I haven’t had a lot of time recently to read many books, but I wanted to pass along a few great titles of books that I have had an opportunity to read. These titles are sure to not only interest middle school and junior high students, but they can be read aloud in the evenings to the entire family.
If you haven’t heard of this series I think you are going to love reading them. It is called the Wilderking Trilogy, which is set in the Middle Ages period. It is a terrific retelling of the story of David, the biblical character. The story of David and Goliath is one that children are told repeatedly in Sunday School, but do they know what happened before or after he fights the giant? This series is a wonderful compliment to the bible and will lend itself to discussion about being faithful and loyal against all odds. I have just found out that there is a prequel that will be released soon and I am looking forward to reading more about Aidan and the kingdom of Corenwald.
The Bark of the Bog Owl, Jonathan Rogers
The Secret of the Swamp King, Jonathan Rogers
The Way of the Wilderking, Jonathan Rogers
As a follow-up to the books, you will want to check out Jonathan Rogers’ Feechie Film Festival. Funny tales are found here of whether people believe in these wild creatures [or not].
Strange Journey Back, Paul McCusker [Focus on the Family’s Adventures in Odyssey]. If you are familiar with the audio series of the Adventures in Odyssey, this is the printed format. My sons loved the audio series that Focus on the Family produced and listened to them daily on the radio.
Happy reading! 🙂
Schoolmarm Ohio 
Lisa, we’ve been doing a lot of middle-school reading around here lately, and have fallen for the Percy Jackson series. I’m sure there are people who would turn up their noses or be offended at something in them, but Rick Riordan is a great writer, and the series is tons of fun. We know WAY more about the Greek and Roman gods than any encyclopedic book would have given us. I don’t recommend the movie, however. Too…different than the books! My children have also really enjoyed the Ranger’s Apprentice series– another fantasy/adventure story. I’m prereading and enjoying the 39 Clues series (also framed by Riordan), and they are good, but a little light and predictable. Not the writing quality of Percy Jackson! And I just started prereading an interesting book called The Saint of Dragons (Hightman). I’m prereading it because it could go south, but the premise is that dragons are still alive and well, and hiding among the modern population, wreaking havoc. It caught my eye because books where dragons are really EVIL are harder to find. Anyway, the main character, who ends up being a dragon fighter, is Simon St. George. C’mon! That’s just clever! I’ll let you know how it develops… Don’t you just love the anticipation and hope of finding a potentially beloved new favorite book!?
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Thank you for the recommendations. I have read most of the Percy Jackson series,and I was debating whether to recommend them or not. It’s nice to get a second opinion. I had written the 39 Clues here in this post, but deleted it since I had only read a few and didn’t want to recommend something I hadn’t finished.
I am looking forward to reading the series you recommended. Perhaps I can get to them this week since I have Spring Break. 🙂 Thanks for the suggestions and post again if you find other books you like.
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Well, maybe I should clarify! I’ve made it to book 6 of 39 Clues. I’ve heard that they are good until the clues are all found. Then, apparantly, the series continues, but it isn’t as good. I’ll let you know. And I’m 4 or 5 chapters into the dragon book, and I’m getting skeptical. If you read it, I’d love to hear what you think. Jury’s still out here! Faith has also really enjoyed a series called “The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place.” Book 3 just came out. Very clever writing… Lemony Snicket-ish.
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The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place is actually a series that the author of the books I mentioned (Jonathan Rogers) above also recommended. I just haven’t read them yet. I am glad Faith enjoyed them. 🙂
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Lisa, we just finished reading all three books of the Wilderking series. Thank you for recommending the series! All three of my boys, myself, and Tom thoroughly enjoyed them. We spent many, many evenings taking turns reading the trilogy aloud. I am sure my entire family went to sleep dreaming of the Feechiefen swamp and Aidan. I just ordered The Charlaton’s Boy by the same author so hopefully it is just a good as the trilogy.
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I wanted to clarify the name of the post above!
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Hi Lisa,
Yea!I am so glad you enjoyed the series. Please let me know what you think of the series as I am sure others are looking for quality books to be able to read.
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