Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a YA fantasy writer, and I’ve been addicted to stories of adventure for as long as I can remember. My love of story filled me with a heart for other worlds and realms and a fondness of reading things that challenged my heart and mind here in the real world. Stories are what make us human, and we storytellers are tasked with challenging readers’ assumptions about how the world, life, love, and humanity works. My obsession with story-telling led me to write my YA fantasy series The Annals of Lusiartha


I wrote

Sedich: The Annals of Lusiartha

By R. Ann Humphries,

Book cover of Sedich: The Annals of Lusiartha

What is my book about?

Enslaved since the age of six, Rilan Crendu lives at the bottom of the Regiment hierarchy, working in the fields…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of A Wizard of Earthsea

R. Ann Humphries Why did I love this book?

Growing up, I always dreamed of what it would be like to sail from island to island, exploring the simple villages and quiet meadows of a natural, peaceful world. A Wizard of Earthsea drops the reader into such an idyllic world, but then takes us on a complex journey that explores the morality of great power and the challenges of growing up. A timeless take on the hero’s journey, A Wizard of Earthsea is sure to stay with the reader throughout their life, regardless of how old you are when you read it. 

By Ursula K. Le Guin,

Why should I read it?

20 authors picked A Wizard of Earthsea as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

The first book of Earthsea in a beautiful hardback edition. Complete the collection with The Tombs of Atuan, The Furthest Shore and Tehanu

With illustrations from Charles Vess

'[This] trilogy made me look at the world in a new way, imbued everything with a magic that was so much deeper than the magic I'd encountered before then. This was a magic of words, a magic of true speaking' Neil Gaiman

'Drink this magic up. Drown in it. Dream it' David Mitchell

Ged, the greatest sorcerer in all Earthsea, was called Sparrowhawk in his reckless youth.

Hungry for power and knowledge,…


Book cover of The Merchant of Death

R. Ann Humphries Why did I love this book?

As a kid, I loved all kinds of fiction—sci-fi, fantasy, realistic, historical—pretty much anything I could get my hands on! D.J. MacHale’s Pendragon series magically captures the best of every genre. In The Merchant of Death, Bobby Pendragon, a seemingly normal fourteen-year-old boy, finds himself pulled into an alternate dimension ruled by a magical tyrant. Bobby learns he is a Traveler, someone gifted with the ability to travel between alternate dimensions (called Territories) and his destiny is much bigger than he could ever have imagined. The Merchant of Death is a thrilling start to a captivating YA adventure!

By D.J. MacHale,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Merchant of Death as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 10, 11, 12, and 13.

What is this book about?

Bobby Pendragon is a seemingly normal teenager, swept into an amazing quest, and catapulted into the middle of an immense, interdimensional conflict. His success or failure will decide the course of human existence! The first book of this internationally best-selling series, each featuring a new and dangerous mission.


Book cover of The Invasion

R. Ann Humphries Why did I love this book?

The Animorphs series combines two things I was fascinated with as a child—aliens and animals! In The Invasion mind-controlling aliens called Yeerks invade Earth. A group of teens accidentally sees proof of this invasion and are given the power to turn into animals in order to fight the Yeerks! Most adventure series take you to different worlds, but I really enjoyed how The Invasion was set in the real world. While Jake, Cassie, Marco, Rachel, and Tobias struggle with a powerful alien force bend on world domination, they’re also dealing with the typical challenges and stresses of teenage life like exams, parents, and prom! The Invasion also offers fascinating viewpoints of what it might be like to live as the animals that surround us. 

By Katherine Applegate,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Invasion as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

The Earth is being invaded, but no-one knows about it. When Jake, Rachel, Tobias, Cassie and Marco stumble upon a downed alien spaceship and its dying pilot, they're given an incredible power they can transform into any animal they touch. With it, they become Animorphs, the unlikely champions in a secret war for the planet. And the enemies they're fighting could be anyone, even the people closest to them. So begins K.A. Applegate's epic series about five normal kids with a limitless amount of forms and abilities.


Book cover of Galax-Arena

R. Ann Humphries Why did I love this book?

As a big sci-fi fan, I often loved exploring the idea of what would happen if the human race ever met aliens. In Galax-Arena, three children are kidnapped and forced to perform death-defying circus stunts in order to entertain their captors. Not only does the story contain some riveting descriptions of acrobatic feats and tricks, the story explores fascinating concepts of slavery, trust, and what it means to be a child in comparison to an adult. 

By Gillian Rubinstein,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Galax-Arena as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

Before The Hunger Games—even before Battle Royale—there was the Galax-Arena, where children are pitted against each other for the benefit of a shadowy audience that feeds on their fear. A Children's Book Council of Australia Honour Book for Older Readers, Galax-Arena is a dark, uncompromising thriller and a cult classic.Joella, her brother Peter and her sister Liane, are kidnapped and transported to become entertainers for an alien species. Many of the performing children are desaparecidos—the disappeared—kidnapped from third world slums and chosen for their extraordinary gymnastic ability. For the children, there is only one escape from the Galax-Arena: out of…


Book cover of Unwind

R. Ann Humphries Why did I love this book?

Unlike the other books on this list, Unwind is set in a modern dystopia, a world where unwanted children and teens can be “unwound”—their organs harvested and given to others with their parents' permission. This book taught me that adventure isn’t just on salt-scented shores, alien planets, or alternate dimensions—sometimes our challenges are right here at home, with our own families and friends. 

By Neal Shusterman,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Unwind as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 13, 14, 15, and 16.

What is this book about?

In a society where unwanted teens are salvaged for their body parts, three runaways fight the system that would "unwind" them

Connor's parents want to be rid of him because he's a troublemaker. Risa has no parents and is being unwound to cut orphanage costs. Lev's unwinding has been planned since his birth, as part of his family's strict religion. Brought together by chance, and kept together by desperation, these three unlikely companions make a harrowing cross-country journey, knowing their lives hang in the balance. If they can survive until their eighteenth birthday, they can't be harmed -- but when…


Explore my book 😀

Sedich: The Annals of Lusiartha

By R. Ann Humphries,

Book cover of Sedich: The Annals of Lusiartha

What is my book about?

Enslaved since the age of six, Rilan Crendu lives at the bottom of the Regiment hierarchy, working in the fields of his small island home. Lusiartha is a world divided into those who have power and those who do not, where disobedience means swift retribution and personal choice does not exist. Rilan craves freedom, knowing that there is more to life than the labor forced upon his dark-skinned people. But unknown to Rilan, a secret society exists that struggles against the Regiment. This group, motivated by ancient prophecy, captures Rilan and takes him to their hideout. There, Rilan learns of the sedich, a centuries-old stone imbued with the power of the Creator, and takes its power into himself. 

Book cover of A Wizard of Earthsea
Book cover of The Merchant of Death
Book cover of The Invasion

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Marvelous Jackson

By Laura Anne Bird,

Book cover of Marvelous Jackson

Laura Anne Bird Author Of Crossing the Pressure Line

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Reader Nature lover Meditator Coffee drinker Wisconsinite

Laura's 3 favorite reads in 2024

What is my book about?

Since losing his mom, thirteen-year-old Jack Wilson has spent most of his time seeing just how much trouble he can get away with so that he feels like a winner at something. But he takes his mischief too far and is faced with the possibility of unbearable consequences. He knows it’s time to make a big change.

After rediscovering the love of baking he once shared with his mother, Jack is sure that his new sense of purpose will help him stay on the right path, so he throws himself into learning the finer points of sprinkles and scones—and…

Marvelous Jackson

By Laura Anne Bird,

What is this book about?

After losing his mom, a struggling thirteen-year-old boy in northern Wisconsin rediscovers the love of baking he once shared with her and decides to audition for the world-famous, big-hearted Marvelous Midwest Kids Baking Championship television show in Chicago. Jack is sure that his new sense of purpose will help him stay out of trouble, so he throws himself into learning the finer points of sprinkles and scones -- and hopefully even mending his broken relationship with his dad.


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