Lee Child
Child’s Jack Reacher series has all the fast-paced action and slick dialogue of action movies, plus the intricate plots and multilayered characters of a thrilling mystery novel.
Shannon Hale
A childhood favorite of mine, Hale’s novels feature strong but subtle female heroines discovering their voices in worlds set against them. Her world building complements her characters: ancient kingdoms with just a tinge of magic.
Scott Westerfeld
Whether it’s a dystopian society with a looks-based caste system (the Uglies series) or modern teenagers battling ancient monsters that only exist in the day’s elusive 25th hour (the Midnighters trilogy), Westerfeld’s quirky, vaguely newspeak-like voice makes his books stand out from the rest in an enchanting way.
Michael Grant
If you want a book with raw, gritty action alongside sweet, awkward romance and a taste of gut-wrenching horror, Grant’s Gone series should be your next read.
Brandon Mull
I have wanted a Fablehaven movie for many years now because it’s essentially the Fantastic Beasts franchise before it was cool. This series has my heart because of the mythical creatures (both classic and original) and fantastical booby traps as the characters search magical refuges for ancient relics.
Paige Bruckner is an aspiring poet trying to balance creativity with school and social life. Her special skills include not spilling tomato soup on her laptop and asking people to repeat what they just said because she didn’t quite hear it. She is on Tumblr as paigebruckner and WordPress at paigebruckner.wordpress.com.