The Science of Books: Guest Post: Top Ten Tuesdays (1) For Reluctant Readers

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. This week we were asked to list books that we would give to someone who does not read books. These are my picks:

For the boys and reluctant readers:

1. Department 19 by Will Hill which was one of my favourite 2011 books.

This book may be about vampires but think secret government department that hunts them instead. With a male protagonist who is trying to find his kidnapped mother and unveil the truth behind his father's betrayal, this book is very appealing to anyone who just cannot stand the current YA trends.

2. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card.

This book is one of my all-time-favourites. For anyone who found the mind-games in The Hunger Games just did not satisfy their hunger, this book is for you. With a movie adaptation in the works, hype for this book has been slowly rising. I've read this when I was quite young and found the 6-year-old Ender to be endearing and BOSS-LIKE at the same time. The way he is able to fight his enemies within and outside the "games" was incredible and captivating. Plus, there is an alien race involved! Since I have a boy-oriented taste in books, I highly recommend this series to the teen boys out there.

3. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness.

Staying on track with the alien "New-Earth" trend, the Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness is one of those spectacular series that can engage both sexes. Think about a world where everyone can hear each other's thoughts. Wouldn't it be nice to hear if the girl you've been crushing on has the same feeling towards you? Well, THINK AGAIN. A mysterious disease from this new world has killed off the entire female population...until one day a boy named Todd discovers a girl. DUN DUN DUN~! I really hope people of all age and gender can check this series out. Yet again, this series is on my all-time-favourites list.

Note: I will also mention the words in this series are very unique in which the font changes and new words will appear. They are not fancy or sophisticated. In fact, they demonstrate a determination of the human language with extra contractions and slurring.

4. Magyk by Angie Sage.

This book is for the tweens, 9-12 year olds. This book/series is very much like Harry Potter meets Tamora Pierce. Entangled with magic, dragons and talking animals, this series will delight young boys.

5. The Charlie Bones series by Jenny Nimmo.

Technically called The Children of the Red Kings series, many have taken the route of the Percy Jackson fans by calling this series after its main protagonist. With a salute to fellow British phenomenon, J. K. Rowling, Jenny Nimmo mixes Harry Potter with the X-Men in this series that kept me up all night when I was a tween.

6. The 39 Clues by Various authors like Rick Riordan, Gordon Korman etc.

Are you ready for The Amazing Race in a book format? Yes, you read it right. The Amazing Race is exactly how I will describe this series (plus some minor cases of sabotage and run in with crocodiles, of course). I loved this series and I am sure boys will too.

7. Atherton by Patrick Carman

Living on a new planet where life is divided up into 3 sections (literally and figuratively, not just your rich, middle class and poor), this book tells the story of a young boy who is determined to climb the cliffs that separate him from the secrets of his father. This book is for anyone who loved The City of Ember and like dystopian novels.

8. The GONE series by Michael Grant

This could be any teen's dream. No adults and no rules. When everyone over 15 disappears, the world is suddenly thrown into chaos and darkness is slowly rising. Did I also mention kids start to develop super powers? COOL~! Like X-Men mix with Lord of the Flies, this series is one of my all-time-favourites.

9. The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima

So maybe people have watched the HBO series Game of Thrones or have read the original novels by George R. R. Martin, will this book is for a younger audience to dive into. With magical objects, corruption within the Queen's court and a streetwalker and princess destined to meet, this series reflect the works by Tamora Pierce and George R. R. Martin.

Note: If you have already read this series, check out Graceling by Kristin Cashore instead.

10. The City of Ember or The Percy Jackson series.

Okay, so I cheated. There are 11 choices in the post but this is really tough to narrow down to.

The City of Ember was my very first dystopian novel and it remains one of my favourites. Living in a world where power is very limited, a boy and a girl finds some secret files that may give them an answer to the poverty of their world.

Note: DO NOT WATCH THE MOVIE VERSION OF THE BOOK. It was one of the worst movie adaptations I've ever seen (tied with Funke's The Thief Lord and Inkheart).

Last but not least, The Percy Jackson series.

Right after studying a unit on

Greece

and Greek mythology, I discovered this series that blew me away. Similar to a video game, Percy Jackson is sent on quests involving Greek myths and creatures of many kinds. This series will not disappoint and I personally know a lot of male friends who have LOVED this series.