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My boys and I love a good book series. We didn’t start our reading journey searching for a series. Early on, they became a welcomed surprise at the end of listening to or reading a book we didn’t want to end. “There’s more!” “Another book!” The binge-reading/listening began. A neighbor mom reminded me of this family-favorite past time when sharing her search for more titles to feed her 9 year old reader’s voracious appetite for book series’. I thought, “How many other moms could use a binge-worthy book series list to introduce to their own readers, especially during the “stay at home” order?

I was inspired to commission my two sons to take a trip down binge-reading lane. They put together a list of the book series’ they binged over the years. To aid in their remembrance of the audio books, we visited our library app’s history. We use Hoopla and Libby. The others were borrowed directly from the library and required a recall of storylines and events that correlated with the reading. At 9 and 11, much like the “good problem” the mom I mentioned above has, my boys’ appetite for reading and listening to books has grown, due in part to the power of the book series. A book series is not only an effective way to extend one’s time within the wonderful world of the writer and characters, it also encourages an appreciation for storytelling, literature and independent reading.

I asked my sons to rate their 5 favorite book series and share a short blurb on why. Chai changed it to Top 7. Cool. Some of their faves made it to both lists. May that be an endorsement to the appeal of those books for their age group. Perhaps there are titles here that will whet your reluctant or voracious reader’s appetite as well.

Top 7 Book Series List

CHAI, 9

Chai loves action adventure themes and have read or listened to the following from Age 7 Yrs -9 Yrs. His thoughts are in italics under each title.

1. Wings of Fire, by Tui T. Sutherland

I like the adventure. The dragons are trying to stop a war. 

There are a whopping 13 books in this series plus spin offs and graphic novels to boot. My boys were obsessed.

2. Green Ember, S.D. Smith

It’s a story about mice. It takes place during the Medieval times and does not have an obvious storyline. It’s also action and adventure. 

I heard so much about this one, so I introduced it to him because he gravitates toward animal heroes. There are 3- 4 books in this series.

3. Diary of an 8 Bit Warrior, by author, gamer and Minecraft super-fan Cube Kid

The Minecraft characters come to life. A Villager wants to be a Warrior. This book series is funny. 

Brilliant idea for the person who put this series together. I wish I would have thought of it. Chai found this one on his own and I am sure was attracted to it because well… Minecraft. Very few 7-12 year olds are not fans of Minecraft. There’s a 6 book box set if considering it as a gift.

4. Masterminds, Gordan Korman

The subject is science related- cloning and DNA!

I had never heard of this one and had to look it up. Apparently there’s a message about not judging a book by it’s cover.

5. Hardy Boys, several ghost writers under the pseudonym Franklin W. Dixon.

I like the way they explain how they solved the mysteries. 

I introduced these classics to the older son to encourage him to read on his own. Chai joined in on the audio versions. Hardy has a mammoth collection with 3 different series including Hardy Boys Adventures and Mysteries.

6. 39 Clues, by Rick Riordan

I like the way it mixes history with fiction.  

I must say I like the way it mixes history with fiction too. Great way to dive into Quicksand Learning. Check out my post to learn more about how “Quicksand Learning” works.

7. The Cricket in Times Square, by George Selden

There’s a cool friendship between a cricket and a cat. 

This is one of my favorites and glad it made his list. I enjoyed reading this one to my boys and learning there was another book, “Tucker’s Countryside”, brought us all delight that our lazy summer day readings would continue. We stopped at the the first two, however, I learned there are 7 books in this series.

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Top 5 Book Series List

ASHAR, 11

Ashar loves suspense with humor and action thrown in. His thoughts are in italics under each title. 

1. Hardy Boys, by several ghostwriters under the collective pseudonym Franklin W. Dixon

I like that it’s full of mystery, action and adventure.

I introduced these books to Ashar at 9 years old as a way to encourage independent reading after observing his interest in mystery and action and seeing zero options with black boys as the main characters. It was a hit. As an African American mom , the book covers bothered me. Quite honestly, I wanted to shield my son from them so that he could visualize himself. I struggled with this series but erred on the side of his interest in mystery. I later learned the books debuted in 1927 and had to be revised to eliminate the racial stereotypes, according to Wikipedia. I wasn’t far off with my trepidations. On the other side of this, my son says he knew it wasn’t people of color in the storylines but wasn’t fazed by it. The story kept his interest.

2. Wings of Fire, by Tui T. Sutherland

I like how the dragons have their own unique powers. 

I found Wings of Fire in my Costco magazine. Upon reading the summary, I knew my boys would be intrigued at the least. They became obsessed.

2. 39 Clues, by Rick Riordan

The main characters travel to different places around the world where they find clues. I like the suspense too.

Everywhere you turn in the library was 39 Clues. Eventually, we gave in and started the audio on car trips. They began to listen at home on their own time. Tied #2.

3. Diary of a Wimpy Kid, by Jeff Kinney

I like the way the main character complains about things in his life. It’s funny and interesting. 

Later, he discovered the movie series and binged those too.

4. Paws vs Claws, by Spencer Quinn

There’s situational irony between the dog and cat characters. 

Another filler for a car ride turned into a Winner.

5. Masterminds, by Gordan Korman

I like the science in this book series. 

They found this on their own. It is the fruit of my early introductions to reading that has them searching for the next good book.

5. Secrets of Bearhaven, by K. E. Rocha

I like that it’s all about bears. 

This was a fun, shared listen. Had no idea Ashar liked it enough to tie as his #5.

MORE binge-worthy book series’ that did not make their top 7 but are good reads nevertheless. The ones with asterisks are Mom’s Picks.

*City of Ember, by Jeanne DuPrau

*Bravelands, by a team of authors under the pseudonym Erin Hunter

Warriors, by a team of authors under the pseudonym Erin Hunter

I Survived…, by Lauren Tarshis

*Poppy, by Avi

Frog and Toad, Arnold Lobel

Zapato Power, by Jacqueline Jules

Spy School, by Stuart Gibbs

Are there any other titles you’d like to add? We will never tire of a good book series to binge.

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