Young Adult Book Reading Challenges discussion

Hi all! I love to read series in YA books and was curious to get some ideas for new ones. One of my favorite series is Peter and the Star Catchers. There are 3 books and they are great. They talk about how Peter Pan becomes who he is, how he meets Tinker Bell and Captain Hook. Just fun!

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

Harry Potter

I'll go Harry Potter only cause I'm new to YA and all. That Peter and the Star Catchers sounds fun! I'll throw it on my list.

Twilight -
City of Bones ---- City of Ashes is next
Marked, Betrayed & Chosen ---- another vampire thing
Pretty much anything by Anthony Horowitz - he's got several series.
Christopher Paolini --- Eargon, Eldest & Brisingr
Tamora Pierce - again, she has multiple fantasy series
William Nicholson - Noble Warriors


I've heard lots about the uglies --- that's next!

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer. Not as well written as HP (but what is?), but a lot of fun. The first book has the secret elf code on the bottom of each page you get to decode. And the latest one in the series, while not so much about Artemis, to me showed a new level of maturity in Colfer's writing. But mostly it's just fun--a little sci-fi, a little action, a little spy-thriller, some fantasy, with a little computer geekery thrown in for fun.

Meghan.. Artemis Fowl sounds great! I am going to check it out.

Seconding Peter and the Starcatchers.
Holly Black's Tithe/Valiant/Ironside series
The Vampire Diaries (an oldy but goody)
...and, while not a series, although I hope it will become one, Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr. Hero, by Perry Moore, is rumored to be the first in a series, as well.

ETA: The Uglies series, by Scott Westerfeld is wonderful, and I also agree with the suggestion of Artemis Fowl.

I love John Marsden's series: Tomorrow, When the War Began. His stand-alone books for YA's are good too. He's three books into the Ellie Chronicles which are set after the events of the Tomorrow series.

Any of Tamora Pierce's Tortal series (especially the Trickster duology and the new Beka Cooper series) are great. Brian Jacques' Redwall series has always been a favorite, although the later novels in the series are definitely lacking and suffer from recycled plotlines.

A new favorite is Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle Trilogy.

Everyone has such great lists! And this is super hard to choose, but if I make my choice by the books I reread the most, I would have to say:

Tamora Pierce's Alanna series
-and-
J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter

I forgot to add Anne of Green Gables. Definitely read it with a box of kleenex!

Angie - Colfer also wrote several stand-alone books which are quite fun. But Artemis is my favorite. I love that boy genius.

I just picked up a new book The Looking Glass Wars, and it's part of a series. It's a sci-fi version "true" version of Alice in Wonderland. Anyone else read it? I thought it sounded really creative so I'm hoping it's good.

I have seen The Looking Glass Wars in BN. It looks great! You will HAVE to let me know if it is worth picking up!

I will say Anne of Green Gables and then the companion books of Anne of Avonlea.

Probably Harry Potter has been the most amazing YA series I've read.

Uglies is very good, and I was quite surprised by it, I didn't expect to like it as much as I did, so I'm interested to see the discussion everyone has about it when it's up as the club book. :)

From a much different Angie...please, please, and please! Read The Looking Glass Wars and you will not, and I'm not by any means being facetious, put it down! You won't go a day beyond finishing the first before you give up dinner and whatever else is so incredibly unimportant in order to pick up a copy of Seeing Redd! Not a sci-fi buff, per say, but love this series perhaps even more than those that spoke to me such as Artemis and His Dark Materials, which, for the record, has gotten such an incredible bum rap.

The Gemma Doyle Trilogy by Libba Bray is amazing.

I love the Gemma Doyle trilogy as well.
And I love the Twilight series of course.

The Twilight series is GREAT. I have really enjoyed that series. I don't have kids or know any teens so if it weren't for goodreads I may have not known about that series until the movie came out!

I recently read The Lightning Thief. It is the first book in Rick Riordan's greek mythology series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and it was great. I'm excited to get my hands on the next ones.

Morgan, I think you will really enjoy the series--I think it gets better with every book.

I keep hearing about that series, so I am going to pick it up it sounds really good.

I have a new favorite series. Erec Rex by Kaza Kingsley

I didn't know how it could get any better than Harry Potter, but than I read the Twilight series. I don't know that I would say they are better, because they are so very different, but they sure are good.

I also really enjoy Philip Pullman's Sally Lockheart mysteries that begins with The Ruby in the Smoke. Another favorite is Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising Series. It's been around a long time, but it can still stand up to the new bad boys on the block. This is the series the movie The Seeker, was taken from; as usual the books are alot better.

Artemis Fowl is good. I love some of his characters. My favorite is Mulch Diggims.

I only read one of the following series, but they look promising:
The Overlander Series
The Sister Grim Series
Tamora Pierce's Alanna( I've only read the first of her books, but I enjoyed every moment).

Harry Potter
Uglies
Midnighters

Lately I want to check out:
Maximum Ride
Cherub series
They sound fun!

I also enjoyed Artemis Fowl, but I haven't gotten far in the series yet.
Last summer I was really into The Edge Chronicles by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell. Not only was it an adventure, it tackled serious social issues like slavery and environmental responsibility.
This Spring I've been all about Angie Sage's Septimus Heap series. At first I thought it might just be a Harry Potter "rip-off", but it definitely has its own personality.

I would like to add the Secret Circle series to this!

The "Obernewtyn" series by Isabelle Carmody is a must-read!

The "Tomorrow" series by John Marsden, starting with Tomorrow, When the War Began - fantastic series, never too old for it.

Twilight, of course - and despite their many flaws I'm enjoying the House of Night series and Libba Bray's trilogy. Someone else mentioned L.J. Smith's Vampire Diaries - they're good too :)

Harry Potter deserves a mention, I can easily re-read those!

The Uglies trilogy by Scott Westerfeld (did I get his name right?)

I enjoyed both the Artemis Fowl series as well as the Percy Jackson and the Young Olympians series. :)

I know I'm being a bit self-serving, but the third book in my series about a not-so-confident model, VIOLET IN PRIVATE, comes out this week.

It's gotten some good response from teen readers, and good reviews from the NY Times and NPR. Plus, Violet on the Runway (the first of the series) is a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age pick.

You can read more about it (and enter contests all month long) on melissacwalker.com or myspace.com/melissacwalker.

Hope you'll visit!
MW

I really love the Ender's Game series. It is good and sci-fi so it gets away from what YA are used to. My husband is reading the whole series after I introduced him to it. I think once you start you will want to read them all.

I hate choosing favorites because my choice keeps changing. I agree with Harry Potter, Philip Pullman's Dark Material's, Artemis Fowl was also good. Haven't read Tamora Pierce but she is in my bag to be read as soon as I'm done with Abhorsen which brings me to my suggestion:
Garth Nix The Abhorsen trilogy starting with Sabriel.

If I am going with Vampire series I love Twilight, de la Cruz's Blue Bloods/Masquerade and the third comes out soon and the Vampire Academy ones are quite good. (I got on a bit of a kick a few years ago).

I recently read Garth Nix's Keys to the Kingdom series (Mr. Monday is first) and they are great! I expecially recommend them to sixth grade boys who say they don't like reading. The hero is an asthmatic British kid who by happenchance becomes involved in saving this kingdom. I liked them a lot. I also liked...
Uglies
Midnighters
Obernewtyn
Artemis Fowl
Trickster's Choice
Ranger's Apprentice
City of Bones

And, well, pretty much my favorite book is whatever I am reading right then. I guess I am a bit capricious! I love the different series you guys have recommended. Library, here I come!

Looking Glass Wars and Seeing Red are fabulous.
My favorite series by far is the Bartimaeau Trilogy by Jonathon Stroud. Wee Free Men, Hat Full of Stars, and Wintersmith is a very funny trilogy for YA by Terry Pratchett.

I loved the Abhorsen trilogy by Garth Nix. It is a dark fantasy with a strong female protagonist.
I also loved the Twilight series, except the final novel, the Uglies trilogy, and the Libby Bray series.

Patty,
I really liked the Abhorsen trilogy as well. The Singer of All Songs Trilogy by Kate Constable was also very good.

percy jackson, maximum ride, midnighters, uglies, the gemma doyle trilogy, the mortal instruments, pendragon

OOPS. i forgot twilight! how could i forget twilight?! :P

Oh LJ SMith's books are great - esp. The Vampire Diaries

Harry Potter for sure!
I also love the Larklight series by Philip Reeve.
The Emily books by L. M. Montgomery.
I'm sure I'll think of more later to add ;>

I read the first Larklight book. It was ... interesting. lol. XD

Haha! Yes, I think Larklight will either be something you find completely hilarious and endearing (as I did) or just perhaps a little strange and off beat. For some reason I love Art and the writing style - but I can see where it would be for everyone ;>

Well, I thought it was kinda both. It was funny and original, but i guess a little too random for my taste. haha. :D which seems kind of ironic actually ... XD

Have you read the Mortal Engines series, Brigid? I haven't yet, but just wondered how they compared in style to Larklight.

hmmm. i don't think i've heard of those.

Well, I guess I'll just have to wait and find out for myself then ;>

i guess so XD

THe Gerald Morris books (remakes of Arthurian legends)

I love the Gemma Doyle books. So good!