YA books

[onyxhawke]

So, what are people reading in YA right now? What have you liked in the last year?

Comments

[tcastleb.livejournal.com]

All these on audiobook in the car:

SKIN HUNGER, (http://www.amazon.com/Skin-Hunger-Resurrection-Magic-Kathleen/dp/0689840942/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234147076&sr=1-1) by Kathleen Duey. Very creepy, very different, and very good. I was totally hooked, and can't wait for part 2 this year.

RANGER'S APPRENTICE (http://www.amazon.com/Rangers-Apprentice-Collection-John-Flanagan/dp/0142411736/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234146970&sr=1-3) and the subsequent volumes by John Flanagan. This was a fun series; very good details about weaponry and battles. The different societies are based on real-world cultures (Celts, French, Nordic, Mongols.) Flanagan does a good job about making things worse, and worse, and worse for his characters. It gets slightly repetitive as far as things getting mentioned at times, but overall a good series and recommended for those trying to write battle and duel scenes. He's Australian, and there's eight books now, but not all are available over here yet.

And the first two in the Gatekeeper's Series (http://www.amazon.com/Ravens-Gate-Gatekeepers-Anthony-Horowitz/dp/0439680093/ref=pd_sim_b_1) by Anthony Horowitz called RAVEN'S GATE and EVIL STAR. These are fun; the world is in danger, and it's up to five special kids to close the gates before evil makes a reappearance. Sort of an urban fantasy thriller.

Currently listening to Burn Journals (http://www.amazon.com/Burn-Journals-Brent-Runyon/dp/1400096421/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234147571&sr=1-1) by Brent Runyon about a kid who sets himself on fire because he wanted to kill himself. Not for the faint of heart because of all the graphic medical details. And it's a true story, too. A good book for teen guys.

[tezmilleroz.livejournal.com]

Dystopian and futuristic YA is where all the good stuff is. Examples:

Mary E. Pearson's The Adoration of Jenna Fox
Alexander Gordon Smith's Furnace series (launching in the US in May, I think)
Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games
Robin Wasserman's Skinned

At least, this is the kind of stuff I'm interested in ;-)

Have a lovely day! :-)

[archangelbeth]

My kid is still ga-ga over the Warriors series (cats acting un-catly), and Tamora Pierce's "Protector of the Small" series and... the prequel series to that. >_> Do those count?

[onyxhawke.livejournal.com]

Who is the Warriors series by? How old is the sprat?

[archangelbeth]

Warriors series is by Erin Hunter. It may be aimed more at the late middle-school/early high school lot, though it's sort of in the "well, it's not children's books" area of the bookstore. I, who cut my teeth on Intelligent Cat Stories with things like Bunnicula, Ratha's Creature, and Tailchaser's Song, find the series to be kind of... "Cats don't do that!!" I have to tell myself they're aliens that aren't quite cats.

The kid loves them and plays Warriors with some of her friends at school. Her cat-character has been promoted and given her warrior name, recently, huzzah! O:J

The Tamora Pierce one I couldn't remember is the Song of the Lion series, I believe. (Saw one of the books in the bathroom that she usually uses.)

The minx will be 9 on the 17th. She's marathonned Harry Potter, though, and given good tries for the Tremeaire (however that's spelled! His Majesty's Dragon, anyway) book, one of The Sharing Knife books, and... hm, Dragonsong (McCaffery). She also reads graphic novels like Girl Genius and ElfQuest, as well as comics like Teen Titans Go, Tiny Titans, and the Supergirl-as-a-school-age-kid one.

Makes her kind of hard to catagorize.

[brd-n-dangerous.livejournal.com]

My kid is also enamored of the Warriors series and asked for it for Christmas. She's 10. I would recommend it as a well-written read.

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

Reading for the Norton award.

Mary Pearson's The Adoration of Jenna Fox, Kristin Cashore's Graceling, Ysabeau Wilce's second (the title is way too long to type), Elizabeth wein's The Empty Kingdom, Graham Joyce's The Exchange.

[ebenstone.livejournal.com]

Ranger's Apprentice and Tamora Pierce's Lioness series.

[taphien.livejournal.com]

My favourites of the new YA stuff I read in 2008 were "Graceling" by Kristin Cashore and "Chalice" by Robin McKinley.
Other good reads and re-reads last year were various books from Tamora Pierce, Sherwood Smith, Margaret Mahy, and Diana Wynne Jones as well as Timothy Zahn's Dragonback series.

[arhyalon.livejournal.com]

Some friends and I love the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series (which we call Percy Jackson, Hero!) Now, my ten year old son is reading it, too, and loves it.

I'm also reading Inkheart, which looks good so far.

Maria Snyder!

[(Anonymous)]

I just finished her series - and I loved it. (Magic Study, Poison Study, Fire Study).

Calie