About What to Read Next: finding the book of your dreams!
You have found the podcast dedicated to helping you find the book of your dreams! We are the Olentangy Local School's elementary librarians, and as a community of professional librarians we are dedicated to finding and sharing great stories. We have set aside time to create interesting podcasts during the school year and talk about some of the books we love best! Sharing our knowledge with the students, staff, and parents of the OLS community is our passion and we can’t wait to get started!
Bringing Books to Life: Stacy McAnulty and the Power of Author Visits
In this episode, we’re shining the spotlight on author visits and the joy of meeting the writers behind the books we love. Today, we’re focusing on Stacy McAnulty—an author known for her creative, funny, and thought-provoking stories that connect with readers of all ages. Join us as we share how author visits inspire curiosity, bring books to life, and help us discover what to read next!
Music Credit: The Road to Success — Stock Music from WeVideo
27 Aug 2025
Tackling the New School Year
Hosted by Beth van Kan and Amy Chisek
Welcome to Season 3 of the What to Read Next podcast! We’re a team of elementary school librarians from the Olentangy Local School District, here to help you find the book of your dreams. Every episode, we share stories we love and ones we think you’ll love too.
To kick off this new season, we’re diving into books with grit—stories about characters who show courage, determination, and strength when things get tough. Whether you’re looking for an inspiring read or a character who won’t give up, we’ve got you covered.
So settle in, and let’s explore some unforgettable reads together!
Featured Books:
"Ronnie and His Grit" by Ronnie Lott and Leslie Harter, illustrated by Jonathan Sundy
"Because of the Rabbit" by Cynthia Lord
"The Year of the Book" by Andrea Chang
"Allergic" by Megan Wagner Lloyd and Michelle Mee Nutter
Music: "The Road to Success" from WeVideo Free Music Library
Podcast Logo: Created using Adobe Express with Adobe Express Images
20 May 2025
May 2025: Summer Reading
Join school librarian Mrs. Beth van Kan and public librarian Ms. Melissa Dougherty as they team up to share everything you need to know about Summer Reading and the Summer Reading Club at the Delaware County District Library!
Discover fun book recommendations, exciting activities, and how your whole family can join the adventure of reading all summer long. Whether you're a student, teacher, or parent, you won't want to miss the tips, laughs, and library love in this special episode!
Featured Books: The Wild Robots series by Peter Brown; Eerie Elementary series by Jack Chabert under the pen name, Max Brallier; Dog Man series by Dav Pilkey; Wings of Fire series by T. Sutherland; Don't Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson; Dungeons & Dragons: Dungeon Academy series by Diane Walker; and this list of books by Stacy McAnulty, Earth! My First 4.54 Billion Years, Sun! One in a Billion, Moon! Earth's Best Friend, The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl, The World Ends in April, The Evers Series: Forever 12
Music: Spring in My Step by Silent Partner (no copyright music from the Free Audio Library)
Podcast Logo: Created using Adobe Express with Adobe Express Images
14 Apr 2025
April 2025: National School Library Month
Hosted by Laura Laughbaum with Amy Chisek and Collin Combs
Celebrating school libraries, school librarians, and great books during National School Library Month
Featured Books: Everything in Its Place written by Pauline David-Sax and illustrated by Charnelle Pinkney Barlow; Matilda written by Roald Dahl; The Library Dragon written by Carmen Agra Deedy illustrated by Michael P. White; and All Are Welcome written by Alexandra Penfold and illustrated by Suzanne Kaufman
Music: Spring in My Step by Silent Partner (no copyright music from the Free Audio Library)
Podcast Logo: Created using Adobe Express with Adobe Express Images
14 Mar 2025
March 2025: March Book Madness Part 2
Hosted by Beth van Kan and Amy Nietfeld
Recording Date: February 14, 2025, this episode is Part 2 of the March Book Madness Episode
Featured Books:
The Yellow Bus by Loren Long
Zuni and the Memory Jar by Aisha Saeed
The Book That Almost Rhymed by Omar Abed
I Lived Inside A Whale by Xin Li
I’m Sorry You Got Mad by Kyle Lukoff
More Than Words by Roz MacLean
Dear Unicorn by Josh Funk
Amah Faraway by Margaret Chiu Greanias
Not Yet - The Story of an Unstoppable Skater by Zahra Lari/Hadley Davis
Harold the Iceberg Melts Down by Lisa Wyzlic
The Boy Who Said Wow by Todd Boss
I Do Not Each Children by Marcus Cutler
Magic Ramen: The Story of Momofuku Ando by Andrea Wang
The Spaceman by Randy Cecil
Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao by Kat Zhang
Wings of an Eagle - Gold Medal Dreams of Billy Mills by Billy Mills and Donna Janell Bowman
Music: Locally Sourced by Jason Farnham (no copyright music from the YouTube Free Audio Library)
Podcast Logo: Created using Adobe Express with Adobe Express Images
4 Mar 2025
February 2025: March Book Madness Part I
Hosted by Beth van Kan and Amy Nietfeld
Recording Date: February 14, 2025
Featured Books:
The Yellow Bus by Loren Long
Zuni and the Memory Jar by Aisha Saeed
The Book That Almost Rhymed by Omar Abed
I Lived Inside A Whale by Xin Li
I’m Sorry You Got Mad by Kyle Lukoff
More Than Words by Roz MacLean
Dear Unicorn by Josh Funk
Amah Faraway by Margaret Chiu Greanias
Not Yet - The Story of an Unstoppable Skater by Zahra Lari/Hadley Davis
Harold the Iceberg Melts Down by Lisa Wyzlic
The Boy Who Said Wow by Todd Boss
I Do Not Each Children by Marcus Cutler
Magic Ramen: The Story of Momofuku Ando by Andrea Wang
The Spaceman by Randy Cecil
Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao by Kat Zhang
Wings of an Eagle - Gold Medal Dreams of Billy Mills by Billy Mills and Donna Janell Bowman
Music: Locally Sourced by Jason Farnham (no copyright music from the YouTube Free Audio Library)
Podcast Logo: Created using Adobe Express with Adobe Express Images
28 Feb 2025
February 2025: March Book Madness
Hosted by Beth van Kan and Amy Nietfeld
Recording Date: February 14, 2025
Featured Books:
The Yellow Bus by Loren Long
Zuni and the Memory Jar by Aisha Saeed
The Book That Almost Rhymed by Omar Abed
I Lived Inside A Whale by Xin Li
I’m Sorry You Got Mad by Kyle Lukoff
More Than Words by Roz MacLean
Dear Unicorn by Josh Funk
Amah Faraway by Margaret Chiu Greanias
Not Yet - The Story of an Unstoppable Skater by Zahra Lari/Hadley Davis
Harold the Iceberg Melts Down by Lisa Wyzlic
The Boy Who Said Wow by Todd Boss
I Do Not Each Children by Marcus Cutler
Magic Ramen: The Story of Momofuku Ando by Andrea Wang
The Spaceman by Randy Cecil
Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao by Kat Zhang
Wings of an Eagle - Gold Medal Dreams of Billy Mills by Billy Mills and Donna Janell Bowman
Music: Locally Sourced by Jason Farnham (no copyright music from the YouTube Free Audio Library)
Podcast Logo: Created using Adobe Express with Adobe Express Images
14 Jan 2025
December 2024: Winter Reads
Angela Moore and Laura Laughbaum explore the best winter reads of 2024, sharing their curated book recommendations for cozying up by the fire this holiday season.
14 Jan 2025
November 2024: Native American Heritage
Beth van Kan and Amy Chisek explore Native American Heritage through five book recommendations that shed light on the rich history and culture of Native American communities.
14 Jan 2025
October 2024: Unlikely Friends
Beth van Kan and Heather Savage guide listeners to discover new book recommendations, exploring the unlikely friendships in Kate DiCamillo's 'Orris & Timble' and 'The Puppets of Spelhorst'.
14 Jan 2025
September 2024: Buckeye Book Award Nominees
Beth van Kan explores the top Buckeye Book Award nominees, uncovering the most compelling reads of the season.
3 Jan 2025
January: Books to Inspire Curiosity
Hosted by Beth van Kan and Amy Burchinal
Recording Date: January 3, 2025
Featured Books: The Curious Why by Angela DiTerlizzi, Are You Big? by Mo Willems, The Book that can Read Your Mind by Marianna Coppo, Maker Projects for Kids Who Love Games published by Crabtree Publishing, Be a Maker by Katey Howes, and the Percy jackson Olympians series by Rick Riordan. Also discussed were a variety of historical fiction books by the authors Mary Pope Osborne, Kate Messner, Michael Morpurgo, and Lauren Tarshis.
Music: Locally Sourced by Jason Farnham (no copyright music from the YouTube Free Audio Library)
Podcast Logo: Created using Adobe Express with Adobe Express Images
Who has been a guest on What to Read Next: finding the book of your dreams!
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Reem Faruqi
CS Lewis
Polly Horvath
Traci Sorrell
Kate DiCamillo
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
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