Harry Potter series, by J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter is “The Boy who survived.” He has lived under the stairs at the Dursely’s for the past ten years. His life has been surrounded by strange happenings: His hair grows back the night after a bad haircut, glass disappears at the zoo, random people come and shake his hand to name only a few. He finally knows why when a giant named Hagrid comes and tells him that he’s a wizard. But not just any normal wizard, no, but supposedly a great wizard, even at the age of eleven. For it was he who had finally stopped Lord Voldemort in his reign over wizardom, as most people thought, forever. But it was not forever. While Harry is studying at the school for wizards called Hogwarts, strange things keep happening, even for wizards. Harry must struggle for survival at what is probably one of the safest places for him on the face of the Earth with his friends Ron Weasely and Hermione Granger as they discover that You-Know-Who is not really dead.

Before I read the Harry Potter series, I listened to what a lot of people said about. It was split fairly evenly between people who loved it, thought it was alright, or hated it. I, for one, loved it. It is by far one of my favorites with the first books used mainly to introduce the characters to you, while the rest are mainly running, fighting, puzzle solving, and all around having a good time. I would suggest this series to anyone, but wouldn’t guarantee that they would love it.

Ranger’s Apprentice Series

Will has been chosen to be the apprentice of the mysterious Ranger Halt. Throughout his apprenticeship as a ranger, he must face dangers that we can only imagine, travel to lands across the sea, and save the Kingdom of Araluen from imminent disaster with his friend, Horace, and master, Halt. When he is made a full fledged ranger, he must face  new dangers such as… a sorcerer?

A series that has sold millions of copies worldwide, Ranger’s Apprentice is a great series for anyone looking for a sense of adventure. A well written book with great character development, not only through the first book, but also through the entire series. Probably a book for all ages of teens, possibly a little younger for some families, because of some mild swearing in some of the books.