His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

This Trilogy got a lot of criticism, especially when the movie "The Golden Compass"(the first book) came out. The movoe actually follows the first book pretty well. Of course a lot of details are left out, but they did not change the story line too much. Now you can't base the trilogy off of the movie because the other two books take a complete turn in direction. I can see where a lot of people complained about the God, angels, Adam and Eve content since I was even a little iffy about it in the third book, however, part of that was knowing that others gave this book a hard time. Once again though, people are destroying a good book due by reading into it too much and taking it personal. Much like people still give Harry Potter a hard time because of magic. Anyway, this was a very original and creative work that I really enjoyed reading. I didn't really like how it ended since it's one of those books that just quickly ends and leaves you wondering what happened. Lyra hears about this entity called Dust that works to unite all these parallel worlds. It is only manifested in adulthood so Lyra finds out that a group of people that includes her mother is forcing children to be ripped apart from their animal companions to prevent this dust from showing up. Lyra saves her friend from this only to have her father do this to Roger in order to open a portal to another world where there are no adults and children are afraid to grow up since shadows consume the dust and pretty much kill the adults. Will from our world gets mixed up in this since he becomes a knife bearer of the Subtle Knife that cuts openings between the worlds, however each cut makes a shadow. In the end Lrya and Will fall in love but must live in their own separate worlds while they fulfill their individual destiny.

Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud

Blake really liked this trilogy so I had to try it out for myself. It's not my favorite, but it is still a pretty decent trilogy. Bartimaeus is a Djinni that is summoned by Nathaniel, an in-training-wizard that was sold by his parents when he was five. Nathaniel is a very smart young boy that has a horrible tutor and so he studies and summons this powerful, yet somewhat cowardly djinni to help him in his various plots and schemes to get revenge on a fellow wizard that humiliated him during a party and his master did not intervene. At the start, Nathaniel is naive, selfish, and bitter towards life and all wizards that think they are better than him and of course, the non-wizard resistance trying to free themselves from the control and power of the wizards. All wizards are to forget their real name since knowing your real name can be used against you and destroy you. Bartimaeus learns Nathaniel's name and therefore has some power over what Nathaniel can and can't do. Nathaniel keeps summoning Bartimaeus partly because he is afraid another wizard will and Bartimaeus will give out his real name and Bartimaeus actually uses his brain and think logically instead of just following Nathaniel's orders. This trilogy is nice in the sense that there is no love story, just a story of three different people who are suppose to hate each other and by the end of the trilogy are willingly working together.

Rangers Apprentice by John Flanagan

I found this series to be pretty refreshing. It's not centered around kids with magical powers or focused on romance. It is set in the past when you had nobles and their estates and knights that abided by a honorable code. It follows a few young children with no parents that a noble takes into his estate to raise. There comes a time when all these parentless children are apprenticed out. Will always had his sight on being a knight along with his friend Horace, however, he does not have the size or muscle to make it as one. A very rare chance occurs for him to apprentice out as a Ranger, a very mysterious trade that few understand or have the chance to participate in. These books follow Will as he trains and then helps defeat an enemy. He later is captured and escapes with a Princess from another area and finally gets his first post to watch on his own. Rangers are assigned to areas to watch for danger and any possible uprisings from neighboring countries. When I started this series I thought it would be like most series with just a few books, however, I have learned that there are suppose to be about 11 books total. These books must have started out in Europe since 10/11 books have been released there but only 6 have been released in the US. We're a little behind and need to catch up.

Septimus Heap by Angie Sage

Another wizard type series that is compared to Harry Potter, however, it is not similar to Harry Potter in any way other than having wizards. Septimus was taken as a child and thrown in the Young Army without any knowledge of who his parents are. At the same time the Princess is taken from the castle and given to Septimus's family to be raised at their own. Septimus and his friends/family at one point are sent to the past, find a Dragon boat, and are sent on a Queste (which every wizard sent on has always died in). Of course Septimus breaks this trend and actually completes his Queste. There's still a few books left so we'll have to see what else Septimus and his friends/family find themselves doing.

Saphyre Snow by Marcia Lynn McClure

The precursor to this book is A Crimson Frost, but you can still read this book without being lost. This is a sort of retelling of Snow White, but a more believable story. This was the first retelling of a fairy tale story that I read and thoroughly enjoyed the story. Crimson Frost is about Saphyre Snow's great-great-great...grandparents and is only mentioned as a story in this book, but still a good book to read as well.

The Visions of Ransom Lake by Marcia Lynn McClure

This author has a lot of fun short romance stories. Many are only found as e-books, but she is slowly getting all her books printed. This was one of my favorites. You soon realize that most of her books pretty much follow this story line. You have a handsome, rugged, confident man and a young, shy girl who is struggling to find her confidence and who she is. Of course she is drawn to the man no other girl can get and usually someone she should not be attracted to, but of course she falls in love with him. They have some encounters, the man struggles to not fall for the girl, saves her and they get married. And they always have the most unique names for the characters. Anyway, they are all quick, easy reads, and make you feel good about life. I can see young girls really falling for these stories.

This is one of my favorites just because it made me laugh a lot with the awkward circumstances Vaden finds herself in the presence of handsome Ransom Lake (told ya the names are unique). The only weird part of the story is that Ransom has 'visions' of the troubles Vaden often encounters, but otherwise a fun read.

Percy Jackson and The Olympians by Rick Riordan

These books are great! So good they made a movie out of them, although I have yet to see it. It's a great way to learn about greek mythology. Percy is a son of a God and human, obviously a half god like Hercules. He does not learn until later that he is a half god and even longer to find out who his father is. The top three gods, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades are not suppose to have any children, but of course they don't keep to this pact. Their kids end up being incredibly powerful children and attract horrible greek mythology monsters that they spend all their life fighting. Of course, the Titan's are rising again and Percy is the foretold savior of the world that has the choice to save the world or destroy it by joining the Titan's. It may sound like a dumb series by my explanation here, but these are one of my favorite series that I have read so far. I love seeing the lesser gods and their alliances and century old grudges. The gods don't want to believe there is a problem and do not want to get involved with their children. Many do not recognize that any of the kids at Camp Half-Blood are their own children, so there is the struggle of these kids not having parents or feeling they belong. Many of course end up having negative feelings towards the gods and side with the rise of the titans.

Fablehaven by Brandon Mull

My husband, Blake, and I really like these books. Once again it follows a brother and sister (Kendra and Seth) as they search for artifacts that, if in the wrong hands, will release all the magical creatures that at the moment are left in these magical creature sanctuaries through out the world. One such is called Fablehaven that is taken care of by their grandparents. Through different encounters with magical things, Kendra and Seth have taken on special powers that they slowly realize they have through out the books. I still have not read the last book to see how everything ends, but I am sure it all ends well as most books do. Otherwise, it would not be a terribly good book if it ended horribly. Seth tends to cause a lot of unnecessary trouble for everyone since for some reason he can not listen to others and just stay out of trouble. Instead he insists on trading batteries for gold with the magical creatures and breaking rules that void rules that govern all the magical creatures to keep everyone safe.

39 Clues

This series is geared more for the younger age, but I still enjoy reading them. A new book or card series comes out every two months and is written by a different author. It follows a brother and sister that are competing in a search for 39 clues that when put together will make the person very powerful. There are four family groups that all who participate in this 'game' belong to. Each family group is determined to be the first to find all 39 clues and will do anything to prevent others from winning. Each book leads to a different country and you learn about a famous person associated with each area. It's a fun way to learn about these people. Although I will admit at this point each book does get a little old and I am getting to the point that I want some mysteries solved and the story to come to a finish. Each book comes with a set of cards that you can enter in the website along with the card packs to find more clues. I'm a little confused how the books are going to end since there are only 10 books or so and 39 clues that need to be found. I'm not sure how many clues each card pack has, but each book only covers one clue if that. I hope the last book can wrap up and give everyone an ending instead of leaving you hanging and being forced to buy these card packs and participate online. I guess we'll find out how it ends.

Wicked by Nancy Holder

I have mixed feelings about this series. It was very hard to get through the first book, but once I read it I had to finish the last two books. By the third book I was really into the book and had to find out how it could possibly end well for everyone. Witches, Warlocks, cats, people being raised from the dead, and death. Witches and Warlocks were never meant to mix together and have a centuries long feud that many do not even remember how or why is started. Holly, Amanda, and Nicole lived a normal life until Holly's parents were killed on a rafting trip and Amanda and Nicole's mother is killed by Michael Deveraux (the warlock). The girls soon learn that Michael is interested in them because they are witches and he wants them dead. Only problem is that Michael's son and Holly have an unexplained attraction to each other affected by a love and curse of their dead relatives from centuries before. The girl possesses Holly while the guy of course possesses Michael's son. They love each other desperately, but where not meant to love one another and therefore were cursed to kill each other. However, the curse was never fulfilled so they have spent countless times possessing others and failing to fulfill the curse. People are sent to the past, others are brought back to life and you find betrayal and multiple love stories that get entwined.

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

These are simply a fun collection of books about a very intelligent 12 year old criminal boy who terrorizes a hidden fairy community. Artemis and his body guard, Butler, have one challenge after another being a thorn in Holly's career as a Fairy Police Officer. In the first book, Artemis is definitely a criminal and steals the Fairy people's gold. As the books progress Artemis at one time must ask the Fairy people for help and vice a versa. A very entertaining read.

The first book Artemis somehow has figured out that the fairy people exist and there is a book that tells everything about them. He traces down a drunk fairy and gets this book from him and learns to read the fairy language so that he can swindle money from the fairy folk. He does not make friends with them and out smarts them at every turn. It's not just fairies, but dwarves, centaurs, all magical creatures. Future books has the fairy people helping Artemis locate and save his father who was kidnapped by the mafia. Without the help of Holly, Artemis's father would be dead. Of course, after this incident, his father decides to retire from the criminal business and spend time as a loving family. Unfortunately, Artemis hasn't quite decided whether he is ready for a 'normal' life. He needs the challenge since he is one of the smartest kids on the planet and enjoys the brain work. Later Holly's people find themselves in trouble and must break down and ask Artemis for help on two occasions. Holly, Butler, and Artemis, through their adventures, end up becoming good friends and defeating fairy folk gone bad and another very smart young girl who also knows about the underground community. I still have the last book to read and am curious what is in store for Artemis and his friends.

Maus I & II by Art Spiegelman

A must read comic strip book. These books are written about Art Spiegelman's father and how he and his wife survived Germany as a Jew. Art's father was not put in a concentration camp until later in the war so you get a view of how life was leading up to his capture. Moving a lot, hiding out in people's houses, having parents and children killed... It is a terrible story, but gives you a first hand look into how the war affected Art's parents even after they were released and moved to the United States. His mother eventually committed suicide since her first son was killed by Nazi's and Art's father is incredibly frugal and even convinces a grocery store manager to take back his opened cereal boxes that he was no longer going to eat. It's entertaining in the sense that Art shows arguments that he and his father have while being interviewed and the tricks his father pulls on Art to get him to visit or help around the house. Definitely a book I would suggest everyone read.

This book especially affected me since Art's parents had a very young son when the war started. It was hard to read about how the soldiers would smash kids heads against buildings or learning about one family that lived in a communities trash dumpster the entire war. Can you imagine staying in a small dumpster every day with your young kid. The community knew about them and luckily never turned them in. I just think about my own kids and how I would not have made it through any of these experiences very well. Art's mother struggled horribly through out everything, especially after her son was killed. They sent him away with others to a 'safe' area. They learned later that the Nazi's were rounding up that neighborhood and sending them to the ovens. Instead of going, the lady poisoned her children and the other children that were with her which included the Spiegelman's son. It was interesting to note that the war had a huge affect even on Art and that he went to therapists a lot to cope with his insecurities with the war and his parents and his competition with a brother he never knew. Having children of your own really makes stories and experiences take on a whole new personal meaning. It stinks at times.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

I have read books 1-3 and still have the fourth to read. These are very easy and quick to read which is one reason why I like to read these. Sometimes you just need a quick read and you don't want to take time to read a longer, more in depth book. These are especially fun since they have illustrations drawn throughout the book. It follows the life of Greg, a young middle school age kid with one older and one younger brother. Much like many middle children, Greg fights a lot with his older brother. His younger brother can do no wrong and you see that the parents let him get away with a lot that the older two don't. Each book follows a school year or summer of Greg and his experiences and his perspective on life. He tries so hard to fit in and get through life with little effort. It will be interesting to see what the fourth book has to offer.