Recently, I have been flooded with TikToks about everyone’s favorite books from their childhood. This got me thinking about some of my own favorites and how I would rate them now.
- Maximum Ride Series by James Patterson
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It may be a bit more obscure than the Harry Potter series, but for me these were the books that got me through being bullied in elementary school. I love them to death, but that doesn’t mean they are without fault. These books would probably have to be ranked pretty low due to inconsistencies alone. Looking back on it now, I don’t know how I just ignored the fact that the main character magically changed hair color every book. This wasn’t the only inconsistency; it is also one of those stories that you can tell a middle-aged man is writing the perspective of a 13-year-old girl. All of this aside, the books will definitely hold a place in my heart, though I doubt I will be picking them up again anytime soon.
Rating: 2.5/5 stars - Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth
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This series started off strong for me and I remember the days where my friends and I would anticipate the release of the next book. I loved these books. But in the end, I think I would rank it a bit lower than I used to since I now know the ending, which I won’t spoil any details but it felt very thrown together. Though there are still some very interesting aspects to it that stop the books from being rated too low.
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
- The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare
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This series took over my life from about the sixth grade until my sophomore year of high school. It was also another one of my favorite series growing up that got a movie and a tv show. For the most part, I would still love this series, but I find that her newer books in the same universe are simply better. The most glaring issue for me was the romantic conflict being centered around incest; it was just a bit strange and could have been removed altogether. It didn’t help that this was the main character involved in the conflicting emotions of it all, but luckily some of the other couples throughout the series were cute together. And though it was by much, the books were also a little bit more inclusive than some of the other books I read; so that helps boost it a little bit.
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
- The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
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To this day, this series is the fast I have ever read an entire book series; in less than 24 hours. Which for some may not be very fast but considering I normally took weeks to read a single book in the sixth grade, that is saying something. These books are still thrilling for me to read, even though I never got as emotionally attached to the characters as I did in other book series. The main flaw of the series that I remember is that book three drags on for a while in the middle for me, but otherwise, I thoroughly enjoy it still. I especially like that even though I was devastated by some of the character deaths; I could still justify why Collins made the choices she did.
Rating: 5/5 star
- Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan
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When I think of Percy Jackson, I think about all of the books Riordan wrote within the world of Camp Half-Blood: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Heroes of Olympus, and The Trials of Apollo. Since I adore Greek mythology, I automatically am a little biased toward these books. But one of the most important things that I loved about his books, especially the more recent ones, is that they feel so much more inclusive than other books I knew of growing up. There are times when some of the characters are a bit of a stereotype, I can feel the effort the Riordan took to depict different types of people to his young and impressionable readers. Though the books are a little young for me, there is still definitely a lot to love about the books and the characters and I would definitely reread them for a walk down memory lane.
Rating: 5/5 stars
Though there are definitely more series that I could delve into, like Harry Potter, I will save those for another day. If you are ever bored one day, try looking back on some of the books you read as a kid. Were they as great as you remembered them?