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

Silverwing by Kenneth Oppel

Silverwing is a speculative fantasy novel by Kenneth Oppel and is the first book is the silverwing series. The story is about a young silverwing bat named shade whose father disappeared when he was young and is bullied by the other bats for being the runt of the litter. When shade defies the ancient rule where the bats are not allowed to look at the sun, the Owls who are the rivals of the bats demand shade to be handed over, when the colony refuses, the owls burn down their roosting tree, as a result the colony of bats must migrate to their winter roosting home known as the hibernaculum. The bats must endure a long and perilous journey through sprawling cities and wild forests, especially Shade. I really enjoyed reading this series because of its animal characters which gave me a different character perspective than most normal novels, it was great read. I would recommend this book to both middle and high school students.

Sameer Khan

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

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

Inkheart is a fantasy book written by Cornelia Funke and is the first book in the Inkheart Trilogy. The book has multiple important characters but the main ones are Maggie and Mortimer who has the power to make things written in a book come to life when reading out loud. The book is very interesting because it follows the characters development for when they were young to when they become adults, its unique plot also makes it a very interesting book to read. I would recommend both middle and high school students to read this amazing trilogy.

Sameer Khan

Seekers: The Quest Begins by Erin Hunter

Seekers: The quest begins is a young-adult fantasy, and speculative fiction book written by the authors Cherith Baldry, Erin Hunter, Kate Cary, and Tui T. Sutherland. It is the first book in the Seekers series. The story is about four young bears, Kallik, Ujurak, Lusa, and Toklo who are alone by themselves in the declining environment of the wilderness and need to learn how to survive. I really enjoyed reading this book because unlike most books I read, the characters of the story are animals which I really enjoy reading about because of their difference in behaviour, this story is also very good and sends a strong message about environmental changes in our world. I would recommend both middle and high school students to read this book.

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

Warriors: Into the Wild by Erin Hunter

Warriors: Into the Wild is a adventure fantasy, and children’s literature book written by Erin Hunter, it is the first book in the long Warrior series. The story is about four clans of wild cats who for generations shared the forest under the laws placed by their ancestors. A young cat named Rusty leaves his human owners to join on of these clans known as the ThunderClan. But the code of law between these Clans hangs in a balance and the ThunderClan is in danger. The ShadowClan, a mysterious and sinister clan grows stronger every day, Cat warriors are dying. It seems that the fate of the forest and the balance between the clans falls onto Rusty. I found this book very interesting to read because of its unique story and interesting world of cats. I would recommend this book to middle school students who like adventure fantasy books.

Sameer Khan

The Language of Tolkien's Middle Earth by Ruth S. Noel

I usually do this last, but if you are not a Tolkien nerd this book is definitely not for you. If you do want to learn elfish and other languages from the Lord of the Rings then maybe it is. This book talks about all the languages featured in LOTR and other Tolkien stories such as Numenorian and Quenya. I personally liked this book because I am a Tolkien fan, and it was interesting to learn about the languages in his stories. Again not for everybody, but of course, give it a whirl if you like. This is recommended for middle school because high school should be doing other things like studying Spanish, French or Arabic and not Elfish.

Luqman Sattar

Pendragon: The Merchant of Death by D.J. MacHale

Pendragon: The Merchant of Death is a Fantasy, speculative fiction and the first book of the Pendragon Series written by D. J. MacHale. The Book is about a fourteen year-old boy named Bobby Pendragon whose life changes when his Uncle Press takes him to the subway in the Bronx in New York. There they are attacked by Saint Dane, The main villain of the book. Uncle Press Bobby to enter the door marked with a star and say “Denduron” while entering. Bobby does so and soon finds himself in another world similar to Earth but with 3 suns. He soon learns that there are two tribes, Milago and the Bedoowan. The Milago are treated very badly by the Bedoowan tribe which force them to work in the mines. Pendragon finds himself in between this hate between the two tribes where one side wants freedom and revenge while the other wants to keep order and security. This book is ment for young adults, so people from middle school and high school can read this book. I overall enjoyed this book because of its unique plot and because it’s a Fiction. I would recommend anyone interested in Speculative fiction to read this book.

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

Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle-Earth by J.R.R. Tolkien

This is a collection of stories and essays written by Tolkien, but not completed. It was edited by his son, Christopher Tolkien. It starts off with notes from Christopher Tolkien about each story. It then proceeds to move on to the stories. In all honesty any of the stories will be very hard to understand if you do not have any previous knowledge about any of the characters or any of the other Tolkien books. This book is definitely for hard core, die hard Tolkien fans. I felt that this was very hard to read even with knowledge of other Tolkien works. I think that this book is definitely for high school, but of course, as always, middle school can give it a whirl if they feel like it.

Luqman Sattar

J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography by Leslie Ellen Jones

Have you read Lord of the Rings? You may know everything about the books, but do you know anything about the author? This book is about J.R.R. Tolkien, the author of the legendary Lord of the Rings series. He was really creative! He was the guy that created an entire language for his books, but named the evil mountain Mt. Doom. And this is your chance to learn about him, his life, and inspiration for writing his books. This book is for anyone looking for a biography to read, but I really recommend this book to a Tolkien fan.

Luqman Sattar

The Fire Thief by Terry Dreary

The Fire Thief is Greek mythology novel by Terry Dreary. The book follows the story of Prometheus, a Greek titan who stole fire from the gods and gave it to the humans. To pay for his crimes, he was chained to a rock and have his liver ripped out by the Fury. After a hundred years of punishment, Prometheus breaks free and kills the Fury, but his freedom is short lived when Zeus arrives. He gives Prometheus the chance to prove that humans are worth saving by sending him into the future to find a hero among the humans, but at the same time he will be hunted by the immortal Fury which aims to kill him and chain him back to the rock. This book is filled with adventure and awesome characters. The book is mostly written for young middle school students, so if you are a fan of adventure and interesting set of characters, then I recommend you read this book.

Sameer Khan

The Thief Lord

The Thief Lord is a fantasy, and speculative fiction children's novel written by Cornelia Funke. The book is about two young brothers Prosper and Boniface who run away from their Aunt Esther and Uncle Max to go and live in the city of Venice. While there, they meet a gang of children, Caterina, Riccio, and Mosca. They are all orphans who live in an abandoned movie theater called The Stella. Prosper and Boniface are taken in by these children and are introduced to their leader Scipio. The brothers learn that Scipio is know as The Thief Lord for his reputation of stealing valuables from the rich and bringing them back to be sold. Prosper and Boniface are both excited and happy starting a new life with this gang of thieves, and their new life takes a bigger turn when a man by the name of Conte contacts Scipio and asks him to steal a wooden lion's wing for him, and in return they children would receive a reward greater than everything they had ever stolen.The children gladly accepted Conte's offer and decide to pursue this daring mission which will require them to break into a house and on top of that they have to make sure they avoid Victor Getz, a private detective, sent by Aunt Esther and Uncle Max to find and bring back Prosper and Boniface. The story is one of friendship, brotherhood, betrayal, and adventure. I loved this book because of its originality, suspense, and shocking plot twists that kept me reading for long hours. I would recommend anyone to read this book because of its exhilarating plot and in interesting characters.

Sameer Khan

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

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

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

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