Top 5 Book Series to Read Over the Summer
By: Jack Welch and Tatum Robertson 5/16/24
Are you looking for something to read over the summer? Well then look no further! These amazing book series are sure things to get you excited for the summer! Most of these titles are ones that people have heard of before, but one or two of them may be new to the majority. (Note: These are ordered from best to worst)
As St Timothy’s School states, “It goes without saying that Harry Potter is an ultimate children’s classic.” Harry Potter is definitely one of the most beloved book series by people all over the world. The series has seven books in it and goes over the life of the main character, Harry Potter, while he is in school at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry’s two best friends at Hogwarts are Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. They are out to defeat Voldemort, debatably the most evil wizard of all time. Voldemort was defeated by Harry before, but he came back and loathes Harry. He gathers his old followers and threatens the world once again. Other important characters besides the trio and the maniac are Albus Dumbledore, Rubeus Hagrid, Minerva Mcgonagall, Severus Snape, Sirius Black, Draco Malfoy, and the whole Weasly family. Matthew Rouker, a student at EJHS, says, “I like how the plot is developed throughout the books.” Most people have probably read this series, but it is also a great thing that can be read over and over again!
Another great book series that keeps growing is Percy Jackson and the Olympians. This series originally started out with 5 books, but the author, Rick Riordan, has recently come out with another book called The Chalice of the Gods, and has announced that on September 24, 2024 he will be coming out with Wrath of the Triple Goddess. The series starts out with an adolescent boy named Percy Jackson, who is diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia, and who sees odd things like horses with wings, or men with only one eye in the middle of their heads. Later in the story, he finds out that he’s the son of Poseidon, the Greek god of the ocean. He attends a camp called Camp Half-blood, which is a safe haven for children who are half human and half god. Their camp instructors are Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, and Chiron, the centaur who trained many heroes. After a while, Percy is sent on a quest with his friends Grover Underwood and Annabeth Chase. For the first five books, Percy and friends are trying to stop Kronos, the evil Titan of time. They also then go on adventures in other book series, like The Heroes of Olympus and The Trials of Apollo.
One really great book series that made our list is The Chronicles of Narnia, written by C.S. Lewis. The Chronicles of Narnia is an amazing 7 book fantasy series where a group of children keep finding themselves in a different world where there are all sorts of fantasy creatures and where animals can talk. Throughout the 7 books the characters keep finding themselves having all kinds of adventures in the other world. And as Britannica says “The series is considered a classic of fantasy literature and has influenced many other fantasy works.” Overall, The Chronicles of Narnia is an amazing book series that you should absolutely read over the summer or really anytime.
The medieval-based Ranger’s Apprentice is up next with a series about Will and his grim-faced mentor, Halt. This twelve book series sets up quite the adventure. Will and Halt protect the Redmont fief in Araluen, and they call themselves rangers. Well, actually, at the beginning of the series, Will is only an apprentice (but he later on becomes a ranger). The initial dilemma is that an evil former baron of an Araluan fief has taken control of a race of odd creatures called wargals, and is using them to fight against the rest of the kingdom. Throughout the series, the most important characters are named Will, Halt, Alyss, Evanlyn, Gilan, Crowley, Tug, and Horace. The rest is left for readers to find out!
Lastly, The Mysterious Benedict Society is, as hinted at, full of riddles and interesting puzzles. This focuses on four young geniuses and their mentors and friends. Yes, that sounds extremely cheesy, but the book series is a really good read. The main characters are Reynie, George “Sticky”, Kate, Constance, Mr. Benedict, Rhonda, and a good friend, who goes by her code name, Number Two (get your jokes out now). They are up against an evil mastermind named Ledroptha Curtain, whom the whole world thinks is just the kindly genius owner of the Institute, a school for children. While reading this series, it’s always fun to stay one step ahead of the characters, and figure out puzzles and riddles before them. This is an interesting story and a fun game at the same time, and would be an amazing thing to have to do over the summer!
Honorable mentions that didn’t quite make it are the series titles Wings of Fire, The Borrowers, Big Nate, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and Dog Man. These all are good titles to read over the summer, and people should read the series at least once!