Series, Prequels, and Sequels

“What book comes next in this series?”

“Are there any other series by this author?”

“Do I have to read this series in order?”

"Are there series on this subject for kids?"

These are everyday questions about series that librarians receive from patrons.  More often than not, patrons and even librarians can have a hard time determining the order of a series.  The easiest place to find a series is in the library’s own online catalog.  When searching for a book, click on the correct record, and under "item information" books in that series will be listed along with similar titles and authors.  However, if you are still having difficulty, here are some useful websites to help in your search of series, prequels, and sequels:

Fantastic Fiction / www.fantasticfiction.co.uk

Fantastic Fiction is an excellent source for readers!  A small family-run company based in Lancashire UK, Fantastic Fiction Limited maintains the website.  Fantastic Fiction contains bibliographies for over 30,000 authors and information on over 350,000 books.

Search for books by either author or title and receive an ENTIRE overview of an author’s works!  Throughout the website, click on any book to see its cover, description, summary, and publication details.  Browse by genre, new and upcoming books, most popular, and by awards.

What’s Next: Books in Series Database / ww2.kdl.org/libcat/whatsnext.asp

If looking for a more simplistic approach to finding a series, check out the What's Next: Books in Series Database.  What’s Next contains information on series for adults, teens, and children.  The Kent District Library in Grand Rapids, Michigan developed and maintains this database.

Search for series by author’s last name, author's first name, series, or by book title.  Continue to narrow the search by category or genre.

Juvenile Series and Sequels / www.mymcpl.org/books-movies-music/juvenile-series

Looking for children’s and young adult series?  Then look no further than the Mid Continent Public Library Juvenile Series and Sequels database.  The Juvenile Series and Sequels database contains over 28,000 books in 3,700 series titles.  The database is updated frequently, by Boardwalk branch staff, with new series and titles added as they are published.

Search the database by series title, book title, or by author.  It is also possible to search the database by subject, which is quite useful if you do not have a particular series in mind or are looking for a new series to read.  The list of subjects to search is very extensive!