Over the years, I've read some truly incredible books. There have been dozens upon dozens of titles that have been extremely well-loved and remain that way today. That being said, there are a few that went up and beyond. These are the books that changed my life, so to speak, and have left a lasting impression. And luckily for me, a lot of these 'big deal' books didn't just end after one installation. They kept coming, book after book, page after page, and continued to blow me away even after the very last chapter. So I thought I'd give them a small tribute this week, and thank them for being my top five most influential book series.
1. "Magic Tree House" by Mary Pope Osborne.
OK, so this one actually takes me back to third grade. I had switched schools the year before, and was finally beginning to understand and work with my own dyslexia. But the idea of chapter books was still rather terrifying. Even so, I remember picking up the third "Magic Tree House" book (I've never been good at reading things in order), and sitting down on the carpet of my elementary school's library. It was the very first book that showed me how much I love books. It taught me that I didn't have to be scared of reading, but love it instead. I read book after book after book, mesmerized by the stories, and the journeys they could take me on.
2. "Percy Jackson" by Rick Rordian.
Honestly, Percy, Annabeth and Grover were my heroes growing up. These were kids started out just like me, dyslexic and confused and not all that great at fitting in. That being said, I'm pretty sure I'm not a demigod, but it could still happen, right?
Jokes aside, these books were everything middle-school me could've ever dreamed of. These kids were smart and capable and brave, while also still being kids. I was all in with every adventure, every plot twist and every cliffhanger all the way till the very end.
3. "Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins.
I know, I know, it's a cliche, but it's true. I read the "Hunger Games" during my high school years and absolutely tore through them. And even then, I had my issues with the book (I'm looking at you, Gale). But this was one of the first book series to me that really dealt with consequence and the emotional effects of tragedy and loss. I remember being extremely affected by the ending of the trilogy, and being rather relieved to finally see a character who was affected by leading a revolution. Almost too often, these series end with the victory of our main character. And while those moments are satisfying, it misses the aftermath. This series doesn't shy away from telling the reader that war and death can caught a person their health, their mind and their sanity, not just through our main protagonist, but through everyone else, as well.
4. "Gallagher Girls" by Ally Carter.
This was a series that came right up and bit me in the butt. I remember reading the first book and enjoying it, but as unfortunately some series go, it gets lost in the mumbo-jumbo of my brain. That was, up until I heard an announcement.
I was in my junior year of high school and a fledgling writer (i.e. I spent 90% of class writing chapters for books I'd never finish). Over the loud speaker one day comes the announcement that Ally Carter will be visiting our school in a few weeks. And being the book-nerd that I was, I properly went ballastic. I read the next four books of the series and dragged my friends to spend their free periods with me so I could meet a real live YA fiction writer (which was only, like, the biggest deal in the world). To me, meeting an author, especially an author who wrote badass, strong female characters who are trained secret agents and speak multiple languages, and oh, also go to an all-girls school just like me (minus the special agent and multiple languages stuff, obviously) was better than meeting any celebrity by far.
5. "Shatter Me" by Tahereh Mafi.
This books series just makes me happy. Plain old, blow-me-away-with-amazing-writing happy. It was the first series in a while where I could look at a female main character in a dystopian series and say "Ah, you make sense."
There are cliches in young adult fiction that you simply get used to, examples including (but not limited to) 1.) falling in everlasting love with first guy you meet, EVER, 2.) main characters magically learning to fight like master jedi in like three days and 3.) love triangles where you know within three pages which guy the main protagonist is going to pick. Juliette, by far, has to be one of my favorite female characters in YA ever because she specifically avoids ALL THREE of these aforementioned tropes.
On a more serious note, this was one of the few book series out there that had the balls to say, "guess what? The first person you're with isn't always going to be your soulmate. It's OK." It gave me everything I wanted in a young adult dystopian series that I had been missing in all the others, and for that, I thank you, Tahereh Mafi.
Looking over these books not only makes me want to re-read literally all of them, but reminds me just how much these books affected me as a person. I'm not a stranger to the idea that books can change your life, and I hope they'll continue to do so forever.
What book series were most influential to you? Which great series did I miss? Let me know in the comments below!
