It’s not even Wednesday, but I’m in love with a reader’s advisory (RA) suggestion from my Young Adult Literature textbook. Since RA can get rather crowded or, if classes do not have scheduled library time, students select totally independently , having book recommendation bookmarks by genre could help kids find more. I think I would also add a website to help kids continue finding on their own. I see an independent project for next year’s internship!
At my internship school, we are thinking of partnering with English teachers to show movies since Harry Potter was such a success at encouraging independent library visits and checkouts. I would like to make a few “Since you liked _____, you might also like…” for Harry Potter or any of the other big movie tie-ins we do.
Here is a short list of book recommendation sites rated for school library advisory use.
Pros–no signup or upfront rating books in order to get recommendations. Cons–I don’t always agree that the recommendations match the style of the title you enter. I don’t think Artemis Fowl is the best recommendation for Harry Potter readers as he’s rather an ultra-perfect antihero who doesn’t grow that much over the series. I also really dislike how much of the page is taken up by ads
Your Next Read 3/5
Pros–allows you to search by book, see top books in specific age ranges, or create a MyMap based on books you like. Cons–the recommended lists are really short (think ten books), and the best service is available only to account creators. Also, there is no genre organization for J/YA readers. Teens may not like having to click on the “children” tab to see YA books.
WhichBook 3/5
Pros–allows a lot of freedom with its unique content slider bars that may help kids explore new genres. Does not require a login. Cons— cannot limit to J or YA, definitely going to cause a stir in more conservative environments since readers can select lots of sex (and theoretically end up with erotica).
ReadGeek 2/5
Pros–works if you only rate 3 books, gives common books to read and doesn’t require a login. Slider feature for rating is easy to use. Cons–may not work for younger readers or reluctant readers who have not read much. Recommendations for only a few books are kind of all over the place and don’t stick to YA, even if you only rate YA books.
The Book Seer
2/5
Pros–Like What Should I Read Next, but much more visually appealing and without the ads. No login required. Cons–you do have to know the author to use the service. Because it is based on Amazon reviews (it appears to temporarily or permanently no longer use library things) it tends to be overly biased towards books by the same author, e.g. don’t search a Harry Potter book, because all you’ll get is more Harry Potter books.
Other sites and why they didn’t earn a full review:
Goodreads– only functional after account creation, minumum age 13. Also requires a lot of upfront work to rate enough books for it to start spitting out recommendations.
LibraryThing-for schools, not recommended because it has no functionality without creating an account. However, it is really strong for curating personal book lists if you have a very impassioned reader who wants to spend a lot of time keeping track of what they read.
Olmenta– because they picture books, JFic and YA are all jumbled together
Riffle– similar to Pinterest, so it involves a login for any use. Links to Facebook so it is at least quicker than library thing. Gives users to follow who have similar taste rather than book recommendations. Some students may enjoy the social aspect.
The Tinkering Librarian 