As summer approaches us the annual question of “what am I going to do?” The answers are usually somewhere between binging anime to laying facedown on my bed for the entire day. Back in middle school I was such a book worm, having read about 11 book series in that time. Even though that sounds like a lot I’m sure if I had more time I would’ve read more. This summer I plan on rereading some of those books. While these are meant for middle schoolers, I think people of all ages can find some entertainment in these.
- The Maze Runner
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Imagine this: giant maze, scary robots, climate change. That’s basically the Maze Runner. Actually, there’s more than that but let me tell you, the plot twists in this book are immaculate. It might be a bit boring at first but lets be honest what book isn’t boring at first? This series isn’t too long and makes for a great summer read. The series has three books and two prequel books that you have to read after the main three for them to make sense. This book series isn’t for everyone because there are some elements that are sensitive but if you’re into dystopia you will like this series a lot.
- Percy Jackson
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Okay, but this one was my entire middle school life. The Percy Jackson world actually has a lot of series you can read with Percy himself appearing in three of them. The order you read it in is Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Greek Mythology), The Kane Chronicles (Egyptian mythology), Heroes of Olympus (Greek and Roman mythology), Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard (Norse mythology), and the Trials of Apollo (Greek Mythology). That order is for hardcore fans as each of these series can be read standalone. The best aspects of these books are the characters and the humor. Each character is well developed and has their own charm. Percy is the dorky hero, Magnus has the weirdest sense of humor, Carter Kane is awkward and so on. I love all of these series and it’s definitely worth a read.
- Ranger’s Apprentice
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This one is a doozy, and by that I mean there are a lot of books. I personally love the adventure aspect of it. Sitting down and reading a book from this series makes me feel like I got whisked away into a kingdom. The main series has eleven books following Will, an orphan who joined the Ranger Corps. The Brotherband series has seven books featuring Hal, the prequel series has two books, and the Royal Ranger series has 4 books so far. Currently I am reading the Royal Ranger series, and I have to say it’s amazing. Keep in mind there is a lot of fighting in these books so this one might not be for everyone. I feel like this series is very underrated mostly because I have like one friend who’s read it. Again, this book is not for everyone so I would be careful with this one.
- The Ascendance Series
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Speaking of underrated, this one is the most underrated series ever. The author is a Utah native and boy is she skilled. This series started off as a trilogy that was completed in 2014, but a fourth book was released last year and a fifth one is to be released later this year (I definitely did not find that out as I was writing this). This series is about a kingdom who is mourning their lost prince. There are so many twists and turns, but yet again there is a lot of fighting in this series. I love all of the character development and the plot itself is everything.
Books are the best form of escapism. If you’re like me and love to live in a fantasy world these books are perfect for that. I’ve seen so many people around me grow out of fantasy books and read more realistic fiction. While I read that genre too, I prefer fantasy because of the creativity behind it. That kind of genre feeds my childlike brain and inspires me to write my own stories like that. I’ve also learned amazing life lessons through these books, and honestly everyone can do the same, you just have to dig a little. With that, I hope these books pique your interest, they are some of my favorites and I wish to share the joy of these books with everyone. Happy Reading!