| This Week | Weeks on List | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | THE TWILIGHT SAGA, by Stephenie Meyer. (Megan Tingley/Little, Brown, hardcover and paper) Vampires and werewolves in high school. (Ages 12 and up) | 86 |
| 2 | DIARY OF A WIMPY KID, written and illustrated by Jeff Kinney. (Abrams, hardcover only) A boy records the hazards of adolescent life. (Ages 9 to 12) | 11 |
| 3 | HOUSE OF NIGHT, by P. C. Cast and Kristin Cast. (St. Martin’s, hardcover and paper) Vampires in school. (Ages 14 and up) | 31 |
| 4 | THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS, by Cassandra Clare. (McElderry/Simon & Schuster, hardcover and paper) A girl battles the forces of darkness. (Ages 14 and up) | 1 |
| 5 | MAXIMUM RIDE, by James Patterson. (Little Brown, hardcover and paper) Winged children try to save the world. (Ages 10 and up) | 47 |
| 6 | FABLEHAVEN, by Brandon Mull. (Shadow Mountain/Aladdin, hardcover and paperback) Evil is afoot in a sanctuary for magical creatures. (Ages 9 to 12) | 5 |
| 7 | THE 39 CLUES, by various authors. (Scholastic, hardcover only) A brother and sister travel the world in search of the key to their family’s power. (Ages 9 to 12) | 4 |
| 8 | MAGIC TREE HOUSE, by Mary Pope Osborne. Illustrated by Sal Murdocca. (Stepping Stone/Random House, hardcover and paper) Winged children try to save the world. (Ages 6 to 9) | 204 |
| 9 | NIGHT WORLD, by L. J. Smith. (Simon Pulse, paper only) Supernatural races form secret societies. (Ages 14 and up) | 17 |
| 10 | HARRY POTTER, by J. K. Rowling. (Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic, hardcover and paper) A young wizard hones his skills while fighting evil. (Ages 10 and up) | |
We all know about Harry Potter and Twilight. But my lesser known fave would have to be Mortal Instruments Trilogy. I just finished reading the last book and I loved it. Meatier than Twilight and more adult than Harry Potter (at least the early HP books). The Patterson books are on my to read list. I already have the first one but haven't had time to dive in. And I just want to read the diary of a wimpy kid because it looks so cute. If I had a little boy or nephew, I would be reading it with him!
You're probably wondering why I didn't mention the LJ Smith books. Because they are super old and I read them years ago when the first came out. In my opinion they don't stand up to the the strength and quality of the new YA that is out there. I reread one book in 2008 because I was so excited to see that it was in reprint, but the reading was a big let down. The big question now, will I think that about Twilight or Harry Potter when I re-read again in ten years? I doubt it since I just finished a full read through of HP in Feb and loved it. Go figure.
What are your favorite YA books right now? Anything I should add to me to read list?
