Personal Favorites
Keeper of the Lost Cities
Fantasy, Middle Grade, 10+ books
Twelve-year-old Sophie Foster has a secret. She's a Telepath--someone who hears the thoughts of everyone around her. It's a talent she's never known how to explain. Everything changes the day she meets Fitz, a mysterious boy who appears out of nowhere and also reads minds. She discovers there's a place she does belong, and that staying with her family will place her in grave danger. In the blink of an eye, Sophie is forced to leave behind everything and start a new life in a place that is vastly different from anything she has ever known. Sophie has new rules to learn and new skills to master, and not everyone is thrilled that she has come "home." There are secrets buried deep in Sophie's memory--secrets about who she really is and why she was hidden among humans--that other people desperately want. Would even kill for. In this page-turning debut, Shannon Messenger creates a riveting story where one girl must figure out why she is the key to her brand-new world, before the wrong person finds the answer first.
An awesome series about a girl trying to figure out where she fits in the world while trying to save it. Pretty heavy fantasy (includes a bunch of different mythical creatures, has a magic system where most people have powers, etc.), but the world-building is amazing. Great if you like fun high fantasy books (although I will warn you, the books start thick and only get thicker, and so far there's already 10 of them). -Nobody
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Fantasy, Middle Grade, 5 books (but there are also other series associated with it)
Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse - Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy's mom finds out, she knows it's time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he'll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friends - one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena - Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.
A low-fantasy / magical realism series for those who think high fantasy isn't their thing. It's a good mix of serious and humorous, and the writing is engaging. The entire Riordanverse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Heroes of Olympus, The Trials of Apollo, The Kane Chronicles, and Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard) is a great source of mythological information as well (it's pretty accurate as far as I know). -Nobody
Wings of Fire
Fantasy, Middle Grade, 15 books
The seven dragon tribes have been at war for generations, locked in an endless battle over an ancient, lost treasure. A secret movement called the Talons of Peace is determined to bring an end to the fighting, with the help of a prophecy -- a foretelling that calls for great sacrifice. Five dragonets are collected to fulfill the prophecy, raised in a hidden cave and enlisted, against their will, to end the terrible war. But not every dragonet wants a destiny. And when the select five escape their underground captors to look for their original homes, what has been unleashed on the dragon world may be far more than the revolutionary planners intended...
This series is also pretty high fantasy, but it's got developed world-building and three pretty distinct arcs to explore. If you like Warrior Cats, I'd highly recommend checking this out. I'll admit, the writing in this is more geared towards 3-5 graders (whereas I'd consider Keeper of the Lost Cities and Percy Jackson to be pretty interesting from a middle schooler's or even high schooler's point of view), but it's still a great read. -Nobody
Ranger's Apprentice
Fantasy, Middle Grade, 12 books
They have always scared him in the past - the Rangers, with their dark cloaks and shadowy ways. The villagers believe the Rangers practice magic that makes them invisible to ordinary people. And now 15-year-old Will, always small for his age, has been chosen as a Ranger's apprentice. What he doesn't yet realize is that the Rangers are the protectors of the kingdom. Highly trained in the skills of battle and surveillance, they fight the battles before the battles reach the people. And as Will is about to learn, there is a large battle brewing. The exiled Morgarath, Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night, is gathering his forces for an attack on the kingdom. This time, he will not be denied...
I'm now realizing that I like a lot of middle grade fantasy books... Ranger's Apprentice is mostly fantasy in that it takes place in a different world than ours and that there are some creatures that don't exist in our world. The characters are really what makes this series stand out. While the plot isn't bad or anything, it can be hard to follow at points because the books jump around in the timeline a lot. Great for those looking for an adventurous series that isn't based too much on the fantasy elements. -Nobody