Super Series

It seems that series fiction has become a huge segment of children's reading these days.  Of course, we always had some popular series:  Beverly Cleary's Ramona,  the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys mysteries, the Oz books, the Little House books, to name a few.  Many of these titles had numerous fans, but none would seem to have universal popularity across age and gender lines.

Then along came J.K. Rowling and a wizard named Harry Potter.  Suddenly, a new generation discovered a series in which each installment was eagerly and fanatically awaited.  That excitement seemed to create a new demand for series fiction, especially fantasy. The wonderful thing about a series is that once you find one that you like you are assured of many more hours of reading pleasure.  Today's popular series authors include Rick Riordan with his Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Kane Chronicles and Heroes of Olympus series.

Although there are many wonderful series, I'd like to highlight a few that I highly recommend:

The Warriors series by Erin Hunter  - These are wonderfully written adventure novels that revolve around a group of wild cats.  The cats in the series are broken into various clans and each member of the clan has a job.  There are the warriors who protect and defend, medicine cats, and apprentices.  The series has over 30 books so far and the author also has another series The Seekers about bears.  The series is for grades 3 and up.

The Companions Quartet by Julia Golding  is a set of 4 books about a 12 year old girl named, Connie, who moves to her aunt's seaside home. She is soon drawn ito a secret society that shelters mythical creatures from humans and darker forces. Can she and Col, the coolest boy in town, use their special powers in order to protect these ancient creatures? Grades 4 and up.

Gregor the Overlander series by  Suzanne Collins - When Gregor falls through a grate in New York City, he finds himself in the Underland, a world where humans live amonst giant rats,spiders and cockroaches.  Underland is on the brink of war and Gregor's arrival is no accident! This is certainly not Wonderland, but it is a place full of adventure. Grades 4 and up.

 Stay tuned for more book and series reviews!