Most of us began our love of reading when Mum or Dad would read us fairy-tales and adventure stories before bed, and there’s nothing greater than passing that love onto a whole new generation. And QBD has you covered for finding the best series for your young’uns!
Recommended For Ages 8+
The Spirit Animals series:
Meet four young heroes, who have each just completed a mysterious ceremony revealing their unique connections to their spirit animals, and who now hold the fate of the world in their hands. A great little perk with this series is an accompanying online game where kids can discover their own spirit animals and join the quest to save the world.
First title in the series: Wild Born by Brandon Mull
The Deltora Quest series by Emily Rodda:
The evil Shadow Lord has captured the land of Deltora, and enslaved its people. The only power to stop it, the seven powerful gems contained within the Belt of Deltora, have been stolen and scattered throughout the most dangerous areas of the realm. It is down to two unlikely companions, and their hand-drawn map, to journey far and wide to gather the lost gems and overthrow the evil tyrant.
First book in the series: The Forests of Silence
Recommended For Ages 10+
The Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan:
Raised as an orphan, Will has long desired to grow up to be a great knight just like his father. However, on the day when all the masters choose their apprentices, Will is rejected by the Battle School and instead apprenticed to Halt, the dark and mysterious ranger. Reluctantly, Will learns the arts of the ranger, of archery and stealth, until a threat to the kingdom arises and Will must accompany Halt to hunt down and defeat this evil, before it’s too late.
First book in the series: The Ruins of Gorlan
The Warriors series by Erin Hunter:
Four clans of wild cats share the forest according to a code passed down for generations. However, as the sinister ShadowClan begins to grow as a threat to the ThunderClan, the warrior code is in danger. Enter Rusty, a simple house cat with big dreams who journeys out to the ThunderClan, and begins his training to become a clan warrior. This is a gripping series that has taken the world by storm, and we can guarantee no reader will be able to stop at just the one book!
First book in the series: Into the Wild
Recommended for Ages 12+
The Maximum Ride series by James Patterson:
Max Ride and her five friends have been genetically bred in a lab with avian DNA, which has left them with superhuman strength and wings. After escaping the lab in search of a normal life, these kids find themselves on the run from sinister scientists keen to ensure their ‘experiment’ a secret. This series is fast-paced and packed full of cliffhangers and plot twists, and is sure to keep any reader gripped to the very last page (and then onto the next book!)
First book in the series: The Angel Experiment
The Keys to the Kingdom series by Garth Nix:
Arthur is an ordinary kid with asthma, not a hero. But during a particularly bad asthma attack, he is chosen to be the Heir to the Keys of the Kingdom by a mysterious man named Mister Monday, who assumes he can get the keys back again rather quickly if the kid dies. However, Arthur does not die as he is meant to. Soon people around him start dropping from a ‘sleepy plague’, and Arthur must venture into the strange world of the House to find out what it all means. In the meantime, Mister Monday wants his keys back, and along with his bloody-winged messengers and dog-faced ‘Fetchers’ is more than happy to destroy Arthur and his world if that’s what it takes. (It sounds convoluted, but it’s not that confusing when reading it, trust us. There’s just too much plot to fit into one paragraph!)
First book in the series: Mister Monday
