These Fort Worth area moms make finding great books easy for parents

Jenny Holmes and Lori Hart are good friends and mothers who have young children with advanced reading capabilities. However, they asked themselves a question one day that inspired them to enter business together.

“Just because a 9-year-old can read at a ninth-grade level doesn’t mean that he or she should read books written at that level,” Hart said. “We believe that the content and themes in the books our kids read should match their emotional maturity level, not outpace it.”

So, the two Keller moms created Story Finders Books. It’s an online service that caters to parents like themselves who were struggling to find age-appropriate books for their children who are strong readers.

They also take into consideration the busy world of parents trying to keep the household going, working to pay bills, etc. Researching the right books takes time — and that’s where Holmes and Hart come in.

They pick out the books for your children and send them in a package the kids can look forward to receiving.

“We knew that we weren’t the only ones who were leading busy lives while trying to find time to pre-screen all of the books our avid readers were bringing home,” Hart said.

Story Finders Books was launched in the summer of 2022, and they mailed the first monthly boxes in September of that year.

“We have a specific passion to provide peace of mind for parents while harnessing the power of stories to build character in children,” Holmes said.

How Story Finders curates books

Every Story Finders subscriber completes a short survey at the time of purchase. The majority of the questions are for the young reader, with a few supplemental questions for parents about the types of content they’d like to include or avoid in their child’s books.

“Based on each customer’s answers, we then curate books each month tailored to their specific interests and desires,” Hart said.

Parents can easily access their online account at any time to change their preferences and make updates as needed.

“Books are personally chosen every month for each child by us,” Hart said. “We spend a lot of time picking just the right books for each individual subscriber.

“We’re proud that our customers trust us to choose great books for their children. It’s a responsibility we don’t take lightly.”

Parents can also ask for specific titles, though Hart said they rarely do. They can also request subjects such as settings.

For example, a mom recently asked them to send books with stories set in New York City. The family was planning a vacation there.

“We do love receiving feedback that helps us make selections,” Hart said. “We love being able to support our customers in this way.”

They also have a policy that if customers already have read and own a book they send them, they will immediately send a new one. They do ask, however, that the parents give away or donate the first book.

Holmes said the program is also great at bringing parents and their children closer.

“Anything that helps children and their parents talk about books together is a win,” she said enthusiastically.

Families say subscription generates excitement

Christa McCord, a Fort Worth parent who has a subscription, said getting that green box in the mail sparks excitement in her family.

“My boys love getting their boxes each month and can’t wait to see what’s inside,” she said. “They’ve found new favorite books and series through Story Finders, and I love the wide range of books we’ve received. It’s usually books I haven’t seen before and wouldn’t have known to buy otherwise.

“Plus the website is very user-friendly, which makes it easy to update your profile and preferences.”

Holmes said they have a “sweet spot” for readers ages 7-16. However, participants aren’t restricted to those ages.

“We have many customers who are early readers, and we currently have subscribers as young as 18 months and as old as middle-aged adults who enjoy building a library of great books for their future grandchildren,” she said.

Holmes said they have considered the idea of creating subscription options for adults, but they’ve have had more customer requests to expand the business toward younger preschoolers/pre-readers at the present time.

A Story Finders subscription costs $35 per month. There’s no fee to join, and subscriptions will auto-renew monthly unless a customer chooses to skip or pause their subscription. There’s also an option for quarterly subscriptions if desired.

No two boxes are the same.

“We spend countless hours reading and researching to bring our readers the very best books,” Holmes said. “We love getting to know our ‘subscription kids’ all over the United States.”

Melanie Judge, a mom from Spring Hill, Florida, said her daughter has been receiving boxes for about a year and it has helped her develop a passion for reading.

“My daughter also really enjoys the little extra surprises they include in the boxes,” Judge said. “For example, she read a historical fiction about spies during WW2 one month, and then they sent her several spy messages to decode in subsequent months.

“Seeing her excited about receiving and reading books has piqued the interest of my other two children, who tend to struggle with reading. They are also now subscribers and look forward to seeing what books are sent to them each month.”

Currently, Story Finders books are only available through online subscriptions. They also curate book selections for book fairs for smaller schools and home school groups, both in Dallas-Fort Worth and even out-of-state groups as far away as New Jersey and Florida.

“Readers may also see us as a pop-up vendor occasionally at local events,” Holmes said.

However, she said they dream of one day owning a brick-and-mortar children’s bookstore.

“Perhaps this will be our retirement plan in years to come,” she said with a smile.

This story was originally published July 2, 2025 at 1:54 PM.