50/50 Friday is a meme hosted by Carrie @The Butterfly Reads and I and focuses on the opposite sides of books (best/worst, differing opinions, etc). Every week will have a new topic and several advance topics will be listed in the tab labeled 50/50 Friday!
Today's Topic: First/Last _____ Book Read (specific genre, etc)
I'll be doing YA books!
First:
Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1
Blurb:
"Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse—Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy's mom finds out, she knows it's time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he'll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friends—one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena—Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods."
Yes, that's right, I was a PJO child and not an HP child! Truthfully though, my first YA book was either this or The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins but I can't, for the life of me, remember which one I read first. Of course, you could also say that The Giver is a YA book in which case that would have been my first YA book. Regardless, the PJO series marked the beginning of my reading career (and the beginning of an era) which is why I'm having such a hard time finishing The Blood of Olympus (the final installment of the Heroes of Olympus series which is a direct spin-off from this series). I don't want it to come to an end! Of course, I want to read the other series' that Riordan has started that are also set in the universe so I'm going to have to finish it eventually...
Last:
Standalone to date
Blurb:
"Bestselling author Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot.
Heartbreaking, funny, and beautifully written, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which is based on the author's own experiences, coupled with poignant drawings by Ellen Forney that reflect the character's art, chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy as he attempts to break away from the life he was destined to live.
With a forward by Markus Zusak, interviews with Sherman Alexie and Ellen Forney, and four-color interior art throughout, this edition is perfect for fans and collectors alike."
Heartbreaking, funny, and beautifully written, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which is based on the author's own experiences, coupled with poignant drawings by Ellen Forney that reflect the character's art, chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy as he attempts to break away from the life he was destined to live.
With a forward by Markus Zusak, interviews with Sherman Alexie and Ellen Forney, and four-color interior art throughout, this edition is perfect for fans and collectors alike."
I'm taking a diversity in YA literature class this semester in uni and this is one of the more recent books that we read (the most recent is technically Adult because of content). The class has been taking up most of my reading time so a lot of what I read is going to be funneled into assignments for that class (which will hopefully mean that I'll incorporate a little more diversity into my reading repertoire!). Regardless, I loved this book! I haven't read many (if any) books about/centered around Native Americans so it was really interesting but also really heart-warming too. I'll be publishing a review ASAP in a roundup with some of the other books I've been reading for the class.
Have you read either of these? What are the first and last books you read in a specific genre (or other related topic)? Make a post and link up down below!
Next Week's Topic: Best/Worst Book Read in February
The Lightning Thief was my first YA as well! I guess the first book is middle grade, but I feel like by The Titan's Curse the series becomes young adult! I was a PJO child as well, and have only read the first book in the Harry Potter series!
ReplyDeleteThat was exactly my dilemma! There's such a shifty line (if you can even call it that) between MG and YA so it was hard to determine exactly when I switched over but I agree, PJO becomes distinctly YA when Titan's Curse rolls around. Oh my goodness GENNI!! How have you only read the first book?? Please tell me you at least watched the movies! Haha don't worry, I'm only slightly kidding (just slightly, but seriously HP is so wonderful and completely deserves the hype) :) Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteI’ve only read the first Percy Jackson. I’m afraid it felt a bit young for me. I plan on finishing the series one day.
ReplyDeleteI felt the same way when I reread a Boxcar Children book... I loved those books when I was a kid, but I'm not sure how I'll feel about reading the rest of the series as an adult. It's kind of sad when you think about it! Thanks for stopping by, Jenny!
DeleteI had to read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie for college too - it definitely should be required reading. :)
ReplyDeleteFor sure! I can't believe I hadn't even heard of it until the class! Thanks for stopping by, Lauren!
DeleteI think Percy Jackson might have been my first YA... I don't know - I read HP, Twilight, AND Percy Jackson in the same year or two. (I think Hunger Games was not long after...). I think there are other books by Riordan that aren't directly related but might have the characters? I'm not sure. Isn't Magnus Chase related to Annabeth in some way?
ReplyDeleteI had the same sort of confusion but I spent a while thinking about it and I'm relatively sure that the PJO books were my first YA. Yes there are! There's the new series Trials of Apollo that is ongoing right now with most of the same characters, but with different MC's. I'm not sure about Magnus Chase, actually. My mind refuses to leave Magnus from TMI alone and I can't think of any other Magnus's but I may be wrong. Thanks for stopping by, Sophia!
DeleteI think technically Twilight was my first YA but the first YA I enjoyed was Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. But from your post I'd say if PJO and HP are YA then they were my first :) Great post Laura <3
ReplyDeleteI think PJO and HP both started out with the first two books as children's but were solidly YA by the third book so I'd classify the whole series as YA :) Ooh yes Vampire Academy was one of my firsts too! Thanks for stopping by, Uma!
DeleteI feel like every YA bookworm was a Percy Jackson kid!! I will always be obsessed with the series and will read any adaption Riordan makes. The Hunger Games was also one of the first YA’s I read though too.
ReplyDeleteHaha and here I thought I was in the minority! I didn't read HP until about 2 years ago and I always got grief from a bunch of people but I'm finding out that there are a lot of PJO kids in my/our generation! Maybe it was just the early millennials that were solid HP kids :)
DeleteI love Riordan's books too. I'm thinking I'll tackle one of his other series' because I don't have the heart to finish Blood of Olympus... Thanks for stopping by, Emily!
You are so rare, not a HP child?! My mind is blown!
ReplyDeleteHaha so I've heard! I'm thinking it's a generational thing... a lot of the early millennials are HP kids but I'm a late (very late) millennial and a lot of the people I went to school with were PJO kids. It'd actually be kind of interesting to do a survey and see! Thanks for stopping by, Carrie!
DeleteOh, I remember reading the Percy Jackson series for the first time. I absolutey loved it! I should reread them at some point :3 My first YA was Twilight.
ReplyDeleteMe too! They were my first real introduction to 'professionally' reading books! Haha oh Twilight... I remember I didn't read that for a while because I wanted to be able to read it without my parents knowing (oh the rebellion). Thanks for stopping by, Olivia!
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