Top Ten Most Unique Books I've Read

This is my first time participating in Top Ten Tuesday, and I'm excited. My list is more like Top Seven Tuesday, though.

1) The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud

This is probably one of the best series I've ever read. I read it in seventh grade and I'm still in love. The story is told through Bartimaeus' perspective, a salty 5000-year-old Djinni, and Nathaniel , a twelve-year-old magician-in-training who summons Bartimaeus after being publicly humiliated by another magician.

Besides the sass, the best part of this book is the characters. Nathaniel and Bartimaeus are unconventional heroes who aren't the most likable, but they're real.

2) Artemis Fowl Series by Eoin Colfer


Despite what others think, I think this is a really good children's book. The idea of a twelve-year-old crime genius is awesome, and children really become the focus of the story, along with fairies. This book is really for the younger crowd, as a lot of adults reading the book didn't understand the "immature" humor.

3) Tunnels Series by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams
4) A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
Setting aside the fact that the movie was an atrocity (yet, weirdly charming) this is one of the strangest book series I've ever read. I love the sassiness of  the narrator and the ludicrous plot lines that kind of poke fun at itself.

5) The Children of the Red King Series (Charlie Bone) by Jenny Nimmo

This is another fantasy series I enjoyed as a middle schooler, although it leans more towards children than early teens. A lot of people read the synopsis and immediately write it off as a Harry Potter copy-cat, but I'm here to tell you that there aren't that many similarities between the two. It's about young boy who discovers he has magical powers and ends up going to a magic school. Before you cry, "Plagiarism!" these concepts are not unique to Harry Potter. 

6) His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

Master worldbuilding and storytelling. I don't think I've ever seen anything like it, or at least, nothing as well written.

7) Holes by Louis Sachar

I saw the movie first, but this book is something else. No matter how many times I read it, I discover something I missed the last time. I don't even understand how the author came up with this, but I'm grateful for the awesome read. 

Huh, now that I look at my list, I realize that all the unique books I've ever read have been middle-grade, even though I mostly read YA now. There's just something about middle-grade that YA does not possess, or that I haven't found.