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School has started so my "free time" to read for pleasure has been cut drastically short. This summer I have enjoyed reading different series in Young Adult fiction. My reading genre tends to lean towards adventure/fantasy/magical. Of course the kings of the genre are The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books. The Twilight series is one that I have no plans on reading (no offense to those who read and loved it). Teen drama is what I see everyday at school and whether a vampire or werewolf are involved or not, it just doesn't interest me. (I have read Interview with a Vampire and like it a lot, but it is definitely not a Young Adult book.)
Here is a quick list of the series that I have been reading:
* Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan. All adventure and no fantasy/magic in it. I read eight of the books and really enjoyed each one very much. The story focuses on a young teen who, along with his close friends, become an apprentice. Each teen become an apprentice within different areas of the castle based on their own interests and strengths. As they become adults, they excel in their chosen fields and find themselves having to save the day (several times).
* The Sisters Grimm by Michael Buckley. Two young girls who think they are orphaned go and live with a grandmother they didn't realize they had. They learn they are relatives of the Brothers Grimm family whose job is to watch over a community of fairytale character who are real but living in disguise in the world. There are nine books and the two girls are very empowered and how they deal with missing parents and life is very real. There is a good balance between the idea of fairytale characters and intense adventure.
* Percy Jackson & The Olympians by Rick Riordan. I have only just started this book. The movie was fun to watch so I thought I would try the books. So far it has started very different then the movie did and I look forward to see how else the movie altered the story.
* Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. I have not read any of the three books in this series, but it has caused quite the stir in our school since introduced by an English teacher last spring. She had her English 10 students read the first book and students from all grades have been wanting to borrow the next books like crazy from her! Many of the staff members have read the series and also seem to have enjoyed the books just as much. Facebook comments where heavy when the third book came out only a week or two ago. Any book that can get so many teens reading a whole book in a weekend must have something good about it.
