Books for the Fans

This week I am featuring Science Fiction and Fantasy book choices for some of our tough customers. I have a teenage son who doesn't love reading. When tackling this list, I thought of him and other middle & high school boys I know, and what just MIGHT make them pick up a book. All of these books I have found at our local library. If your library doesn't have some of these titles, definitely ask about inter-library loan.

Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan

Maybe your students, child, or even you, have started watching the Disney+ series, or maybe you're already familiar with Percy Jackson, but this is a great series bringing Greek history to life in a modern, fun and relatable way. The first book in the series is The Lightning Thief which introduces us to Percy and the world of the demi-gods. Percy is a very relatable boy that struggles in school both academically and behaviorally, when odd things seem to happen to him. Percy soon finds out he's a demi-god and that his academic struggles are due to his parentage and these "odd things" aren't odd at all. This is a series that follows Percy and his friends through many quests.  Age recommendation: 4th - 6th grade.

This picture features the new cover art.

Have you seen the entire series, or feel like Percy might be a bit young for your students? Try out the next series the Heroes of Olympus. In this next set of books the first book in the series is The Lost Hero. Here we meet Jason, a demi-god who wakes up on a bus and remembers nothing about his girlfriend or his best friend. We follow Jason and his friends exploits at Camp Halfblood, but as high school students, they have similar demi-god problems, like sweet-talking a car dealer into "test driving" a new car. But as they are older, we see more of the real-life issues teens deal with in relation to self identity and parents. 

At the end of the first book, we find everyone at Camp Halfblood wondering where Percy is. In the next book Son of Neptune, we find the answer to that, he is at a camp for demi-gods whose parents are Roman Gods. Percy also remembers nothing about his life, but is being trained at the new camp and making new friends, while feeling something is off. This series is a great way to learn about the Roman counterpart of the gods through Percy Jackson. The later (and newest books) also follow Percy on a quest to get college recommendations. If students are already familiar with Percy, they can follow his struggle of getting into college. Age recommendation: 5th-10th grade.

Loki: A Bad God's Guide to Being Good by Louie Stowell

This book is for Avengers and Loki fans. This is a hilarious book about Loki and Thor coming to earth as kids and having to go to school and deal with every day problems, while Loki does his best to be a good person and avoid being thrown into a pit of snakes for eternity by Odin. This book is in the style of Diary of Wimpy Kid but due to Loki being the main character, can be appealing for middle grades. Age recommendation: 3rd-7th grade.

Loki: Where Mischief Lies by Mackenzi Lee

I chose a second Loki book, more mature than my first choice. Loki: Where Mischief Lies by Mackenzi Lee is an interesting book about Loki and his trials both in Asgard and on Earth trying to solve a mystery and help a friend. The story is an easier read, and is infused with Loki's charm and humor and is a good representation of the world of Thor and Loki. This is an Amazon.com "Teacher's Pick" and it is listed for ages 12-18, but I would give it a recommendation for high school level due to Loki's romantic exploits. It is only touched upon, but may be a bit mature for 12 year olds.

Spider-Verse/Spider-Geddon Omnibus by Dan Slott

This is a collection of Spider-Verse comics all compiled into a hefty book. The shorter stories and classic comic style is great for those who may not like reading, and of course this is a fantastic book for Spiderman fans. This was housed in the Young Adult section of the library, but be mindful there is comic book violence, and some of the artwork is a bit objectifying of women, even Gwen Stacy. This would be great for upper middle school or high school students.

Photos courtesy of Amazon.