My top ten book series are hard to pick. And ever changing. Currently, this is the list. And, for the purposes of this list, I’ve considered not just series but books written as connections to each other – if a group of books could be read as stand alones but you find out what happens to other characters in books the author wrote, I’m going to count it.
1. It’s funny, I dislike horror books. I recently read ‘Carrie’ by Stephen King and am haunted by the story. However, the ‘Anna Dressed in Blood‘ series by Kendare Blake is one that I really enjoy. It’s just spooky enough but original enough – ghost hunter falls in love with a ghost. Personally I felt a little better with the concept of ghost hunters and loved how this one presented that profession as an accepted fact. Nicely written, great characters and action makes this series one I recommend to kids all the time if they like ghost based supernatural.
2. This is one of those series that has major characters appearing as minor characters in books that follow theirs. I shall call it the ‘And the…‘ series by Stephanie Perkins. Each titular female – Anna, Lola and Isla – has a story of their own. However, we see them and their companions in other books, sometimes in the circle of friends of the main character, sometimes referred to as people from the past. Anna graduated from the school where Isla goes and now works with Lola. They all end up in the same place at the end and we get a bit of resolution to all of the stories at the same time. Each book can stand alone, but together, it’s a beautifully connected story of romance and self discovery. At times, a little overly sweet but nicely done.
3. The Cinder series by Marissa Meyer is a mix of many of my favourite things – a retelling of a popular tale in a fresh new way,
a series where all the title characters have their own story that mixes with that of the others, strong females who kick butt. It starts with a retelling of Cinderella, in a futuristic world. It then moves to Little Red Riding Hood and her version of a big bad wolf and then to Rapunzel. The fourth book comes out next year to complete the Lunar Chronicles and hopefully bring Cinder to the place where she is meant to be. ‘Cinder’ is a book I book talk often and is one that is an option for our grade tens to choose for their book group study.
4. Of course, of course, of course. The Divergent series by Veronica Roth. This series is not the strongest in terms of writing, it is one of the most popular and one that I enjoyed immensely. Sure, the second book is a placeholder to get to the third and sure there were issues in what was presented in terms of their world. But it has stayed with me and continues to bring me enjoyment as I revisit the world of Tris every fall when my grade ten classes study ‘Divergent’.
5. If I mention Divergent, I have to mention The Hunger Games. I teach ‘The Hunger Games’ to my third year class. However, I love all three books. When I first read ‘The Hunger Games’ I didn’t know it was a series – finding out that there were two more books to experience the world of Katniss was a beautiful gift. I do think that Gale is a… well, I don’t like Gale. I do like the ending – it’s not a big ending, not a huge ending but it’s the right ending for Katniss and I like that. I can’t wait to see the third movie!
6. Harry Potter. Harry Potter. Harry Potter. I have written before about how Harry Potter impacted me and my reading – how I came to it late but embraced it wholeheartedly. I think that it’s an excellent example of how one character can be a hero through a series, but each story can have their own hero arc. I love how the relationships develop. I love the memes and graphics that have come from it and the emotions that so much of the world has for these series. My favourite book (besides the last one, out of necessity of story conclusion) is the third book – ironically it’s my least favourite of the movies. I love theories about how one gets into Gryffindor. It’s a wonderful series.
7. Percy Jackson is a series that I enjoy, but that my son enjoys as well. It’s great being able to talk about series with my son. He plans to be Percy for hallowe’en and we’re having a fun time finding a costume for him. We both love that there’s spin off series (Heroes of Olympus! Last book out on the 7th of October!) and that there are characters who mess up, try hard and eventually find their way home. I like the portrayal of all types of learners and the validation that we all act, think and learn differently. As a kid I loved studying Greek Mythology – it’s so fun reading a series that incorporates it so well in to the story.
8. The Birthright series – All these things I’ve done and Because it is my blood. Different view of society, different view on “the family” – a mafia style family with a teenage girl at the helm, running the illegal chocolate business that belongs to her family. It’s an interesting view of a world – imagine caffeine was illegal – and how there are always people able to fill a need. But what of the needs of those people? This series examines those concepts and more and presents one of the more interesting female protagonists I’ve read in a while.
9. The Kenneally Books. Not a series name. Not even a series – a set of novels that could each stand alone but weave together to form a community. I read two without realizing the connections, then when searching for other books by that
author, read more and realized how they all hung together. Characters appear in one or the other and then might disappear. A wedding attended by a character in one might be the conclusion to a relationship in another. A standout athlete might appear as a coach to a later generation of the towns athletes. While the
books themselves were not the best literature out there, the way that they were intertwined and woven together spoke to me and I sought out all of them. My favourite was ‘breathe annie, breathe’, but they all presented a nice story. A lovely set of characters in a quaint town, learning and connecting with each other. It was nice to see some characters grow up – almost two generations of students, and reminded me of my life and seeing kids grow into adults in the span of a few years.
10. And finally, perhaps my favourite series. I hunt killers. Nature vs nurture, good vs evil, learning from your father and trying to learning how to not be your father. Suspense, thrills, relationships, cliffhangers (grrrr!), great supporting characters and a vibrant town. I really love this series and if you’re at all into thrillers or psychological studies, this series is for you. Read and enjoy them all – and try not to get a little scared!
Alison Edwards 