Ever by Gail Carson Levine

Two characters - Olus and Kezi tell this story. Each chapter is a different character talking. Both are in first person. Until you figure this out, it is very difficult to understand the story. Olus is the Akkan god of the wind. He comes to earth as a mortal and meets Kezi, who worships Admat. Kezi's father has taken an oath that if Admat will heal Kezi's mother, mati, he will sacrifice whoever first congratulates him on her recovery. Aunt Fedo comes to visit and starts to congratulate Senat on his wife's recovery. To save Aunt Fedo, Kezi congratulates her father, so she is the one to be sacrificed. Her father begs for one month's mercy. Olus falls in love with Kezi and takes her to Akka. If she can become immortal, a goddess, she will never die. Both Olus and Kezi must stand trials. Olus must rescue a friend from a well without his powers. Kezi must go to Wadir, the underworld, and take a feather from a warki to return to earth. Both are able to succeed in their trials. Kezi becomes the goddess of awareness and uncertainty. She returns to Hyte, her home village, where she is sacrificed. Because of her immortality, she doesn't die. The people of Hyte consider her disappearance a miracle and promise never to sacrifice anyone again. Olus takes her to Akka where they are married. They have three daughters and three sons. Three became gods and goddesses and three remained mortal. The moral: "Fate may be thwarted. We strive for happy outcomes." This book was very difficult to read. The change in characters with both speaking in first person, the strange names and places, the concepts of various gods. I think middle school students will have trouble reading this book.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

In the Seven Kingdoms, when a person is born with eyes of two different colors, they possess a Grace. Sometimes the Grace is powerful and sometimes not. Katsa is born with one of the most powerful of all - the grace for killing. She is used by her uncle Randa, King of the Middluns to revenge his enemies. Katsa hates killing, but feels that she has no choice. She has created a council of good to offset her evil deeds. On one of her chosen quests, she rescues the kidnapped father of the King of Lienid. During the quest, she meets Prince Greening (Po), his grandson. He also has a Grace, the grace for fighting. Although they start as enemies,they soon become friends, and eventually lovers. He convinces Katsa that she does not have to follow King Randa's commands. They set off together to find out why Po's grandfather was kidnapped and discover more evil than they can handle in Monsea with King Leck who is graced with the power to alter people's thoughts. He is a very evil man who kills and maims and then convinces others that he is kind and generous. Po and Katsa rescue Bitterblue, King Leck's daughter before he is able to harm her, then they set out to kill King Leck. Although Po is almost killed, Katsa is able to escape and eventually kill Bitterblue's father. Bitterblue becomes Queen of Monsea. Katsa returns to find Po is blind, but has learned to compensate for his blindness by sensing things around him. They marry and everyone lives happily ever after. This book has a slow start, but lots of adventure and action. Very strong female characters. Survival story. First novel by this author.

The Naming by Alison Croggon

Maerad, a slave in Gilman's Cot is found by Cadvan, a Bard and rescued. They escape and Cadvan discovers that Maerad is the daughter of Pellinor, a school of Bardom that was ransacked and burned. Cadvan believes that Maerad is the Foretold who is come to save the kingdoms. He must take her to Norloch to be trained in her magical powers. On their travels they meet terrible monsters from the Dark and are almost killed. Along the way, they find Hem, who turns out to be Maerad's brother. Although the First Circle of Bards won't accept her, Norloch makes her a Bard and Cadvan and Maerad escape just in time before the city is burned.
This is the first book in the series of The Books of Pellinor. Although it is long, it is a good story. Sometimes too much description, but it leaves you wanting to read the next book.
The books in the series are: The Naming, The Riddle, The Crow, The Singing.

Warriors series by Erin Hunter

This series is an animal fantasy with cats. There are four clans:

Thunderclan is the clan of heroes. They are impressive hunters. They live by the lake. They quarrel with the River Clan and are afraid of the Shadowclan.

Shadowclan are evil. They are proud, fight well. They are night hunters and they live in the marsh.

Windclan lives on the moor. They are suspicious and quickly startled. They are fiercely protective. They are a peaceful clan.

Riverclan loves the water. They take prey from the lakes and rivers. Other clans fear and respect them.

Skyclan are the lost warriors, those who have already died.

Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson discovers he is the son of Poseidon, the god of the sea. Zeus's master lightning bolt has been stolen along with Hades helm of darkness. Percy and his friends Annabeth and Grover must find the lightning bolt and the helm and return them to their owners to prevent the gods from starting World War III.

Darkwing by Kenneth Oppel

Dusk is the first of his kind - a chiropter that can fly - a bat.  The rest of his colony must climb and glide, but Dusk has wings and can fly like a bird.  He is thought of as an outcast and would not be accepted at all if not for his father, the leader of the colony.  Carnassial is another chiropter who has changed.  He has become carniverous and becomes a predator to the other chiropters.  In this novel showing the evolution of mammals during the extinction of the dinosaurs, the animals find that although they are no longer alike, their various powers give them different leadership abilities.  Dusk becomes a leader because of his ability to fly, see in the dark, and use echolocation.  He leads his colony to safety from the carnivores and finds them a new safe home.

Uglies by Scott Westerfield

Tally Youngblood lives in a futuristic society where everyone is born Ugly and is made Pretty at 16 years old.  She meets a friend, Shay, who wants to escape to another area, called The Smoke, where people are free and remain ugly forever.  Tally doesn't go with her friend, but when Special Circumstances capture her, she is forced to go to The Smoke to find her friend.  Once she gets there, she wants to stay, but when she destroys her necklace, it notifies Special Circumstances and they attack the camp.  Tally and her friend David escape and rescue Shay and David's mother, but Tally decides to become pretty in order to try out the brain medicine that David's mother has created to change the lesions that are made in the Pretties brains when they are changed.  This is part of a trilogy and Westerfield definitely leaves you wanting more.