Critically acclaimed book!

I need a book with an 'established critical reputation' to complete my reading log... know of any?
I'm looking for one that has some adventure in it, something that I (Action... Twilight, Power of 5, Uglies, Cherub fan) would enjoy reading, and wouldn't want to tear my hair out for it...
Any suggestions... Help please!

Just 'cause it's critically acclaimed doesn't make it good...

Surely you must've heard of this:
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I love that book

Haruno Sakura wrote:Just 'cause it's critically acclaimed doesn't make it good...

Yes... exactly! I want a good critically acclaimed book to read... not one that sucks but I have to force myself through it!

Well these are not critically acclaimed really, to my knowledge, but good

the Pendragon series, by DJ MacHale, is like the power of five.

And, Alex Rider, by Anthony Horowitz, (the same author as the power of five) is pretty good to.

Yeah, I've read Anthony Horowitz. Him and Scott Westerfeld are great authors.

I've reserved the hunger games from my local library, and it seems good. What actually defines 'established critical reputation' anyways? I suppose it just means that there are lots of reviews saying it's won heaps of rewards...

All I can really think of is something written by Neil Gaiman. His books cross pop culture (what you're after) with high culture (what your teachers are after).

You could try Neverwhere, American Gods, or Stardust.

I second Sureal's suggestion. I had a similar assignment in 9th grade, where we had to pick a recent book that had won an award for literary quality and analyze it to say if it could be a future classic or not. I was all geared up to pick American Gods, but then I realized that Neil Gaiman was British, and this was American Lit class, so the author had to be American.

I eventually picked Darwin's Radio by Greg Bear, a sci-fi novel about a mysterious virus that turns out to be the next stage of evolution. It was a great book and I just read the sequel, which was almost as good. FYI, there is some sex in it but it's not much. I could handle it at 14, but everyone's different.

My suggestion: Look up some awards and pick one that matches your interests (eg I looked at the Hugo Award for sci-fi/fantasy). Then look through the recent winners and pick one that sounds cool.

Everyone enjoys Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. It's a great book, and it's critically acclaimed as well with both a Hugo and a Nebula to its name.

Yeah, Ender's Game is chuck-full of action and crazy little psychotic kid behavior. But it's good.

~Sunny

Battle Royale?