Everworld Series: K.A. Applegate

The premise of the story is not so much unique: 5 teens get trapped in an alternate dimension, full of magic and must struggle to get home. But the stories are. Everworld is a world of high magic, created when the ancient Gods of this world (think ancient Greece, Egypt, and the Norse Gods) decided to pool their powers and create Everworld. Each set of Gods has his own turf, often connected in ways that they could not be in the real world. The characters are intriguing and interesting, and each book is told from one of their points of view. David, the reluctant leader, April the wannabe actress, Jalil the scientist and Christopher the sometimes not-so-funny class clown. The outsider is Senna, who is April's half-sister and the reason they are all trapped in Everworld. She is a witch, one whose powers are growing, and presumably the way home (she is pulled into Everworld by the Norse God Loki who intends to use her to open up portals between our world and theirs...one of her unique powers). Senna senses this and uses her magic to insure that David, April, Jalil and Christopher are pulled along with her. There are 12 books in the series (I've read through 10) and most of them aren't in print any longer (though B & N just released a new version that has books 1 & 2 together). They are easily found used though. I'd definitely recommend them for reading, though they are intended for teens (there are some racial slurs and swearing). The Everworld series is definitely a great read.

Books BookTeens Reading Everworld K.A. Applegate