I really struggle with books that sound like a narration and much prefer them when I feel like they’re in the room telling me the story. I’ve found it much easier to find this in young adult fiction compared to adult novels.

Some examples of books that hooked me right away asa kid and I read in a month or less:

• Holes
• Hatchet
• The Call of the Wild
• My Side of the Mountain
• Percy Jackson and the Olympians
• Artemis Fowl