Recommended Reads

Books We Love

ATYP students and instructors recommend the following books/series. Have a book you want added to the list? Let us know!

NEW RECOMMENDATIONS! (2021)

The Uncommoners by Jennifer Bell

A three-book series that will appeal to anyone who likes Harry Potter. 

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Fantasy fun!

RETURNING

Skullduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
About a magical skeletal detective who is trying to stop a group of crazy people from summoning reality-altering creatures from another dimension so that the creatures could destroy the world.

Adventurers Wanted Series by M. L. Forman
This series is wonderful. It can go on forever and it has that blind sense of power in the main character. Great series!

The Earthsea Trilogy by Ursula K. LeGuin

This series is beyond words. It's incredible... read it and see!

Warriors Series by Erin Hunter

It’s huge and can keep you going for a long time. Not boring either!

The Tapestry Series by Henry H. Neff

I just started this series and I'm almost done with the first book. It's magical - literally!

The Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien

These are just beautiful. They pull you in, so when you read make sure you have a LOT of time!

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

This book is just magical. It's wonderfully written and beautifully composed!

Septimus Heap Series by Angie Sage

These are six huge books that never bore you. They are funny, Magykal, and extremely entertaining.

The Secrets of the immortal Nicholas Flamel Series by Micheal Scott

These books are pure fantasy, but they have a ring of truth that explains many strange events throughout history. Must-read!

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series by Rick Riordan

These books suck you into the funny, witty, thrillingly exiting wonderful story. I love it... by far a personal favorite!

The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan

Awesome. Pure awesome... much like the one above.

Heroes of Olympus Series by Rick Riordan

Same as the other two by this author...

The Inheritance Trilogy (+1) by Christopher Paolini

This guy wrote these incredible books in high school... he's my role model!

Wolves of the Beyond Series by Kathryn Laskey

There's only six and they're pretty thin, but they are very good and involving.

Guardians of Ga'Hoole Series by Kathryn Laskey

Talking animals. Already great... not to mention the wonderful storyline!

Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling

Doesn't have words...to describe...how awesome...this is...

Redwall Series by Brian Jacques

Great read. There's so many of them, they'll keep you going for ages! Good time-consumer :)

The Farwalker Trilogy by Joni Sensel

If you need a book to read without any other ideas, use these. They're very interesting and suck you in! I love them!

Merlin Series by T. A. Barron

The first book is awesome, but the rest aren't as great... just read the first. Try the rest, too, if you're curious. They're not the best.

The Last Dragon Chronicles by Chris D'Lacey

These get really confusing the closer you get to the end, so you just have to go on with blind acceptance. Not good for scientists.

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

They're WAY better than the movie. Trust me.

Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth

In this dystopian universe, people are genetically tested and altered to find their dominant personality type. They are then divided into factions to help maintain peace and balance within the society. However, a growing group of "divergents" threaten to upset the balance.

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

A plane full of beauty pageant contestants crash near what they think is a deserted island. The girls, including an undercover newspaper reporter, must figure out how to survive in this Lord of the Flies - esque novel.

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing by MT Anderson

There are two volumes of this look at the small pox epidemic, the life of a slave, the experiments of a group of philosophers, and the world of the American Revolution.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - As the movie is released this winter, this is a great book to revisit. Set during the Holocaust and told from the point of view of Death, this challenging novel flips the expected storyline of hiding a Jewish refugee.


Shakespeare: The World as Stage by Bill Bryson

Bryson examines the world of Shakespeare and the mystery behind the Bard's characters and plays.

Feed by MT Anderson

What if all social media were transmitted into a chip embedded within our brains? What if your feed was disrupted and you were cut off from all of that communication? Anderson's cautionary tale looks at how we are inundated by information.

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

Cadavers do make our lives better. In this quirky look at the adventures bodies have after death, Roach examines how scientists and researchers use cadavers.

Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson

Kate is a good kid. She earns all "A"'s, she takes care of her minister dad, she ensures her younger brother takes his medication, and she is the go-to person at school and church. However, when she doesn't make it into her dream school, her world begins to crumble. Having no "back-up" school, Kate must figure out how to tell her family and how to recover.

Thunder Dog by Michal Hingson and Susy Flory   

This true story is about the author’s experiences on September 11. As a blind man, he had developed a special relationship with his guide dog. Working in the World Trade Center, he survives due to his courage and his relationship with his guide dog. It is an amazing, inspiring story of the  special bound that can develop with an animal.

Dewey by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter 

For 19 years, Dewey was the library cat in a small town in Iowa. Arriving on frostbitten feet and stuffed in the return slot by some cruel individual, Dewey becomes a minor celebrity. This is a good read for everyone. You don’t have to be a cat lover to enjoy this book.

Homer’s Odyssey by Gwen Cooper     

This is a true story about a woman who adopts an abandoned kitten. Named for the famous poet Homer, the kitten loses both his eyes to a serious infection. Often hilarious, this book tells the story of two individuals, one human and one feline, who face challenges and overcome them.

The Cat Who Came for Christmas by Cleveland Amory   

This is a classic animal story by a famous animal advocate. Written with wit and wisdom, this book  is inspirational and humorous.

Marley and Me by John Grogan   

The popular movie was based on this book about a dog obedience school dropout, Marley. Funny and sad, this book captures the relationship the develops between a loving couple and their misbehaving dog.

Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand       

Seabiscuit was a famous racehorse. The movie version that starred Jeff Bridges is based on this true story of an incredible horse. This book is fun to read, and it was a New York Times bestseller.