Young-Adult Series Ranked

Who here hasn't read a young adult book some time? And even if you haven't, there is a high probability that you have watched at least a movie based on one of these books. 

Why do we love to read YA novels? Mostly, it's because of the action reflected on their pages, the tri-dimensional main characters, but most importantly, because most of these stories introduce us to dystopian futures (which we find absolutely interesting to read!) 

In case you’re not familiarized with the expression, a dystopia is a society full of injustice and suffering. Usually, such a society is created after a very bad event takes place, so the plot occurs in a post-apocalyptic future. 

There are dozens of YA series, but today I’m going to classify 4 of the most famous ones. Without further ado, here’s my ranking...

4) Divergent

Composed of three main novels and a fourth book containing short stories, the story follows Beatrice "Tris" Prior, a 16-year-old girl who lives in a future Chicago devastated by war. Society is now divided into 5 factions: Abnegation, Erudite, Dauntless, Amity, and Candor. Teenagers choose their faction after a test and must remain in their chosen group forever, following the motto "Faction before blood". Tris' results reveal that she has characters for more than one faction, which makes her a divergent and therefore a threat to order.  

In general, the trilogy is very appealing (although the last book is slower than the other two) and will bring up themes such as personality and seek control. It has tons of action, but also one or two crude passages. In general, it's worth reading.

Books: Divergent, Insurgent, Allegiant.

Short Stories: Four. 

3) The Maze Runner

One of my favorite sagas of all time! The Maze Runner introduces us to Thomas, a boy that wakes up in a field with other boys that, just like him, remember nothing but their names. The field is surrounded by a maze full of monsters that changes its course every night, making it impossible to solve. After Thomas arrives, stranger things begin to happen and he finds himself in the middle of a much bigger conspiration.

A definite must-read, this saga is filled with mystery, action, and plot twists, and will for sure keep you focused. Without going into spoilers, the story acquires a special significance in this quarantine (not going to say anything, just read the books and you'll find out why). Finally, the novels board topics such as control, world catastrophes, surveillance, freedom, and make readers question: does the end justify the means? The main story is divided into three books and complemented by two prequels. 

Books: The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials, The Death Cure. 

Prequels: The Kill Order, The Fever Code. 

2) The Hunger Games

When I was applying to college, I wrote an essay about The Hunger Games. The prompt was: a book that I considered everyone should read, so that pretty much gives you an idea of what I think about this saga. Katniss Everdeen lives in the country of Panem, which is divided into 12 poor districts and the wealthy and all-powerful Capitol. Each year, the Capitol organizes a deadly competition called "The Hunger Games", in which each district must send two tributes (a boy and a girl) to compete, with only one winner. Katniss is the elected District 12 tribute that year and must thrive to survive and learn who she can trust. 

Why do I think everyone must read these novels? Because believe it or not, they teach important values such as being brave to fight for making a difference, no matter how difficult it may seem, perseverance to the achievement of objectives, and loyalty to one’s beliefs. The books also reflect discrimination based on social class, which is undeniably seen everywhere.

Recently, the author released a prequel centered on the main novels' villain. In case you haven't read my review to that book, here it is the link: https://mybibliosmia.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-ballad-of-songbirds-and-snakes.html

Books: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay.

Prequel: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. 

Now, let's go on to the number one of this list. Can you guess what saga is?

Here it is...

1) Harry Potter

Of course, Harry Potter is the only owner of the first place! Who here hasn't fallen in love with the adventures of the young wizard? The story is about Harry Potter, an orphan boy who discovers that he is a wizard at the age of 11 and is invited to study in the magical Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft. However, trouble and danger will follow our character as he goes deeper and deeper into the magical world. 

If you haven't read a book or watched a film of this series... well, nice to meet you. What J.K. Rowling did with Harry Potter is just... impressive. The 7 novels are absolutely engaging for people of all ages, same with the movies (which are pretty faithful to the original material). Did the success end there? No! J.K. Rowling built an entire universe of her acclaimed story. Now, there are big amusement parks that recreate the most famous scenarios of the story and make you feel you are inside the magical world. Moreover, Rowling works as a scriptwriter for the new film saga of Fantastic Beasts, which serves as a prequel and expansion to the main story. 

Let yourself be immersed in this magical adventure where you'll learn values such as friendship, loyalty, and will be a witness of a constant battle between good and evil. 

Books: The Philosopher's Stone, The Chamber of Secrets, The Prisoner of Azkaban, The Goblet of Fire, The Order of the Phoenix, The Half-Blood Prince, The Deathly Hallows.

So... which one is your favorite Young Adult saga?