Middle Schoolers + Epically Long Series = Match!

By Chris B. RSS Thu, April 16, 2020

While everyone is stuck at home, boredom may already be setting in. One way to alleviate boredom is to read or reread a book series (the more volumes, the better!). If you don't have a full series at home, check out the Free Library's Digital Media page. There are a lot of great ways to access your favorite stories from this page, including ebooks, audiobooks, and graphic novels.  Each database on the page is separate, so if you don't find a book or an author in one, try searching for them in another! 

One of my favorite series is Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling. When I was a children's librarian, I used to make up word searches and crosswords for young patrons during the summer months to keep them entertained. If you're a Potter fan and you're looking for something to do, try giving this word search or this crossword puzzle a go:

Dumbledore's Word Search

Harry Potter and the Crossword Challenge


Another series I love to reread is Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. This book spans 13 volumes, plus a companion series (All the Wrong Questions), which make for a fun few days of reading. Try your hand at these challenging puzzles once you've read the series:

The Woeful Word Search

The Convoluted Code


If you're looking for other books to read, here's a link to a booklist, What Do I Read Next?, I kept during my time in the branches. I've reformatted it to make it searchable and it's easiest to use the find feature (PC: ctrl + F; Mac: Command + F) to find your child's favorite author. There is a list of suggestions under each name, made from recommendations from librarians and other patrons over the years. Books in the Picture Book category that are marked with an asterisk (*) are great for new readers. 

Do you have any suggestions to update the list? Let me know in the comments below!


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