Latching on to a Great Book Series

How many people remember the very first book they read as a child?

I’m sure when I was very young I read other books or had books read to me, but the first book I remember reading in earnest was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. I remember Charlie and the golden ticket and getting to meet Willy Wonka and the Oompa-Loompas. It was one of my favorites as a child.

As I got a little older, I would read a lot of books about baseball. The Summer Game by Roger Angell, as well as No Cheering in the Press Box by Jerome Holtzman were two of my favorites as a teenager. 

There were also so many great authors I remember from when I was younger that I couldn’t wait for their next book to be published, such as Judy Blume and Daniel Pinkwater. I also enjoyed reading series like the Hardy Boys, where there was always that anticipation of the next book in the series waiting to be read once the current one was finished.

One of the great things about working at the circulation desk is watching as the younger readers latch on to a new series and devour each book. They roll through The Magic Tree House and Junie B. Jones and then work their way up to Artemis Fowl, the Percy Jackson books, and of course, the Harry Potter series.

The great thing about a book series is it appeals to all ages. Teens come in and read The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins, the Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer, and the Legend Trilogy by Marie Lu. Adults latch on to series as well, whether it be the Dublin Murder Squad by Tana French, Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series, or the Easy Rawlins series from Walter Mosley.

There is something to be said for the anticipation of a new book when you know a series is going to continue. You get a feel for the characters and you want to know what happens next.

Interestingly, many times authors aren’t even sure what comes next. On our MCLS podcast, Behind the Books, we have had a chance to talk to several authors whose books became series. Sometimes they write that first book not knowing if more will follow. Other times an author goes into a project knowing more than one book will be produced. 

Jennifer Estep originally signed on to write three books in her Elemental Assassin series. Her latest book - Last Strand - was the 19th in the series. Tracey Livesay started her Girls Trip series knowing there would be four books, one on each of her four main characters.

Cozy mystery authors seem to know their books will become a series over the course of time. There are hundreds of cozy mystery series available through the MCLS.

Here are some under-the-radar book series for different ages that you may want to give a try. It’s always best to start with the first book and go from there, as the characters tend to develop with each new book.

For young readers: 

The Yasmin series by Saadia Faruqi began with Meet Yasmin and is now four books in. The series follows the exploits of Yasmin Ahmad, a Pakistani-American second grader always on the lookout to solve life’s problems. Readers can also be part of the Yasmin Fan Club through Saadia’s website. Saadia Faruqi’s website is https://saadiafaruqi.com/. 

The Wings of Fire series from Tui T. Sutherland is now 14 books in with the latest being The Dangerous Gift. There are five books in the Dragonet Prophecy, five in the Jade Mountain Prophecy, and now four in the Lost Continent Prophecy.

For Young Adult readers:

The Mortal Instruments series, which is part of the Shadow Hunter Chronicles by Cassandra Clare begins with City of Bones and the most recent book, the sixth, is City of Heavenly Fire. 

The Throne of Glass series is one of several by Sarah Maas. It begins with Throne of Glass and heroine Celaena Sardothien and concludes with Kingdom of Ash. Along the way, there are more heroines and great characters to get to know.

For adult readers:

Carlene O’Connor’s Irish Village Mysteries is on to its eighth book, Murder on an Irish Farm. Siobhan O’Sullivan runs a family pub and solves mysteries. The first book in the series is Murder in an Irish Village.

A.L. Herbert’s Mahalia Watkins Soul Food Mysteries follow the exploits of Mahalia Watkins, who owns a Soul Food restaurant in Maryland. She solves crimes and runs the restaurant with the help of her cousin, Wavonne. The first book in the series is Murder with Fried Chicken and Waffles and the latest is Murder with Honey Ham Biscuits, which came out in 2020. 

The Bollywood Series by Sonali Dev begins with A Bollywood Affair and concludes with the fourth book, A Distant Heart. The series is set around Indian and Bollywood culture. She also has The Rajes Books series, which begins with Pride, Prejudice and Other Flavors. The latest book in that series is Incense and Sensibility. 

The Lady Sherlock series by Sherry Thomas is very enjoyable. The first book in the five-book series is A Study in Scarlet Women. The series follows the exploits of Charlotte Holmes as she uses her superior intellect to solve mysteries while hiding behind the illusion of her brother, Sherlock.

These are just a few of the myriad great series readers of all ages can latch onto through the Mercer County Library System. 

- by Bob Nuse, Hopewell Branch