my favorite five would be
1. Looking for alaska by john green
2.A great and terrible beauty by libba bray the whole series
3. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
4. tHE HUNGER GAMES BY Suzanne Collins
5. HARRY POTTER SERIES- LOVE IT!!

These are my top five, but here are some good series/ books i also love!
House of night series, vampire academy series, books by sarah dessen, i loved the blue is for nighmares series, the mediator series by meg cabot- loved it to the bone!, i read and enjoyed the sisterhood of the traveling pants series, and i liked reading the mortal instruments series.

Eslow wrote: "1. Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer
2. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
3. The Pace by Shelena Shorts
4. Beautiful Creatures by Garcia and Stohl
5. Graceling,by Kristin Cashore"

graceling and hunger games are my two favorite books along with- looking for alaska by john green. its a great book. and im excited to read beautiful creatures

1) Harry Potter series
2) The Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan
3) Abhorsen (aka Old Kingdom) trilogy by Garth Nix
4) Modern Faerie Tale series by Holly Black
5) Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr


Honorable Mentions:

Last Apprentice series by Joseph Delaney
Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
Keys to the Kingdom by Garth Nix
The Last Vampires series by Christopher Pike (I read this back when I actually was a young adult and remember liking it a lot, but I'm not sure if I'd like it if I read it again now)

I'm so glad to see someone else that Loved Perfect Chemistry! Have you ever seen the Movie Keith? The main characters in the movie had the same kind of chemistry as in the book Perfect Chemistry. I loved it!

Here are my top 5 off the top of my head.

1. Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson
2. The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins
3. Harry Potter Series, J.K. Rowling
4. Graceling, Kristin Cashore
5. Unwind, Neal Shusterman

YA fiction is my absolute favorite genre of books so this list could be very long. But if I had to pick just 5 they would be:

1. The Twilight Saga: obviously this is a favorite among many. I could list reasons why but I think it's fairly easy to guess.

2. Perfect Chemistry: talk about a great rendition on a classic story. This West Side Story-esque love story is wonderful! I started reading it again the very next day after I finished it in one sitting. I recommend to any and all that love YA fiction.

3. The Immortals Series: a great play on sci-fi/fantasy while also being unique. With all the vampire fiction out now it's good to see a love tale that sets itself apart. You'll love the characters and want Damen forever.

4. The House of Night series: Another great play on vampire fiction. These books have a lot going on constantly--there isn't one that is boring in the series thus far of the 6 published books. If you love vampires and any kind of funny, romance you'll understand why I love these books.

5. And finally I'll have to group these into anything by Sarah Dessen. My favorites tie with The Truth About Forever, Just Listen, and Along For the Ride. But all of her books are amazing real life fiction. You can relate to any and all of the characters at some point and they're all very heartfelt.

I like how Kellyflower had "honorable mentions," so I think I will follow that idea with:

Uglies, Pretties, Specials, and Extras--wonderfully new and unique ideas!
The Georgia Nicholson series--hilarious books!
The Harry Potter Series--for me the books that started this whole obsession.
The Trilogy of Time by Marianne Curley--a less known series but I recommend it. Great 2 person PoV chapter telling and romance and action with time travel and protecting history. Wonderful.

1. A Certian Slant of Light - Laura Whitcomb
2. Going To Far- Jennifer Echiols
3. Perfect Chemistry- Simone Elkeles
4. If I Stay - Gayle Forman
5. Hunger Game/Catching fire - Suzanne Collins

honorable mention:
The wicked Lovely series
Hush,Hush
The Forest Of Hands and Teeth

1. Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer
2. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
3. The Pace by Shelena Shorts
4. Beautiful Creatures by Garcia and Stohl
5. Graceling,by Kristin Cashore

1.) The Luxe series by Anna Godbersen.

2.) The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling.

3.) Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson.

4.) Stardust by Neil Gaiman.

5.) Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Excluding Harry Potter and YA classics, here is my top five. My selection is (extremely) limited, as I haven't read a wide range of YA. (List will most likely change in the future).

o1. Kelley Armstrong's Darkest Powers trilogy. This includes The Summoning and The Awakening. The trilogy isn't complete yet, but I love the first two. Kelley Armstrong is one of my favorite authors, so this might be biased, but she can really write well. The quality in her writing wasn't hampered from switching to YA from adult fantasy.

o2. Garth Nix's Abhorsen series. This includes Sabriel, Lirael, and Abhorsen. I actually haven't read them in a while, but I remember that it was a great coming-of-age series. Everyone should read Garth Nix.

o3.
o4.
o5.

So you're here because you're an adult who likes YA fiction. But what I want to know is, what do you consider to be the best YA you've read? Thus, the top five topic. List your top five YA fiction books, with reasons if you like. I'll start:

The top five:

1.) Heart Of Valor by L.J. Smith

Honestly, anything by L. J. Smith is a sure bet. I haven't read anything by her that I didn't like, although obviously I liked some stories better than others. But I chose Heart of Valor for a simple yet complicated reason: It was my first L. J. Smith book. I found the book, get this, at a Goodwill when I was much younger...I bought it for change, literally. Like 50 cents. I read the book and absolutely fell in love with it - the story, the characters, even her writing style. I've read it many times since and I still have that same copy, lovingly used but carefully preserved, that I bought all those years ago. That is love.

2.) Harry Potter Boxset Books 1-7 by J.K. Rowling

I don't care if you like it or don't or what anyone wants to say about it...but J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series is pure genius. I pity those who refuse to even give it a chance because they truly are missing out on some great reading. Rowling's imagination - and, moreso, her ability to bring that imagination to paper - is incredible. The stories are fantastical and epic and the characters are not only developed well, but have been endowed with characteristics that make them stick with you long after the story is over. I also love how Rowling manages to blur the line between black and white, creating characters, main characters, that are neither all good or all bad.

3.) The Horrendous Heap by Lemony Snicket

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events is capable of fooling you with its cartoon covers and seemingly simple summaries...but open these books and you're in for a true reading experience. The story of the Baudelaire children is surprisingly tragic, despite the comedic relief several of the characters provide. It's intense, and each book leaves you wanting more just as a series is supposed to. The story never drags or gets boring and Snicket's writing style is very enjoyable.

4.) Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr

To this day, I'm not sure why...but this book blew me away. It's Melissa Marr's 2nd endeavor, after Wicked Lovely (which is also worth a read...I love the relationship between Aislinn and Seth) and I honestly wasn't expecting to like it as much as I do. It's incredibly raw...moving on so many levels, and frustrating (in a good way) because it doesn't tie up all the loose ends. I sincerely hope that Marr will continue the story in the future. Whiiiiiiich, it kind of looks like she will since a continuation of Wicked Lovely is due out April of 2009. :]

5.) The Dark Angel Trilogy by Meredith Ann Pierce

This set of books is another from my childhood. I believe I read these books in junior high school. Recently, I saw them sitting on the shelves at a local bookstore and they struck me as so familiar. So I bought all three and re-read them - and I was not disappointed. The story is just as fantastical, but a lot less fluffy than most YA fantasy being released in this day and age. I thoroughly enjoyed reading these books and the anticipation that built as I approached the ending. Interestingly enough, Pierce does not give the ending that seems deserved but, unlike Stephenie Meyer *ahem* - she manages to make it fit all the same.

Honorable mentions:

The Twilight Collection by Stephenie Meyer

I must be honest. I think Stephenie Meyer has great potential...but I don't think she fully reached that potential in this series. Her writing style was faulty and even painfully annoying at times. All the same, the series is a good one, and worth reading. Her take on vampires and "werewolves" is quite different from the norm and the story presents a refreshing view of the relationship between humans and the supernatural.

Disclaimer: This list is liable to change at any time. :]