Delving into the YA book world

I've been reading a lot of YA lately, mainly because I'm attempting to write one of my own so I need to see what's out there. It seems there are two main themes of YA these days: vampires and dystopian novels. But that's not to say they're bad.

Because I'm not into vampires (no, I did not like TWILIGHT, and if you want to get into why, I'll tell you but only if asked directly), I usually steer away from those. Although you really can't throw a cat without hitting a vampire book in a YA section, either at the library or at a bookstore.

I didn't think I liked dystopian novels, either. I've got issues with all those kids reading about the end of the world and depressing future worlds. But I found a series I find surprisingly good, with really great characters. It's Michael Grant's GONE series. I've read GONE and am halfway through HUNGER and have LIES on order. In this series, everyone over the age of 14 just poofs out. Is gone. No longer exists. And there's a strange barrier surrounding the town and animals begin to mutate and talk. It's a bit LORD OF THE FLIES, but the characters are well drawn and the story told well.

I've also started reading James Patterson's MAXIMUM RIDE series, because my daughter is doing a yearlong project in which she's reading the first four books and then will write a paper in June. This is another series I wasn't sure about. I mean, it's about kids with wings. Kids who were genetically engineered by mixing human and avian DNA. Sure, it's out there, but this is another compelling read. I love everyone in "the flock" and the story moves really fast, which is why my daughter likes it.

I know many people credit Harry Potter with getting kids to read again, but between that and Rick Riordan's great Percy Jackson series, and these other books, I'm surprised any kid would have a hard time finding a book to fit his or her taste.

Do you read any YA?