Series I Love

Series I Love

I’m currently reading the newly released second book in The Kane Chronicles (Throne of Fire) and it got me thinking about the series that I’ve read and loved.  I’ve always felt that series are a great way to hook reluctant readers.  I couldn’t give them a proper review without going back and rereading them, but if you’re looking for something good to get into for the summer or something recommend to someone else, this is a good place to start. 

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (trilogy, complete)

A futuristic dystopian society where the country was divided into 13 districts surrounding the ruling capital.  Years previously the districts rebelled against the capital and were eventually defeated, with one of the districts being completely destroyed.  As a reminder to the districts of the power controlled by the capital, every year each district must send two representatives (a boy and a girl between the ages of 12-18) to fight in a televised fight to the death called the Hunger Games. 

Katniss Everdeen is the protagonist in the story, volunteering for the games to take the place of her sister.  Katniss is the ultimate underdog; other participants are not only bigger and stronger, but have been training for the games their entire lives.  Though the story feels a bit like Survivor where contestants get killed instead of voted off, it is ultimately a human story of survival and self-preservation.  The story of the society is largely background in the first book, but becomes a major focus in the following novels.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan (completed series of five)

Percy Jackson has always had issues at school, but they reach a new level at the age of twelve when he gets attacked by a mythological creature on a field trip.  This leads to him discovering he is the son of Poseidon and will be attending Camp Half-Blood, a place for children who have one mortal parent and one god parent.  Percy goes on adventures with his friends (and sometimes enemies) often spurred by the Oracle’s predictions.

I personally have become a big fan of Rick Riordan.  I love this series, as well as his newer series The Kane Chronicles and The Heroes of Olympus.  I like his writing style, and the way he weaves tales of mythology into his stories.  I’ve stopped several times while reading to go look things up so I can better understand.  Similar to Harry Potter, Percy ages as the series progresses leading each book to be a little more serious.  They are fantasy/adventure based, and full of action. 

Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling (completed series of seven)

When I was thinking about my favorite series, I almost completely overlooked Harry Potter.  Harry was my favorite for so long that I almost forget him these days for the new, shiny toys, so to speak.  It was only after I had a conversation some of my students that I realized many of them only know Harry Potter through the movies.  It was a sad day for me, and I’m not going to spend time really explaining the books, but if you haven’t read them, you should.

Gone by Michael Grant (planned series of six)

Fourteen-year-old Sam Temple is sitting in class when everyone fifteen and older disappears.  Initially you have happy kids gone wild enjoying their new found freedom.  They realize that some have to step up to take care of the children too small to care for themselves, and as the situation sinks in they realize they may need order to preserve their provisions and find order.   An added twist is that several of the children have developed strange powers, ranging from being able to shoot beams of light out of hands to being able to determine how powerful others are.

I’ll go on record as saying I really enjoy this series, and most of my students do as well.  It isn’t the blind rave that some of the others are, though.  Michael Grant has a habit of adding and dropping characters as needed, which can make it hard to follow at times, considering that the story is told from rotating point of views.  The second book in the series is the weakest in my personal opinion, spending too much time dealing with the overall supernatural villain called the “darkness.”  I actually enjoy the human conflicts more than the supernatural ones.  It’s more relatable to see the kids struggle with survival, power, prejudice, trust, and family.  The third and fourth books picked back up for me, finding a better balance between the supernatural and human issues. 

Others worth mentioning:

Twilight:  You’ve probably been living under a rock if you don’t know what this one is about.  Very enjoyable, but not something I’d ever use in my classroom.

House of Night:  Another vampire series, way too much sexuality to give to my students.  Started off strong and hooked me really quickly, and then lost my interest as the story progressed.    

Life As We Knew It, The Dead and the Gone, This World We Live In: A Meteor hits the moon, causing all kinds of problems on Earth.  Starts out action packed, then becomes more about survival.  Some of my kids really liked these books, others lost interest as the action slowed down.  I personally really enjoyed them, but was left a little disappointed in the ending.

The Maze Runner:  Another dystopian society, science fiction trilogy.  I’m withholding judgment until the third book is published.  I’ll either love it or hate it, depending on the resolution.                                        

Hopefully there is something on here new to you that can inspire your summer reading!

Betsy