What can we say about this worldwide phenomenon that stole the hearts of tweens and adults alike? Almost everyone knows about Harry Potter and the Wizarding world of Hogwarts. Harry Potter was the tween series fandom that started it all, and will forever hold a special place in our hearts. Harry Potter became so massive that it created a Platform 9¾ sign in the London King’s Cross railway station, landed words such as Muggle in the English dictionary, and has it’s own Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction at Universal. Not to mention that author J.K Rowling is literally rolling in the cash. There may have been times when we wanted to say “Screw this I’m going to Hogwarts and not coming back!” There have been many tween fandom series to come after Harry Potter, but this will forever by number one.

In case you live under a rock, TwiHard fans just about died with the film release of this tween series fandom book turned movie. Taking place in the gloomy city of Forks, Twilight follows Bella Swan as she falls in love with a vampire, is best friends with a werewolf, and is constantly trying to be killed and/or eaten. So what’s the selling feature for tweens worldwide? Love triangles of course. Bella is trapped in a supernatural love triangle between vampire hottie Edward Cullen and werewolf bestie Jacob Black. This lasts throughout 3 books and manages to get stretched out through 4 films. Are you team Jacob or team Edward? This question sent tweens wild, as they took their stance on the matter very seriously. In order to support their favourite characters, t-shirts were created to show off which “team” you were on. Let’s just say if you aren’t team Jacob, then you can’t sit with us.

The Hunger Games is a pretty dark book series that follows Katniss Everdeen, otherwise known as the Girl on Fire. Her life pretty much sucks as every year she has to watch 2 kids from every district be selected to fight to the death in the hunger games, and unfortunately Katniss has to do it… twice. Tweens worldwide went insane for these books turned movies, which boosted Jennifer Lawrence’s career, carving the way for Oscar wins and nominations. Katniss Everdeen is a character we can get behind, she’s a survivor who famously volunteered herself as tribute to save her younger sister Prim from having to fight in the Hunger Games. That alone makes her one of the best tween heroes. Caught between love, duty, and war, Katniss stands as a symbol for freedom and rebellion (also know as the Mockingjay) but she’s often conflicted on whether or not she’s doing the right thing.

Speaking of strong female characters, meet Tris Prior from the Divergent series. A girl that refuses to fit into any category, she’s her own person and ain’t afraid to show it. Thanks to this tween series fandom we were #blessed with a film version that introduced the world to Theo James, and for that we will forever be grateful…like forever. The Divergent series separates the world into different factions: Abnegation (the selfless), Erudite (the intelligent), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Candor (the honest). Those that don’t fit in one faction are called Divergent, they get hunted down and killed because they’re considered a threat to their “peaceful society”. Our heroine Tris (played by Shailene Woodley) and her crew spent 3 books trying to take down ‘the system’; it’s all about individuality guys. There’s a lot of death and a lot of tears. You were warned.

This is a tween series that has developed it’s own little following. Once news came out that a film adaptation of the book was to be released fans were overjoyed and the internet exploded with fan picks of who should be cast in each role. The Mortal Instruments follows the story of a young girl Clary Fray who discovers that she’s tied to a secret world of Shadow Hunters sworn to fight against demons, vampires, and fairies. She gets thrown into a whirlwind of action and adventure that has tweens everywhere hooked. Of course, like any good tween series, there’s a hint of romance between the main characters. A constant “will they won’t they” story line that keeps you hooked through all 6 novels. The success from The Mortal Instruments lead to a prequel series called The Infernal Devices and a spinoff novel that is currently in the works.

In a surprising turn of events, this series is mainly an all male cast, as we follow the confused mind of Thomas, a boy with his memories wiped and placed in a social experiment called ‘The Maze’. Thomas is joined with other boys apart of the experiment who live out in the wild and try to solve the challenges that the Maze presents. With his fellow gladers, Thomas must discover what’s real and what’s not, all the while trying to save humankind. You know, just a typical day in a tween series. Each book has a new set of trials for the gladers to overcome, but with Thomas leading the way, there seems to be more than meets the eye. Not only has this novel gripped the mind of tweens everywhere but the film stars tween fave Dylan O’Brien from Teen Wolf (another tween fandom that we won’t get into).  

Greek mythology always makes for a good read, and any fan of this book series would tend to agree with you. The Percy Jackson & the Olympians series explores a world where demigods all live together and train in secret. Percy Jackson is the son of Poseidon, and is tasked with either saving the world or destroying it. He soon discovers that he may be a part of ‘The Great Prophecy’, which states that a child from one of the Big Three gods (Zeus, Poseidon, or Hades) will either save them all or destroy everything. On his journey he battles mythical creatures like Medusa and Kronos while trying to understand the extant of his abilities. In the film adaptation he’s portrayed by Logan Lerman, which of course makes tween girls everywhere swoon, especially since he’s role in the Perks of Being a Wallflower alongside Emma Watson.

There’s something about vampires that have tweens everywhere fascinated, and thanks to the success of Twilight, The Vampire Academy series is one of the latest tween series fandoms to be turned into a film. The series offers a unique perspective on vampire’s, separating them into 3 different types: Dhampir (half vampire, half human), Moroi (royal vampire’s with magical powers that require blood to survive), and Strigori (the undead evil vampires). Rose Hathaway has sworn to protect her best friend and heiress Vasilisa, Moroi royalty. Of course nothing really turns out the way they hope. Friends die, her sexy school crush turns evil, and people get assassinated, you know, the usual. The Vampire Academy was so popular that it had a successful spinoff series called Bloodlines.