AboutMadeline Expertise I can answer questions regarding "tween", teen, and young adult literature and make recommendations about books you may like based on genres and authors you've read and liked in the past. I'm most familiar with fantasy (and science fiction, to a certain extent), but I've read plenty of other genres as well, and I will make an effort to find the answer to your question even if I don't know it off the top of my head. However, I do not answer homework questions (so please don't bother asking them), and I'm not very good at finding obscure books---the best I can suggest is a Google search! Thanks!
Experience I am an avid reader, and I am trusted by all my friends for my taste in books. I have read books in all of the following genres (though I do not claim to be an expert in all of them): fantasy (I term any book with a fantastical element to it to be "fantasy"), sci-fi, historical fiction, classics, realistic fiction, mysteries, and whodunits.
Expert: Madeline Date: 5/9/2007 Subject: Can u recomend a book to me.
Question I like exciting books that make your heart pound. Fantasy and science fiction are my main genras i read. Im looking for a new book. can you help me. One of my favorite books is the divide seiers by elizibeth kay and the Gregor the over lander seires by suzane collins. thank you
Answer Hi there!
So sorry I didn't get back to you sooner; my e-mail was malfunctioning and I couldn't access my account...but it's all fixed now...:)
Sci-fi and fantasy, eh? Well, I have a lot of stuff I can recommend for you! Since I don't really know how old you are (and the term "young adult" spans an age range anywhere from 11 to 21), I'm going to recommend a variety of things...
If you are: 11-13
Some excellent science fiction books for this age range are books by Nancy Farmer. "The Ear, the Eye and the Arm" is a very funny and very entertaining story set in the year 2194 in Zimbabwe (if I remember correctly). Great science fiction/fantasy mix, I highly recommend it. :) If you've already read that one, you might try some other books of hers like "The Sea of Trolls" (semi-historical fantasy about Vikings---very exciting and lots of fun!).
I guess I'll also put one of my absolute favorite books in this age category: "The Golden Compass", by Philip Pullman. I can't even begin to describe how much I love this book and the rest of the trilogy it belongs to. If you haven't already read it, please do! There's a movie version coming out in November, but the book is always better than the film, so I recommend you read it first...:D Plenty of fantastical elements and heart-pounding action in this book! Additionally, it's one of those books I can read again and again without getting bored. I highly, highly recommend it!
If you like the Harry Potter books, then you may wish to try reading Diana Wynne Jones. She is a very funny, clever writer, and I always laugh out loud when I read her books! She has written a lot of stuff, but some favorites of mine include "Howl's Moving Castle" (the movie was loosely based on her book), as well as her "Chrestomanci" series (my favorite is "Witch Week", but they're all very funny and exciting).
Eoin Colfer's "Artemis Fowl" books are very popular at the moment, and I don't know if you've already read them, but if not, try them! A fun mixture of sci-fi and fantasy with fairies, dwarves, and pre-teen criminal masterminds...:)
One more suggestion: try the book "The City of Ember", by Jeanne DuPrau---it's a fascinating premise for a book, and I think you'd definitely find it appealing...:)
If you are: 13-16
I mentioned Nancy Farmer's books in general for the 11-13 age group, but there is a specific one that is definitely for slightly more mature readers. It is called "House of the Scorpion", and it is excellent. It deals with some rather controversial issues, but it is very interesting and well-researched science-fiction. It has also won numerous awards, and it definitely deserves them. Give it a try...:)
"Abarat" by Clive Barker is definitely one of the most..er..."unique" books I have ever read in my life. Full of fantastical paintings done by the author himself (get an illustrated version and not a paperback), the story weaves around a fantastical archipelago of islands each attached to a particular hour of the day. It is such a different, quirky concept, but it works, and I highly recommend it! Definitely check it out, if you can!
You might also try "The Prydain Chronicles" series by Lloyd Alexander. Books in the series include "The Book of Three", "The Black Cauldron" (the movie was not very true to the book), "Taran Wanderer" and "The High King"...these books kind of remind me of "Lord of the Rings" for kids, if that's at all to your taste. :)
If you are: 16 or older
The phrase "books that make your heart pound" instantly made me think of a book by Michael Crichton called "Timeline". If you've already read it, that's great, but if not, do it! A more thrilling and un-put-down-able book is difficult to find, I think! Mix together some science that's nearly too real to be fiction, courtly intrigue in Medieval Europe, action-packed battles, and just a touch of romance, and add in a relentlessly ticking clock, and you've got one of Mr. Crichton's most popular books. :) Truth be told, a lot of Michael Crichton's books fall into that category...some others you might try are "Prey", "Jurassic Park" and its sequel "The Lost World", "The Andromeda Strain", and "State of Fear". If you like thrilling sci-fi, you've got to read these books.
If Michael Crichton is old-hat for you, perhaps consider Anne McCaffrey's books... She has written a large variety of these, her most famous ones being her "Dragonriders of Pern" series, but others like "Acorna the Unicorn Girl" may be equally appealing. I'm a fan of both. :)
I will also suggest "Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card as a book appropriate for this age range. It is a fascinating storyline, and one that I actually would recommend for a younger age group, except that I think some of the more profound ideas, philosophy, and symbology might be lost on a younger audience. However, I think just about anyone 14 and older would enjoy this book. Great science fiction...:)
I have so many more books I can recommend to you, so if you happen to have already read all of these, feel free to come back and ask me for some more! I hope you find something you like! And please feel free to write back and tell me what you did end up liking, since it's often helpful for me to get feedback on my recommendations...:)
