter by K.R. Gaddy
To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before or 13 Reasons Why TRY Better than the Rest by Lauren Morrill, We are Lost and Found by Helene Dunbar, The Art of Breaking Things by Laura Sibson, The June Boys by Court Stevens,
The Hate You Give, On My Block, Grown-ish, or Elite TRY This Train is Being Held by Ismee Williams, Salty Bitter Sweet by Mayra Ceuvas, The Secret Side of Empty by Maria Andreu, and How to be Remy Cameron by Julian Winters
If you loved the podcasts Serial or In the Dark or find yourself binge watching Mindhunter or Making a Murderer…
Murder in Music City by Michael Bishop
Murder on Youngers Creek Road by Gary West
Tinderbox: The Untold Story of the Up Stairs Lounge Fire and the Rise of the Gay Liberation by Robert Fieseler
If you are a fan of C.S. Lewis…this is a must-read…
Becoming Mrs. Lewis: The Improbable Love Story of Joy Davidman and C.S. Lewis by Patti Callahan
If you are a southern sorority girl…this is a must-read…
Rush by Lisa Patton
If salacious local history is your jam…this is a must read…
The Madam at Six-Twenty-Seven Clay Street Pauline Tabor of Bowling Green, Kentucky by Mary Lucas
If you can’t get enough NCIS and Law and Order or you’ve been binge watching You or Twin Peaks or Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan…
Layover by David Bell, Because You’re Mine by Rea Frey, I’ll Never Tell by Catherine McKenzie, Hope Never Dies by Andrew Shaffer, Flight Risk by Cara Putman, Dying for a Living series by Kory Shrum, Forget You Know Me by Jessica Strawser
All you cozy mystery lovers of Midsomer Murders, ANY British Mystery Shows, orthat oldie but goodie Murder, She Wrote…
A Killer Carol by Laura Bradfod, Sarah Winston’s Garage Series by Sherry Harris, The Consignment Shop Mysteries by Duffy Brown, A Field Guide to Homicide by Lynn Cahoon, and Down in Flames by Cheryl Hollon
Last but not least, come to me you lovers of Hallmark movies, Jesus, and horse-drawn buggies…
Someone Like You by Karen Kingsbury, The Refuge by Ann Gabhart, When Silence Sings by Sarah Loudin Thomas, A Daughter’s Truth by Laura Bradfod, How the Light Gets In by Jolina Petersheim and The Painted Castle by Kristy Cambron
-by Courtney Stevens
About the Author: Courtney Stevens is the Community Outreach Manager for Warren County Public Libraries. She is also the author of some well-known young adult fiction books including Faking Normal and Dress Codes for Small Towns. She can be reached at courtneys@warrenpl.org or 270-781-4882 x223 or check out her website at www.courtneystevens.com.
