Among the best fantasy books for adventure-loving young teens is The Queen's Thief series. Sitting in the King's prison is a young thief named Gen who claims he can steal anything. So the king and his Magus put him to the test, needing him to steal a treasure that will let the King control other lands. But Gen has an agenda of his own, and it's anyone's guess which side he is on.

My husband's family decided to start a book club that included the nieces and nephews so I ended up rereading Megan Whalen Turner's The Thief. I read the first five books years ago and remember liking them. However, on a reread of The Thief, I realized how much I don't like the first book. The Thief spends most of its story as a travelogue interspersed with long folk stories about the world's mythology. The action is haphazard at best and the characters aren't developed well. Although the first book isn't a favorite, I still would recommend the series for it settles into a fun political fantasy in the next few books.