Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

A ten year old Harry Potter lives under the stairs in his evil relatives’ house. On his 11th birthday he finds out that he is a wizard and gets invited to attend Hogwarts, a school for witchcraft and wizardry. Along the way Harry Potter makes friends, but you can’t make friends without making a few enemies. Things are getting strange in Hogwarts, and it is up to Harry and his merry band of misfits to find out exactly what is going on in Hogwarts by uncovering secrets along the way. Harry Potter is one of the most successful book series ever written and is famous worldwide. It falls under adventure and fantasy. It is recommended for the middle-school level, but high school can give it a whirl as well.

Luqman Sattar

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

The Lighting Thief is a fantasy, adventure, and speculative fiction novel written by Rick Riordan. The book is based on Greek Mythology and is the first of the large Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. The book is about a boy named Percy Jackson who is a 12 year old boy living in modern day New York. Percy soon discovers he is a demigod, the son of Sally Jackson and the Greek god Poseidon. Soon Percy finds himself in the middle of a tense situation between The Big Three, Poseidon, the god of the sea and Percy's dad, Zeus the god of the sky and the king of all gods, and Hades, the god of the under world. Percy must embark on a long dangerous quest with his friends Annabeth Chase and Grover Underwood to prevent war between the three gods. Their quest requires them to search for the lighting bolt of Zeus which has been stolen. Overall this was a great book to read when i was in middle school because of its action, and adventure that was packed in the book. i would highly recommend if you are into a plot full of Greek mythology, adventure, and action to read this book because you will certainly enjoy it.

Sameer Khan

Streams of Babel by Carol Plum-Ucci

The US government becomes suspicious after a few people mysteriously die from brain aneurysms, and they suspect that a terrorist group has poisoned the water supply in a small neighborhood in New Jersey called Trinity Falls. The story follows the viewpoints of 6 teenagers. The story takes place in Trinity Falls and Pakistan. A sixteen year old boy in Pakistan works as a spy for the United States governments and helps to find out who is doing this to the people of Trinity Falls. In all honesty the book was slow at the beginning, but did begin to speed up and get interesting a bit later. This book can be read by high schoolers, but is definitely recommended for middle-school.

Luqman Sattar

Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver

Wolf Brother is a adventure fantasy, speculative fiction by Michelle Paver and is the first book of the series "Chronicle of Ancient Darkness". The book takes place 6000 years ago during the new stone age in pre-agricultural Europe. The story is of a boy named Torak who is a member of the wolf clan. Torak had lived his whole life away from other people in the thick forests with his father, but his life took a dark turn when a bear, possessed by a demon, bigger than any he had seen attacks his camp, and severally injures Father. is forced to flee away from the bear and leave his father behind. As he gets away he finds a young orphaned wolf cub which he takes in. Torak and Wolf are then captured by the Raven clan who then decide that he is the one mentioned in the ancient prophecy to defeat the demon bear. Torak has to set of to the high mountains in order to seek the world spirits help in defeating the bear. It is a long a perilous journey but along with him he has Wolf, and Renn, a raven clan girl around his age. All three of then will have to work together in order to reach the mountain before the summer solstice, before the Bear becomes invincible. I can say without a doubt that this is one of my favorite books and series of all time and i would definitely recommend anyone interested in an original, and thrilling plot which will keep you awake throughout the night to read this book.

Sameer Khan

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Lord of the Flies is a young adult fiction novel written by William Golding and published in 1954. The book starts out with a group of young British boys who are stranded on an uninhabited island after their plane went down somewhere over the pacific ocean. The boys soon come together on the island and try to form a sort of government in order to govern themselves. This leads to disastrous results as the boys feud over who should be leader. But this is one of the problems the boys have to face, they also need to find food, and build shelter in order to stay alive on the island, also their is a fear among the boys that a beast lurks the island. There is a constant battle between Civilization and Savagery in this literary classic. The book kept me in suspense with its shocking revelations, and the twists and turns which helped develop the plot. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone above the age of thirteen who are interested in suspenseful fiction, and a literary classic with lots of different interpretations and thought provoking ideas.

Sameer Khan

Vampirates by Justin Somper

Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean is the first book of a fantasy horror series written by Justin Somper. The book is about Two twins, a brother named Connor, and his sister named Grace. After their father's death, Connor and Grace see that they have no place left for them in their town, so they set off for the sea. But soon, a vicious storm arrives and destroys their boat separating the twins from one another. While drifting across the vast expanse of sea, Connor is pick up by one of the most notorious pirate ship ever to roam the sea, the Diablo. Connor learns how to wield a cutlass, but is he ready for the pirate life in order to find his sister? Meanwhile, Grace is pick up by a mysterious ship with bat-winged sails. she discovers that the crew is made up of Vampirates! But it turns out that most of the Vampirates are nice......except for Sidorio. I really enjoyed reading this book because of its original plot and amazing story, it was very thrilling to read, and lots of action, adventure, and suspense. It would recommend this book to people who are interested in fantasy, horror, and adventure books.

Sameer Khan

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

There was a time where dragons walked the earth and roamed the skies with their riders, but that all changed when one rider and his dragon decided to take over. Now there are no dragons or dragon riders except for that one. But one day, a boy named Eragon finds a mysterious stone that turns out to be a dragon egg. Eragon discovers he is meant to be a dragon rider and takes it upon himself to stop the evil dragon rider and his army from attacking peaceful places. This book falls under action and adventure and is recommended for anyone looking for a thrill. This book is usually aimed towards the middle school age level.

Luqman Sattar

Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden

Okay, so here’s a hypothetical, you and your friends go camping for a bit and find out that your country is in the middle of a war, and everyone you know is captured, what do you do? Tomorrow, When the War Began begins with Ellie and her friends going on a camping trip. Days later they find out that their city has been captured by invaders, and their country is at war. The teens have a few choices, surrender, flee, or fight. They choose to fight and wage war against the invaders. Along the way the teens realize that war is no game and they need to grow up. The book is suspenseful and thrilling throughout with interesting character development.

Luqman Sattar

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Do you read books? Do you watch TV? Which do you prefer? Which do you do more? Imagine a world where there was no choice between the two and all everybody did was watch TV. Fahrenheit 451 takes place in a world where reading books is illegal and watching TV is something everybody. Fahrenheit 451 takes place in a backwards world where firefighters burn books rather than put fires out. The book follows the life of a firefighter that meets a neighbour and decides to start reading books. The book is thought provoking because that is seemingly where the world is moving. This classic dystopian novel is a must read for everyone.

Luqman Sattar

The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkein

The Silmarillion is about the First Age in Middle-Earth. It is a collection of stories written by J.R.R. Tolkien before the events of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. It very creative as Tolkien creates an entire pantheon of Middle-Earthen deities. The book starts off with the creation of the world, and how everything literally begins to go downhill from there. None of the characters in Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit appear (except for Olorin). There are many stories and many characters. I recommend this book to anyone, but just to give a clear warning, the book is written like a history book and should be read like one. If you don’t like reading history books, then maybe it’s not the best book for you.

Luqman Sattar

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R.Tolkien

The Lord of the Rings is an epic three part tale that takes place in a world with wizards, warriors, elves, dwarves, and a couple of short guys destroying an evil ring. Frodo and Sam, two young hobbits from the Shire, are sent to destroy the one ring of power. The ring of power belongs to Sauron and the world can never know peace until it is destroyed. The two venture out to the fires of Mount Doom (yes, he created an entire language, and named the volcano Mt. Doom) to destroy the ring. The book has such excellent array of characters. And the book has three parts, but the there is a copy in the library that contains all three volumes in one. This book is for absolutely anybody and everybody.

Luqman Sattar

Black Bulter by Yana Toboso

Black Butler follows the life of Ciel Phantomhive, a very wealthy twelve year old boy, and his butler Sebastian. Sebastian follows Ciel’s every order, and seems to do things perfectly all the time. He is very good at his job, in fact, he might be the best. However, as the story progresses the reader knows more about Sebastian than before. The reason Sebastian is so good at his job is not because he practiced, but because he is not human at all. The story is very interesting and is aimed towards young adults as it contains gore and vulgar language at times. The story is very serious, but relies on comic side characters to lighten the mood.

Luqman Sattar

Coraline: The Graphic Novel by P Craig Russel

Coraline: The Graphic Novel, is based on Neil Gaiman's book, which has been adapted and illustrated by P. Craig Russel. The book is about a young girl named Coraline, she just moved into a new house with her parents, the house is so huge that living with them were few other people. Coraline loves to adventure, in her new home she quickly became bored, she'd explored nearly every corner of the house and outside, and also asked her parenst to play with her but was ignored. One day Coraline finds that a door in her house which is supposed to be bricked up was opened. On the other side she found another house mysteriously similar to her own (only better). But there is another mother and father living in this house, and they want her to stay and be their little girl.They want to change her and never let her go. The book is a fantasy horror, and surreal book, which intrigued me very much. I would reccomed this book to anyone who is a fan of horror plots, and  graphic novels. The book was very interesting and intense to read and had me awake the whole night reading in suspense. 

Sameer Khan

1984 by George Orwell

1984 was written by Eric Arthur Blair, also know as George Orwell. It is a dystopian novel about totalitarianism. It takes place in the city of London in a fictional country called Oceania. The London in the book is a depressing place, there is never enough to eat, the food is grotesque, there are not enough cloths, shoes, and other necessities to go around. The city is pretty much deteriorated except for 3 large pyramid shaped government buildings that over look the city, there is some sort of war going on, but no one knows what it's about. Rockets costantly blow up in the streets and people are blown to bits. The main character of the book is Winston Smith, a member of the outer party, the group which governs the entire Oceania, Winston life is dreary and he hates the Party, but any action or thought that seems against the Party will be result in a punishment by the state. The book is an English classic, and i recommend, anyone who is interested in literature, and a novel about a dystopian society.
Sameer Khan

Death of Superman by Dan Jurgen, Jerry Ordway, and others

The comic book that shook the entire comic world comes the most memorable graphic novel The Death of Superman. The title is pretty straight forward it is about the death of the world’s most renowned superhero. It is very fast paced and contains non-stop action. In this comic, Superman must defeat the mysterious Doomsday to protect Metropolis. Superman takes on Doomsday in an epic battle that will lead to his demise. This graphic novel is an absolute must read for anybody that likes comic books.

Luqman Sattar

Adventures of Tom Bombadil by J.R.R. Tolkien

Do you like Tom Bombadil? If you have read Lord of the Rings, you would know who the previously mentioned character was. Tom Bombadil was a side character in Lord of the Rings that people thought was strange. And we never really knew much about him. But now you can know more about him. Adventures of Tom Bombadil is a group of poems written by J.R.R. Tolkein that are about the character himself. However this collection of poems are not for those that are not familiar with anything that has to do to Middle-Earth, because you just won’t understand what is going on. It is, however, a very strange collection of poems that are very childish, funny, and absurd.


Luqman Sattar

The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan

The Ruins of Gorlan is the first book of the Rangers Apprentice series. It is a medieval adventure fantasy book written by John Flanagan. The book is about a young boy named Will who is an orphan living with his fellow ward-mates at an orphanage in the Kingom of Araluen. An important day is coming for Will and the other children called the choosing day, where they children either become an apprentice to a craft master, or will be sent to work in the farms. Although Will’s first choice was battle school, his skills proved that he is more promising to the Rangers, a secretive organization which only takes very few apprentices. Will has to look ahead to vigorous challenges which will test his skills to the limits. At the same time, evil has begun to stir again far away, an enemy of Araluen is growing and becoming more powerful, and is looking for revenge against the kingdom. The novel is filled with action, violent battles, and a great story about loyalty, honor, and friendship. I would recommend this book to anyone who has a love for mediaeval fantasy stories. I personally loved this book and its series.

Sameer Khan

DragonBall Z by Akira Toriyama

Dragon Ball Z is one of the most famous manga in the world. It follows the life of Goku the saiyan that lives on earth after his life in the famous original series Dragon Ball. Goku fights countless enemies, each one stronger than the last. Goku and his friends will take anyone who reads the manga on adventure of a lifetime. The series is filled with countless moments of humor and jaw dropping moments that will never be forgotten. This book is great for those who love action, adventure, fantasy, comedy and minimal romance. The series itself is long and will not be finished quickly, unless you are a super-fast reader. Almost every chapter represents a story.

Luqman Sattar

The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

Do you ever wonder whose lives you’ve affected with your actions? Do you ever wonder who has affected your life with their actions? Eddie Beitchman died. That’s not a typo, he died. And what happened after he died? He went to a land before you go to heaven. And in this land he meets five people. And each of these people talk to him, and teach him something. What will Eddie learn from these people? That’s for the reader to find out. This is one of the three philosophical books by Mitch Albom that make you think about things in the most unique way. The other two books are For One More Day and Tuesdays with Morrie. This book is a work of art that I recommend for anybody and everybody.

Luqman Sattar

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

The Red Pyramid is the first book of the Kane Chronicles and follows the lives of Sadie and Carter Kane. The two kids are siblings that were split up after their mother died, and they see each other once every year. When Sadie and Carter lose their father in an accident involving the gods of Egyptian mythology. The two later realize that something happened to them after the event, something… not normal. They had Egyptian Gods inside of them. The two kids venture out to find their father and stop the impending danger that is about to occur. The book is written by Rick Riordan, author of the critically acclaimed Percy Jackson series, and is recommended for those that like fantasy, action, and adventure.

Luqman Sattar

For One More Day by Mitch Albom

Have you ever been rude to one of your parents, especially your mother? Charley Benetto was. He was rude to his mother, yet, his mother never failed to love him. After Charley’s mom dies he falls into a state of financial insecurity and decides to kill himself. Yet he survives his attempt and sees his mother. Charley spends one more day with his mom, and learns more about himself and his mother than he did throughout his entire life. This book is the third philosophical book written by Mitch Albom. The other two being “Tusedays with Morrie” and “The five people you meet in heaven. This book will make you reflect on your actions and the way you treat your parents like no other book.

Luqman Sattar

Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz

Stormbreaker is a action thriller novel and the first book of the Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz. The book is about a young teenage boy named Alex whose parents died when he was young and is raised by his Uncle. Alex thinks his life is boring, but what he does not know is that his Uncle is actually a secret spy for the British secret intelligence MI6. Alex's life completely changes when his Uncle is killed, and he is approached by the MI6 who offer a recruitment chance for him. My Overall thoughts on this book was that it was well written story, with an action packed plot and lots of suspense. Even though this book was directed for a young teenage audience, I would still recommend people to read this book if they are into action adn thriller series. 

Sameer Khan

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

The famous prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy follows Bilbo, a hobbit from the shire, who does not like adventures. Bilbo like smoking his pipe, eating outside, and drinking tea. Adventuring is just not his thing. But that all changes when Gandalf the grey and the Dwarves, Thorin, Fili, Kili, Balin, Dwalin, Oin, Gloin, Dorin, Nori, Ori, Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur barge into his house and ask him to come on an adventure with them. A request that he will accept, followed by a journey that will never forget. This book is a great read especially for fantasy fanatics. It has many comic relief moments, and emotional moments as well. Definitely a Middle Earth fan favorite after Lord of the Rings.

*Note: If you are reading this book because you watched the movie. They are very very very different. Just a heads up.

Luqman Sattar

Tuesdays with Morrie by MItch Albom

Mitch never had a college professor better than Morrie Schwartz. Morrie and Mitch quickly became friends, however, after Mitch graduated from college they lost contact with each other. Mitch later finds out that Morrie is dying of ALS (yes, ice bucket challenge ALS). Mitch manages to contact him, and the two meet each other for the last time, or so they think. Morrie spends his last days teaching Mitch about the things in life that are the most important. This book is based off of true events that happened to the author. Morrie Schwartz, the man whose name is in the title, teaches Mitch the most important things in life. And if you give him a chance, Morrie can teach you too. This book is a must read for anybody of any age.

Luqman Sattar