The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is an exciting adventure novel set in a futuristic world and country called Panem. Katniss Everdeen is from district 12 of Panem. She lives a poor life with her mother and sister hunting daily in order to make a living. Every year the capital of Panem holds an annual “Hunger Games”. In these games a boy and a girl between the ages of 12 to 18 are randomly chosen to fight to the death until only one person survives. The Hunger Games describes Katniss’s experiences through the Hunger Games and the harsh, unrealistic conditions in the country of Panem.

I really like this book because the theme of power is evident throughout the novel and is constantly reinforced. The capital reminds the other districts that they are the most powerful by creating the Hunger Games. The following passage from the novel explains how Collins described how the capital uses its power while also explaining that there had been a previous rebellion, “Taking the kids from our districts, forcing them to kill one another while we watch – this is the Capitol’s way of reminding us how totally we are at their mercy. How little chance we would stand of surviving another rebellion. Whatever words they use, the real message is clear. “Look how we take your children and sacrifice them and there’s nothing you can do. If you lift a finger, we will destroy every last one of you. Just as we did in District Thirteen.”

Witch and Wizard by James Patterson

Witch and Wizard is a fiction, fantasy, children's literature, mystery novel by James Patterson, and is the first book in the series. The book is about brother and sister, Whit and Wisty Allgood who are kidnapped in the middle of the night and are accused of being witch and wizard, and are due for execution, both syblings must work together to escape and get safely home. Overall this was an okay book to read but I didn’t find it that interesting. I woundn’t read this boom again but if you are very big fan of magic, I would recommend this you read this book to see if you enjoy it.

Sameer Khan

Airman by Eoin Colfer

Airman is a science fiction, adventure novel written by Eoin Colfer. The story takes place during the 1890s and is about a boy named Conor who lives with his family on the Saltee islands off the coast of Ireland. There he studies the about flight with his tutor and spends time with the Princess Isabella, the kings daughter. One day Conor finds out about a plot against the King, and when he tries to warn about it, he is accused for treachery and is sent to the prison island of little Saltee. There he has to battle for his life as he is forced to mine in terrible conditions. The only thing that can save Conor is his knowledge of flight. For months he draws plans for a contraption that will get him out of the Island. I loved this book because of its adventure and science fiction genre, and how the main character uses his knowledge and ingenuity to plan an escape from prison. I would recommend this book to both high and middle school students who are interested in Sci-Fi and adventure novels.

Sameer Khan

The Client by John Grisham

John Grisham is an author that writes law or business related fiction books. The Client is about an eleven year old boy and his brother that witness a suicide. Before the suicide the guy that wants to kill himself tell Mark (the eleven year old) why he wants to kill himself. The police later ask him questions and things begin to get complicated. This book is interesting and really hard to put down because of the events that occur in it. I recommend that high schoolers read this book during their free time. I also recommend reading Grisham novels if you are interested in law.

Luqman Sattar

Brotherband: The Outcasts by John Flanagan

Brotherband: The Outcasts is a fantasy, adventure novel written by John Flanagan, and is the first book in the Brotherband series. The book takes place in Skandia, a brutal land filled with warriors. In this land there is only one way to become a warrior, Boys are chosen and put into different teams known as brotherbands where they have to endure three months of intense and tough training in weapons, battle strategies, and sailing. These groups must go against one another for there can only but one bortherband winner in the end. The main character of the story is Hal Mikkaelson who is the reluctant leader of outcasts. He must pull their brotherband together is they are meant to survive these challenges. Overall this was an amazing book to read with its action packed plot and great characters. I would recommend this book to both middle and high school students interested in medieval fantasy novels.

Sameer Khan

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe is a children’s fantasy novel written by C.S. Lewis. The book follows the story of four siblings, Peter, Susan, Lucy, and Edmund who are evacuated from London to the countryside along with thousands of other children during the Blitz campaign during World War 2. Inside their residence, they find a wardrobe which leads to land known as Narnia which is inhabited by fairy-tale and magical creatures. This book was one of my favorites in middle school because I loved to read about magic and fantasy books. I would definitely recommend both middle school and high school students to read this book because it is worth it.

Sameer Khan

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games is a science fiction, dystopian novel written by Suzanne Collins and is the first book in the famous trilogy. The story takes place in the distance future in Panem, a country found out of the ruins of North America. Panem had 13 districts, each district produces and provides different resources, All these districts are controlled by the Capitol, the central power of Panem. But the disctricts were dissatisfied of the Capitols treatment and so e rebellion took place and disctrict 13 was destroyed, as a result of this uprising, the Capitol forced each district to give one boy and girl to be sent to an arena to fight to the death until only one remains, this was known as the Hunger Games. 74 years on, Katniss Everdeen volunteers herself for the Hunger Games to save her sister, and by doing so she must face against the other contesters and the brutality which the capitol sends to her. I loved this book because of its action packed plot and interesting characters. I would recommend both middle and high school students to read this book.

Sameer Khan

The Eye of Minds by James Dashner

This book takes a very widely known concept which is virtual reality. In the future, you don’t control a character when playing a game, you are the character. In video games you can die and come back to life repeatedly, but some kind of hacker dude keeps hostages in the virtual world and kills causes them to have permanent brain damage in the real world. Three teenagers are recruited by the government to stop them, and causing them to move into an area of the virtual reality that they have never seen before. James Dashner takes a very interesting concept and makes an action and science fiction novel for young adults! In my opinion I find it very interesting, and reminds me of Tron. A definite recommend to high school and middle school.

Luqman Sattar

The Forsaken by Lisa M. Stasse

The Forsaken is a dystopian fiction novel written by Lisa M. Stasse and is the first of a trilogy. The book takes place in the U.N.A, a country that formed from the remnants of Canada, United States, and Mexico. The main character Alenna shawcross is an orphan living in the U.N.A after having both her parents dragged out of her home by government soldiers. During this time she tries to live an obedient and quiet life. But at sixteen years-old, she fails a government personality test designed to diagnose insubordinate tendencies. As a punishment, she is sent to a mysterious island known as “The Wheel”. A harsh and dangerous place where a civil war rages between two different tribes of teenagers. Alenna meets a boy named Liam, charming warrior who is planning to escape the island. This story is focus towards a young adult audience. I personally liked this story because it reminded me of another favourite book of mine which was the hunger game series. If you are a fan of the hunger games, battle royal, and any other rebellious dystopian novels, I guarantee you will like this book.

Sameer Khan

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent is a dystopian fiction novel written by Veronica Roth and is the first book of the Divergent trilogy. The book takes place in the post apocalypse city of Chicago. The survivors in the city have divided themselves into five different factions. “Abnegation” for selflessness, “Amity” for the peaceful, “Candor” for the honest, “Dauntless” for the brave, and “Erudite” for the intellectual, all these different groups play specific roles in this post-apocalypse society. The main character is Beatrice Prior who born to an Abnegation family, but for many years she never truly felt she belongs to the faction. On her sixteenth birthday, Beatrice took the aptitude test to see which group she want to be part of, but her tests were inconclusive for they gave her three options, Abnegation her home faction, Dauntless, or Erudite. The test coordinator warns her not to tell anyone about her test results because it makes her a “Divergent”. On the choosing day after a stressing over her results, she chooses to join Dauntless. Starting a new life, Beatrice will have to prove herself in order to be called Dauntless or rick becoming faction less. This book is mainly for young-adult readers. I personally enjoyed reading this book because it goes back to my favourite dystopian fiction genre and its likeness to the Hunger games one of my favourite series. Overall I would recommend this book if you are fan of dystopian genres like The Hunger Games or The Forsaken.

Sameer Khan

The 39 Clues: Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan

The Maze of Bones is a children’s literature, mystery, and adventure fiction book written by Rick Riordan, it is the first book of The 39 Clues series. The Book follows the story two orphans, Amy and Dan Cahill who are brother and sister. Upon the day of Grace’s (their grandmother) funeral, they discover that their family is an old, large, and very powerful one, before Grace’s funeral, Amy, Dan, and bunch of other Cahills are called for a private meeting where they watch a video message of Grace. She gives the Cahills two choices, to accept one million dollars of inheritance, or to take one of the greatest challenges yet, the one who wins this challenge will become the greatest Cahill who has ever lived. This challenge consists of 39 clues all which are scattered around the world, from Boston, to Paris, and beyond. Both Amy and Dan take on this challenge but are faced with competition from other Cahills. This is a great adventure series which I enjoyed reading and I would recommend it to mostly middle school students.

Sameer Khan

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

Artemis Fowl is a young adult fiction and fantasy novel written by Irish author Eoin Colfer. The book is about a twelve year-old boy named Artemis who is a rich millionaire who is a genius criminal mastermind and is the head of the Fowl Criminal Empire. Artemis believes that fairies exist and after so extensive investigation and research Fowl discovers fairies exist and catches one. Only this fairy, Captain Holly Short isn’t just something from a children’s bedtime story, she is the leader of the LEPrecon unit, a squad of highly trained and deadly fairies that will stop at nothing to save their comrade. This book is mainly aimed at younger middle school students who are interested in fantasy and action packed story. I enjoyed reading this book to an extent but I would recommend this only to younger kids.

Sameer Khan

The Lost World by Michael Crichton

The Lost World is a science fiction, speculative fiction, and techno-thriller novel written by Michael Crichton. It is the sequel to the first book Jurassic Park which was written years earlier. The book takes off six years after the disaster at Jurassic Park when the Island was shut off by the Costa Rican government and the dinosaurs were killed, but rumours say something has survived. The main character of the book, Ian Malcolm sets up a team for a rescue mission to go and find Richard Levine who set off to the Island to find the dinosaurs. The book is mainly for middle school children and young adults. I definitely enjoyed reading this book and who recommend it to people who are interested in science fiction, and dinosaurs.

Sameer Khan

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

The Knife of Never Letting Go is a young-adult science fiction novel written by Patrick Ness. The book takes place in a small settlement called Prentisstown on "New World". The strange thing about this town is that it only has men and everyone can hear each other’s thoughts, no privacy, a never ending noise, and no secrets. In this town is Todd Hewitt, the last boy in Prentisstown. Just one month before his birthday Todd stumbled upon a spot with complete silence, which is impossible. This means that Prentisstown had been lying to him. Todd goes back to tell his adoptive parents Ben and Cillian about this, they tell him to run away from the town as far as possible. Todd obeys unwillingly and soon finds himself being chased by Army of Prentisstown men. While he escapes he finds a girl named Viola who crashed inside a space pod. Now both Todd and Viola have to run away from Prentisstown army to somewhere safe, but they do not know if there are other settlements in New World. I loved this book because of its original plot full of mystery which you have to think about and the interesting Sci-Fi setting. I would recommend anyone interested into science fiction to read this book because the story is worth it.

Sameer Khan

The Lorien Legacies: I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

The story begins with a peaceful planet called Lorien. And like all peaceful planets in anything science fiction related, it gets destroyed in an intergalactic invasion. In a last hope to save their species, nine children are sent to Earth with their designated guardians. All these children are charmed and given numbers. This number they have is the number they will be killed in. Numbers 1 to 3 have been killed by this evil alien race called the Mogadorians. Number Four is obviously next. He and his guardian flee to this small town called Paradise, which, in his opinion, really sucks. However, he does make his peace with the town and becomes happy. But something just isn’t right about Paradise. I am Number Four is the first book in Lorien Legacies. The book, as well as the series, are action packed, fast paced, and sprinkled with hints of romance here and there. But it’s mostly action and fast-paced though.

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

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

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