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Finding books for you and your family

Thank you for choosing Prairie River Library District! We are excited to introduce you to new worlds and adventures every time you walk through our doors. As a public library, we take great pleasure in providing books and materials which reflect the diversity of our community. At the public library, there is always something for everyone to enjoy.

With so many items to choose from, it can sometimes be overwhelming to find the books that are right for you and your family. This guide is here to help! With these tips, tricks, and tools, you’ll be on your way to your next great reading adventure.

Rights & Responsibilities

As a parent or caregiver, you are your child’s first and best teacher. You should set the parameters that are right for your family. It is your role to discuss with your child what is and is not appropriate for them to read, view, and listen to. As a public library, it is our responsibility to include materials in our collection that meet the needs of all the different people in our community. We strive to have something for everyone! With that in mind, every family is different. What is just right for some community members and some families may not be right for others.

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Library Resources:

Judge a book by its cover! Sometimes you can tell if a book is going to have a scene you’re not interested in reading just from what you see in the cover art.

  • Ask a librarian! We love to get people their next favorite read – and we’ve generally read a few books ourselves. Novelist and

  • Novelist K–8: Use these databases to find books that are like books you’ve read in the past.

Review Websites:

  • Common Sense Media: This website reviews movies, books, and games for violence, sex, swearing, positive role models, positive messages, educational value, and more.

  • Does the Dog Die: This website warns you about emotional spoilers (like the dog dying at the end) for movies, TV shows, and books.

  • Amazon.com: Use the Look Inside feature on most print (not digital) books to preview certain words that occur in a book to see if the book matches up to your standards.

Genre Tips: 

  • Graphic Novel Ratings: Many graphic novels will have a rating (like what you would see on a video game) next to the ISBN barcode on the back cover or inside the front cover of the book.

  • Romance novels: Try the 2/3 trick. Most romance novels will have a racy scene about 2/3 of the way through a book if they’re going to have one at all.

  • Mysteries: How do you know which mystery to read? Cozy mysteries are light and generally have a funny title and an animated cover. Noir (literally: black/dark) mysteries are violent and scary and usually have dark covers with few pictures. Everything else in the middle has covers that look a lot like any other fiction cover.

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