What are some of your favourite book series from your childhood/early teens? Feel free to say and even leave a brief synopsis for those who haven't read the books.
With that being said, here are some of mine (if you recognise any of these please let me know. I want to see if the US books tend to be different than the UK ones):
[b]Maximum Ride - James Patterson:[/b]
A group of six genetically altered kids with wings escape from a lab. Years on, the lab tries to recapture them using what are essentially human-wolf hybrids known as Erasers. General shenanigans ensue. I loved this series to death as a kid and it has influenced my writing ever since. The series takes a major dip after the 3rd book that it never really recovers from, unfortunately.
[b]Skulduggery Pleasant - Derek Landy:[/b]
Young girl teams up with wise-cracking magical skeleton detective after her uncle's death. They solve crimes and end up saving the world a couple of times. I loved the humour in this one. It's targeted for 14-15 year-olds but is still a massively entertaining read now thanks to how witty and humorous the dialogue is.
[b]Demonata - Darren Shan:[/b]
Kid comes home to find that his parents have been brutally murdered by demons. He escapes with his life and ends up living with his uncle who informs him that both he and his parents are involved in the world of magic and demons. Kid teams up with two other kids who suffered similar unfortunate circumstances to stop the demons taking over the world. This series is pretty dark and is generally an entertaining read. I still have all 10 volumes and I'm debating going back through them all again soon.
[b]Gone - Michael Grant:[/b]
A costal american town wakes up one morning to realise everyone over the age of 15 has mysteriously vanished and the town is incased in an impenetrable bubble. It also turns out some of the kids now have superpowers. General chaos ensues.
[b]The Enemy - Charlie Higson:[/b]
Set in urban London, everyone over the age of 14 is suddenly effected by a zombie-like virus transmitted via sunlight. The story follows a group of kids who are holed up in a local supermarket, but are soon forced to venture out due to a lack of supplies and the encroaching zombie menace. Again, this is another dark one. Lots of suspenseful moments.
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The Space Odyessey Series. Starting with the famous 2001: A Space Odyessey.