#LiteraryMarchMadness 2020: Book Series Edition

By Carrie Mcbride, Blog Editor

March 16, 2020

It's time for our Seventh Annual Literary March Madness (#LiteraryMarchMadness)! This is a bracket-style tournament like the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament (which was canceled this year due to coronavirus concerns) but with a bookish twist: this year's competition pits favorite (often, nostalgia-inducing) book series—kids and adult—against each other and the winner is decided by you!

It wasn't easy to whittle down all the wonderful book series out there, but we chose these sixteen to go against each other through four rounds. Will your favorite win? Your votes will decide, and at the conclusion of the 2020 Literary March Madness we'll crown a champion!

How to vote:

Check in daily at 11 AM on our Twitter (@NYPL), Facebook, Instagram story, and here to vote in our social media polls. You'll have 24 hours to make your pick, and you can see live results below.

Click here to see a larger version of this image.

Round 1:

#LiteraryMarchMadness is back! This year's competition will pit favorite book series—kids and adult—against each other, and you vote to determine the winner. First up: Crazy Rich Asians vs. Bridget Jones.

Vote now to decide which series will move on!https://t.co/4FHfG37AHG
— NY Public Library (@nypl) March 16, 2020

Round 1, Match 2 of #LiteraryMarchMadness brings some nostalgia with two well-loved series. Which series do you remember more fondly: The Babysitters Club or Sweet Valley High?

Vote now to decide which series will go to the next round!https://t.co/4FHfG37AHG
— NY Public Library (@nypl) March 17, 2020

Which letter-writing series will make it to the next round: To All the Boys or Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants? Vote in #LiteraryMarchMadness Round 1, Match 3 now to decide!https://t.co/4FHfG37AHG
— NY Public Library (@nypl) March 18, 2020

Which spooky stories keep you up all night: Goosebumps or Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark? Vote now in #LiteraryMarchMadness Round 1, Match 4!https://t.co/4FHfG37AHG
— NY Public Library (@nypl) March 19, 2020

Which series will move on in the #LiteraryMarchMadness mystery of 2020? Vote now for Walter Mosley's Easy Rawlins series or Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone Alphabet series!https://t.co/4FHfG3pbze
— NY Public Library (@nypl) March 20, 2020

Round 1, Match 6 of #LiteraryMarchMadness brings together some beloved bears! Which bear-y good series will move on to the next round: the Berenstain Bears or Winnie-the-Pooh?

Vote now to decide! https://t.co/4FHfG37AHG
— NY Public Library (@nypl) March 21, 2020

Which sci-fi series will move on to Round 2 of #LiteraryMarchMadness? Vote now between Octavia Butler's Parable series vs. Jeff VanderMeer's Southern Reach Trilogy!https://t.co/4FHfG37AHG
— NY Public Library (@nypl) March 22, 2020

Which series with a famed rabbit should hop along to Round 2 of #LiteraryMarchMadness: The 23 Tales by Beatrix Potter or Bunnicula by Deborah and James Howe?

Vote now to decide!https://t.co/4FHfG37AHG
— NY Public Library (@nypl) March 23, 2020

Round 2:

After 8 competitive matches, Round 2 of #LiteraryMarchMadness begins today! Which series should move on to the semifinals: Crazy Rich Asians, or Babysitter's Club?

Vote now to determine the winner of this round's first match-up! https://t.co/CXHnb2vVra
— NY Public Library (@nypl) March 24, 2020

Round 2 of #LiteraryMarchMadness is heating up! Match 2 brings together two beloved series, but which should move on to the semifinals: Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants or Goosebumps?

Vote now to decide!https://t.co/4FHfG37AHG
— NY Public Library (@nypl) March 25, 2020

Round 2, Match 3 of #LiteraryMarchMadness brings two unlikely competitors together: the Kinsey Millhone Alphabet Series by Sue Grafton and Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne. Which series will move on to the semifinals? Your vote will decide!

https://on.nypl.oorg/LMM2020-tw
— NY Public Library (@nypl) March 26, 2020

Today is the final match before the #LiteraryMarchMadness semifinals begin tomorrow! Which series do you want to see advance to the next round: Parable by Octavia Butler or The 23 Tales by Beatrix Potter?

Vote now to decide! https://t.co/4FHfG37AHG
— NY Public Library (@nypl) March 27, 2020

Round 3:

The #LiteraryMarchMadness semifinals are here! Today brings two fantastically fun series together, but which will advance to the finals: Crazy Rich Asians or Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants?

Vote now to send your favorite series to the championship!https://t.co/4FHfG37AHG
— NY Public Library (@nypl) March 28, 2020

The last match-up of the #LiteraryMarchMadness semifinals brings together two series with cherished animals. Which series do you want to move on to tomorrow's championship round: The 23 Tales by Beatrix Potter or Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne?

Vote now to decide!
— NY Public Library (@nypl) March 29, 2020

Finals:

bracket showing crazy rich asians and winnie-the-pooh as finalists

It's the moment you've been waiting for...the #LiteraryMarchMadness finals! After 14 matches, these 2 series prevailed to the final face-off. Your votes will decide the winner!

Who will be crowned the 2020 Literary March Madness champion: Crazy Rich Asians or Winnie-the-Pooh?
— NY Public Library (@nypl) March 30, 2020

And the winner is...

Taking home 75% of the final round vote with a total of 1,623 votes, the winner of the 2020 #LiteraryMarchMadness tournament is...

Winnie-the-Pooh!https://t.co/V1k6SC3SqM pic.twitter.com/Kyj9GQvnLM
— NY Public Library (@nypl) March 31, 2020