As someone who started out as a reader, not a writer, there are so many incredible books and series, in addition to my own, that I would highly recommend. So here are my top 5 I would recommend for anyone looking for a good young adult fiction novel or series that glorifies God.
1. Dragons in our Midst series by Bryan Davis
Bryan Davis excels is at creating engaging characters combined with great action that everyone can appreciate. Davis combines the legends of king Arthur, dragons, and the book of Enoch to create a unique and engaging series. The best part about this series, in my opinion, is that while it originally has only four books in it, Bryan Davis also wrote a prequel/sequel series, The Oracles of Fire. The fourth book, or eighth book depending on how you're counting, is the perfect finale. It satisfyingly wraps up every plot line and character arch. He also wrote Children of the Bard, a second sequel series set years later. In all there are 12 books in this franchise.
2. The Lost books by Ted Dekker
The incredible Ted Dekker's first foray in the young adult genre. This series is in the Books of History Chronicles, set in the same world as several of Ted Dekker's other books including The Circle series, The Paradise trilogy, The Outlaw series, and Beyond the Circle. There is no necessity in reading all of those to enjoy or appreciate the Lost Books, the rest of the world these books take place in only elevate the mythology. As with all of Ted Dekker's work, the engaging complexities of the characters, combined with the crazy plots, make for an excellent read as you fall in love, and love to hate, the four main characters. For those who don't have much reading time, this is a fast and light read. My recommendation, read the first four books, they end on a good finale. The last two were written later and should have stayed lost, were less engaging, and were unnecessarily dark which is the only reason this doesn't rank as number 1.
3. The Hunter Brown series by the Miller Brothers
This present darkness but for young adults (and better). The Hunter Brown series somehow manages to be both lighter and darker than other books on this list, aside from the last two books in the lost books series. This series is exciting and fun while still maintaining a surprising amount of depth.
4. Dragons of Starlight/Tales of Starlight by Bryan Davis
Diving back into the world of Bryan Davis fantasy novels, we have the dragons of starlight and tales of starlight series. This one is unique because both series interconnect and happen around the same time, but the dragons of starlight was written for young adults while tales of starlight are written for a slightly older audience. Both are easily accessible to read, I went back and forth between the two based on the timeline, however either series can be read by itself. This is a great series for someone who loves dragon related fantasy books.
5. Theodore Boone series by John Grisham
Do you or anyone you know say they want to be a lawyer when they grow up? then this series is for you. Unlike the rest of the books on this list, this series is not fantasy. John Grisham is a famous author known for his realistic fiction. His most famous books center around legal battles but accessible to the public, he takes it a step further with the Theodore Boone-Kid Lawyer series and offers a fun access into the world of law. While the Christian themes are less obvious in this series, John Grisham's faith seeps into everything he does.
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