Anyone into Juve stuff?

[Endymion9]

After reading the Harry Potter books, I really got hooked on many of the juvenile book authors.

The Series of Unfortunate Events. I was getting bored around the 4th and 5th books, but then the series really gets going from the 6th book on til the end. The Beatrice Letters companion book is awesome.

The Seventh Tower series by Garth Nix. Reminded me slightly of Riddlemaster of Hed series.

Charles Sleator's books. House of Stairs, The Last Universe, Others See Us, The Boy Who Couldn't Die.

Vivian Vande Veldt. Being Dead, Now you see it..., Never Trust a Dead Man

Garth Nix Keys to the Kingdom series.

Neil Gaiman. The Wolves in the Wall. Coraline.

And I guess I could put Piers Anthony's Xanth which I read back when they came out and loved the first 6 books. Gave up around the 10th.

And The Tripods trilogy.

[Holsety]

I'm not a huge fan of the tripods trilogy but I think I've heard good things about nix. I think Ursula K Leguin's earthsea books (or at least #1) are usually considered juvenile so you wouldn't want to miss a chance to name them, right?

Lloyd Alexander did the Prydain series, a really great fantasy series inspired by welsh or irish folklore (hen wen the pig, king math and prince gwydion, other stuff). Book 4 is pretty awesome.

I think Donaldson has praised Pat McKillip (spelling?) on his site a lot, she's written stuff for younger kids from what I remember.

[Sorus]

If you like Nix, I recommend the Abhorsen series.

Terry Pratchett has a YA Discworld series (and a few other YA books) that are excellent.

[Endymion9]

I loved Earthsea but for some reasons it always seems too adult for me to think of as Juve...although I know it's often classified as such.

I've heard good things about Abhorsen and will have to check that out.

I tried Discworld but just couldn't get into it.

[MsMary]

If you like Nix, I recommend the Abhorsen series.

Seconded!

[balon!]

Man! I'm glad I found this, because I've begun to recollect my old collection of kids books from when I was younger, and got rid of them! How cool!

Anway:

The Series of Unfortunate Events. I was getting bored around the 4th and 5th books, but then the series really gets going from the 6th book on til the end. The Beatrice Letters companion book is awesome.

I haven't read these, but the movie was spectacular and I've always wanted to read them.

Garth Nix Old Kingdom trilogy.

JUST got this from a friend who recommended it. EXCELLENT read.

From my own collection:

KA Applegate the Animorph series.
Brian Jacques Redwall series

and some other random kid novels.

[Endymion9]

I'm on the second book of the Spiderwick Chronicles right now. Not bad. Not great yet.

I ordered Abhorson trilogy based on recommendations here. Thanks.

[Lady Revel]

Endymion9:

Have you by any chance read Endymion Spring by Matthew Skelton?

I LOVE Juv Lit and some that I recommend:

The Farsala Trilogy by Hilari Bell (The trials and tribulations of a kingdom that goes to war)

The Pellinor Series by Alison Croggon (three so far, with a fourth on the way) This is your basic Epic High Fantasy type novels. Good against evil, a big adventure, but the heroine is a woman!!!!! *big cheesy grin*

The Guild of Specialists Trilogy by Joshua Mowll (only two are out so far)
Really neat! It is sort of historical fantasy (1920's-1930's) about the Guild of Specialists and all of their neat gadgets, with fold out maps and specifications. The gimmick is that Joshua, the author, found his grandmothers papers and such in an underground vault, and is publishing them for posterity.

The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud
Magic, magic, magic - Historical fantasy - About wizards and magic in London. The protagonist is an anti-hero, just like Covenant!

The Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins
Meant for younger readers - Gregor (the protagonist) falls through a grate in New York City with his baby sister, and finds a world of people living under the ground. The underlanders knew he was coming, as he is the star of their prophecies written in the 1600's. They fly around on huge bats. Great fun.

The Gideon Series by Linda Buckley-Archer - two books out so far
Time travel. Two kids go back in time by accident. A lot of 18th century flavor here.

I know the summaries are short, and I'm sorry 'bout that. I love children's literature, I really do!

Have fun!

LR

[Endymion9]

Endymion9:

Have you by any chance read Endymion Spring by Matthew Skelton?

Lady Revel. Thanks for the recommendations. I'll check them out. No I have not read Endymion Spring but will also check that one out.

I took the name from the Dan Simmons, Hyperion series. Then when I researched and read the Greek mythological origins of the name, liked it even more. Didn't take Hyperion because I'd rather be called Endy than Hyper <grin>.

[danlo]

I hear that the Jumper/Reflex books by Albuquerque author Stephen C. Gould are supposed to be great juve fare, and yes that's the same Jumper that was just made into the movie.

[Lady Revel]

Darn! I thought I caught you! Hehe. Endymion is indeed a very interesting name.

Oh! I loved the Tripods trilogy, too. I first read them around the seventh grade and had a huge crush on Will.

Have you read the other big trilogy by John Christopher? The Sword of the Spirits Trilogy?

Also very good. They are:

The Sword of the Spirits
The Prince in Waiting
Beyond the Burning Lands

Enjoy!

LR

[Endymion9]

Danlo,
We might go to Hollywood Blvd today and see Jumper. It's between that and the Spiderwick Chronicles that I just finished reading last nite. Do you guys have Hollywood Blvd type places in other cities. Where they serve food like a restaurant while you watch the movie?

Lady Revel,
I fell in love with the Tripod trilogy watching the first book tv series on PBS. Then when I read them i fell more in love with the story. One of my favorite quotes that I've used ever since is
(paraphrasing) Friendship blooms in sunshine, but it is adversity that knits men's hearts together.

I haven't seen much other Christopher available in print. Finally downloaded an audio presentation of the Chrysalids that I haven't listened to yet. Been wanting to find that in print for years.

[Avatar]

Seen some great ones mentioned. I've always thought a lot of "juvenile" stuff was under-rated. Agree with Lady Revel about Christopher...loved the Tripods books and prequel, and the Sword of the Spirits series.

He did another series as well, about alternate history worlds, Fireball, where the Romans had never left Britain, New Found Land about the discovery of the America's, and Dragon Paths, an alternate China. Great books.

Another good one is Douglas Hill, a Canadian author, who wrote the Last Legionary series about the only survivor of a genocide in an militaristic society, the Huntsman, a post-apocalyptic world dominated by aliens who use humans as slave labour, and my favourite, the ColSec series about a future government where gang-members arrested in the blighted ruins of earth are used to colonise other worlds.

My alltime favourite is Earthseed by Pamela Sargent, which I've just learned is being extended into a trilogy. The first book was written in 1983, the second in 2007. Guess the third is still coming. Huge modified asteroid sent out to space to preserve the human species...sorta. Awesome book, really.

Uh, few others I can't think of now...Hood's Army, about an alien invasion...Asimov's childrens books...Heinleins Juveniles...Some good stories in the childrens section. I still use it.

--A

[Linna Heartbooger]

Awesome thread... I had actually been thinking I wanted to post a request for recommendations of Juve Lit for a friend.

First, what I've enjoyed lately in this category:

"Shadowspinner" by Susan Fletcher (think that's the author) It's an awesome breakneck adventure from start to finish that deals with power and intrigue, hurt and wickedness, and finding forgiveness for really massive harm done to oneself. Oh yeah, and it's about teaching people "hidden" messages through storytelling! Set in a harem (the various women are all relatives of the sultan - at that time he only has 1 wife) in ancient Persia. The premise is "What if... Shaharazad (of the Arabian Nights) started running out of stories?" I totally loved it.

And when I was growing up, maaan, did I ever devour Nancy Drew mysteries. And... if we're not particularly sticking to the SF/F genre, (I hope) anyone remember Sweet Valley Twins? So many of my ideas of friendship were shaped by those books in ways I don't even remember.

Or "The Saddle Club"? And now that I'm talking horse-related books... I also LOVED "Black Beauty" and various Marguerite Henry books - "King of the Wind," (which I re-read this year and was dissappointed with!) and two of her most heartrending: "Gaudenzia, Pride of the Palio" and "San Domingo, the Medicine Hat Stallion" Another awesome tearjerker about a horse and the boy who cared for him was called "Danza". I'm not gonna include synopses unless anyone says they want to hear me blather about horse books... and that this is an okay place to do it.

[Lady Revel]

I CAN'T believe I forgot this one!

the House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer.
It won the National Book Award, Newberry Honor Award, the Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in Young Adult Literature and was a Junior Library Guild Selection.

Ursula Le Guin has a testimonial on the back.

Its about this dude who is really rich, who has clones made of himself. Most clones have their brains destroyed really young, so that they have no idea when they are killed to have their organs harvested. But this one guy, raises the clone without destroying his brain, he thinks it makes the clones healthier. The clone knows no one likes him, but he doesn't know why. Until eventually he figures it out.

Really good story.


Sorry for throwing so much at you. I just love Juv Fiction!

[Holsety]

My alltime favourite is Earthseed by Pamela Sargent, which I've just learned is being extended into a trilogy. The first book was written in 1983, the second in 2007. Guess the third is still coming. Huge modified asteroid sent out to space to preserve the human species...sorta. Awesome book, really.

SWEET! There's a sequel?

*Runs off*

[Avatar]

Wow, you actually know the book Holsety? First person I've ever met who did.

--A

[aliantha]

Gotta put in a plug for the "Song of the Lioness" books by Tamora Pierce. She was my girls' favorite author for years and years and years.

Nobody mentioned "His Dark Materials", either....

[deer of the dawn]

Madeleine L'Engle (RIP)'s series starting with A Wrinkle In Time including An Acceptable Time which is often left off of the series list.

Just discovered Marion Wenger's books-- Impossible, a spinoff of the song "Scarborough Fair", which I really liked, and Rules of Survival which wasn't so much my cup of tea but very compelling.

The Chronicles of Narnia (duh, but if you haven't read them.. well, you should, as well as Lewis's "Space" Trilogy.)

Then there are classics I reread periodically like Island of the Blue Dolphins. There really are a lot of gems classified as "juvenile".

[Linna Heartbooger]

Madeleine L'Engle (RIP)'s series starting with A Wrinkle In Time including An Acceptable Time which is often left off of the series list.

Interesting - did not know that book existed.

Then there are classics I reread periodically like Island of the Blue Dolphins. There really are a lot of gems classified as "juvenile".

What a wacky coincidence... I JUST got that book out for myself last week, started it, then considered not reading it. But now I think I will.

Its about this dude who is really rich, who has clones made of himself. Most clones have their brains destroyed really young, so that they have no idea when they are killed to have their organs harvested. But this one guy, raises the clone without destroying his brain, he thinks it makes the clones healthier. The clone knows no one likes him, but he doesn't know why. Until eventually he figures it out.

Sounds mortifying from the perspective of the guy who's a clone! AAUGH! I wonder if he started out more neglected (and messed-up in other ways) than Terisa from Mordant's Need.