S o the “Harry Potter” and “Twilight” series are over. Sure, the movies are still coming out, but if you want to give a teen or preteen a book instead of another DVD, here are some recommendations for great holiday gifts.

“Fablehaven”: This series by Brandon Mull, author of “The Candy Shop War,” is about a girl named Kendra and her brother, Seth, who find out that their grandfather owns a magical preserve for mythical creatures. Kendra and Seth must defend the preserve from the Society of the Evening Star, a society of people and other mythical forces that is trying to procure five magical artifacts so that it can release a demon prison and put an end to the world as we know it. The series includes four books, but a fifth book is due to arrive in March. I highly recommend this series to Potter fans looking for a new series to get into.

“The 13th Reality”: This series by James Dashner is about Atticus “Tick” Higginbottom, a boy who receives mysterious letters from someone named M. G. In the letters, Tick must solve riddles to eventually stop Mistress Jane (an evil, bald woman who enjoys the color yellow), from taking over alternate versions of life. Along with his friends Sophia, Paul and Sato, Tick must help the mysterious sender stop Mistress Jane before it is too late. This book series has two books in it so far. I recommend this series to any preteen looking for a good book to read.

“The 39 Clues”: This series, introduced by Rick Riordan, is written by various authors, who tell an amazing story about two orphans, Amy and Dan Cahill, who find out at their grandmother’s funeral that they are part of the most influential family in world history. They soon start out on a hunt for 39 clues against other relatives, with the winners of the clue hunt becoming the richest, most powerful people in the world. Their quest takes them to various places in the world. There are six books in the series of 10 and the seventh book comes out in February. You can become a clue-hunter yourself and find clues online by collecting cards. There are money prizes for those who accomplish the extraordinary and find all 39 clues. I recommend this book series to anyone, kid or adult.

“The Looking Glass”: This series by Frank Beddor is about the “real” version of “Alice in Wonderland.” Her actual name is Princess Alyss Heart of Wonderland, and when her evil Aunt Redd murders her mother and father, Alyss must flee Wonderland with her faithful protector, Hatter Madigan, and into the regular world, later returning to reclaim her throne. There are three books in this series, all taking place in Wonderland. This book series is better for teens than preteens because of the level of writing.

“Alcatraz Versus”: This series by Brandon Sanderson is about Alcatraz Smedry, a young boy who finds out that he has a special talent for breaking things and that it is a hereditary power. He soon goes out on missions with his family to stop the evil cults of librarians. So far, there are three books in the series, but the author has said there would eventually be five books in the series. If the Librarians have not taken this series off the shelves yet, I recommend this book to anyone with a sense of humor and sarcasm.

“Percy Jackson and the Olympians”: This series by Rick Riordan is about Percy Jackson, a teenage boy with ADHD and dyslexia. He soon finds that he is a demigod –half-human, half- Greek god. With his friends Grover and Annabeth, Percy must save the world from the evil Titans, who plan to rule as they did before the gods took over. This book series includes five books, and I recommend every one of them. The first book, “The Lightning Thief,” is coming out as a movie on Presidents Day, and if any of your family members want to see it, I wholeheartedly recommend reading the book first. This series has everything you want in a book: Adventure, humor and wonderful characters. This series is magnificent.

“The Sisters Grimm”: This book series by Michael Buckley is about two girls, Sabrina and Daphne Grimm, who, after meeting their long-lost, somewhat eccentric grandmother, discover that fairy tales are true and that they are related to the Brothers Grimm, who were actually fairy tale detectives, solving crimes in their hometown of Fairyport Landing. This series includes seven books so far. An eighth book is due to arrive in May. This book is recommended for boys and girls, even though the main characters are girls.

I hope these recommendations are helpful for anyone looking for the perfect book to give as a gift or keep for themselves.

Emily DeRoo is a freshman at Williamsville North High School.