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MeddleKidz Book Sleuth iOS:
Book Recommendations

iOS, iPadOS, MacOS App

Overview

Finding the right books for children can be a real challenge. You have to consider their age, reading level, and interests, and even when you find a book they enjoy, it might only lead to more questions—like whether it’s part of a series or who the author is. I spent countless hours at the Brooklyn Public Library trying to find the perfect books for my son, and it was often overwhelming. The way books were categorized on different shelves made it difficult to navigate, and I struggled to make sense of it all. However, as my son’s reading skills improved, I began to notice patterns—certain authors, series, and book types like chapter books. With this understanding, I decided to create an app to simplify the process of selecting and reserving books from the library.

That is where MeddleKidz Book Sleuth comes in. This iOS app makes it easy to browse books by author or series, with a safe search option that filters exclusively for children’s books. Once you find a book that fits your needs, you can bookmark it and head to your local library.

MeddleKidz Book Sleuth

App Store

Programming Tasks

  • Google Books API Connection
  • Structure of Data and Filtering Content
  • Midjourney Logo and Imagery
  • Exploring multiple APIs to find the best book resource
  • Lazy Loading (Google has 40 books per call), both Browse list and Search Results
  • Searching the database rather than filtering on client-side
  • Switching to Swift text field from UIKit search bar (big blocker)
  • Finding when useful to use basic Swift and UIKit
  • Rotating Illustrations
  • iTunes Search API to connect books to those on the Apple Books Library for purchase
  • Creating a fuzzy search to find comparable Google-listed books on Apple Books
  • Learning to work with App Store Connect, work with multiple submissions
  • Rotating daily lists of Featured Authors on the Home Screen
  • Saving Bookmarks by AppleID to share between devices
  • Discrete Authors and Series Section
Josh Butler: Designer. Made in NYC. Always a Work in Progress.