Booklist: Fantasy Novels for Kids and Teens
At Kiba's request, a booklist of my favorite dramatic fantasy novels for kids, teens, and families, many of which will appeal to a wide variety of ages and inspire re-reads. Advanced readers can tackle many of these books at a young age, including this first story, which has been one of my favorite books since I was little.
The NeverEnding Story by Michael Ende (for kids, teens, and adults)
When a young boy named Bastian "borrows" a book from a shop, he has no idea that he is about to embark on a journey of his own. The book speaks of a place called Fantasia (or Fantastica, depending on the translation) that is built upon the dreams and fantasies of humans. Sadly, Fantasia is crumbling and its Childlike Empress is dying. Because people are not using their imaginations as much as they once were, everything is being overcome by The Nothing, a force which is sweeping the land at an alarming rate. The Nothing's evil henchman is a frightening wolf named Gmork. It is up to Atreyu, a warrior, to stop the spread of the Nothing.
There are no words to describe this story, and there are a million words to describe this story. There are a million stories in this book, and there is just one story. If you clapped for Tinker Bell in Peter Pan but you haven't read this book, you must read it now, because you know what it is to imagine and to believe.
OutCast by Christopher Golden and Thomas E. Sniegoski (ages 8 and up)
- Book One: The Un-Magician
- Book Two: Dragon Secrets
- Book Three: Ghostfire
- Book Four: Wurm War
In the world of OutCast, everyone and everything is magic. Everyone, that is, except for Timothy. For his own safety, his kind father kept him hidden away for years, providing him with a safe haven and a chance at a decent - albeit magic-free - childhood. When his father passes away, Timothy is flung back into the world. Now everyone knows he exists. Who can he trust? Where can he go? He must decide who his allies are - and quickly, because assassins are coming for him.
OutCast is phenomonal. I devoured each book as it was released. I love the characters, I love the tension, I love the action. Christopher Golden and Thomas E. Sniegoski have created such a fascinating world. They performed a great twist on the typical magical tale (in which the main character is the most powerful and talented magicwielder ever) by making Timothy the powerless one. I hand-sell this series to old and young alike.
I dedicated an entire post to this series.
Young Wizards by Diane Duane (ages 10 and up)
- So You Want to Be a Wizard
- Deep Wizardry
- High Wizardry
- A Wizard Abroad
- The Wizard's Dilemma (my favorite in the series)
- A Wizard Alone
- Wizards' Holiday
- Wizards at War
- A Wizard on Mars (not yet released)
Nita and Kit, two thirteen year olds in Manhattan, discover that magic is real and taking place every day, in every corner of the world. This is set in our world; however adept they become, the teens still have to go to school, do their homework, and clean their rooms. They take the Wizard's Oath and become dedicated to their studies and their work, under the tutelage of adult wizards Tom and Carl. They learn the Speech, which enables them to communicate with other sentient beings - so Kit can then communicate with his adorable dog, Ponch.
This series is packed with magic and action. (Perhaps I should start saying MAGCTION! for series such as this and OutCast and see if it catches on.) Amazing, descriptive, innovative, touching, and very, very shiny.
The beginning of the first book, So You Want to Be a Wizard, got my attention right away because it reminded me of the opening sequence of The NeverEnding Story. In So . . . , Nita runs into the library to hide from bullies; in TNES, Bastian runs into the bookstore to hide from bullies. I read TNES when I was very, very young - if I tell you how old I was, I'd scare you - and I love the book and the first film. Years later, I read the first few Young Wizards books. Though the first book came out over twenty years ago, the characters have barely aged, and the writing quality has never lessened - only strengthened, in my estimation.
Companion books: The Feline Wizards (for adults and teens)
- The Book of Night with Moon
- To Visit the Queen (aka On Her Majesty's Wizardly Service)
- The Big Meow (read it here)
The Fallen by Thomas E. Sniegoski (for teens)
- The Fallen
- Leviathan
- Aerie
- Reckoning
Eighteen year old Aaron has a recurring dream which is both strange and epic. He feels the weight of armor and hears an odd sound. He realizes the warriors all around him are angels, and that the sound he hears is that of wings unfurling and flapping. Over the course of the first book, he develops the ability to understand any language and discovers that he is nephilim - the offspring of a fallen angel and an earthly woman.
His newfound multilingualism allows him to communicate with Gabriel, his adorable dog, much like Kit can communicate with Ponch in the Young Wizards series.
I run the official site for Thomas E. Sniegoski, as well as the site for The Fallen.
His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman (for kids, teens, and adults)
- The Golden Compass (aka Northern Lights)
- The Subtle Knife
- The Amber Spyglass
- Lyra's Oxford (short story)
- The Book of Dust (not yet released)
It all begins when Lyra overhears something she shouldn't have - and this newfound knowledge changes her whole world. A world which seems a lot like our world, except for the fact that every child is born with a daemon, an animal with the ability to shape-shift until its human comes of age. Then it stays in a shape which is typically indictive of said human's vocation and personality life. The daemon and the child are never the same gender and are always able to communicate. Though daemons do not speak directly to other humans, they do speak with other daemons.
Of course, this is only part of the story, only part of this world. Lyra and her daemon, Pantalaimon, go on an amazing journey filled with truth, lies, adventure, and magic. They explore alternate worlds, including ours, where they meet a boy named Will who will further change Lyra's world.
Lyra is one dynamic girl. Her faith is tested, her life threatened, her truths challenged, yet she never loses her determination to do the right thing. Her heart may get broken, but her spirit never does. She begins as a mixture of Anne Shirley and Mary Lennox, then gets some Alice thrown in, but is very much her own girl.
As evidenced by my rambling, this trilogy cannot be summed up in a few mere paragraphs. Read it. You'll be glad that you did.
Stardust by Neil Gaiman (originally released for adults, then re-released for teens)
Once upon a time, in the town of Wall, a young man asked the object of affection what he could give her to win her heart. Disinterested, she told him to get her the fallen star which shot overhead moments earlier. In a heartbeat, he agrees, and he sets off for the land of Faerie, where the star landed. This is the story of a man on a quest, a star with unexpected personality, a multitude of murderous sons, a gaggle of witches, and many other fascinating characters and storylines, all of which tie up nicely by the end of the book.
The Aldous Lexicon Trilogy (aka Withern Rose) by Michael Lawrence (for teens)
- A Crack in the Line
- Small Eternities
- The Underwood See
Alternate worlds at their finest, with family ties. Sci-fi, alternate reality, and time travel combine into something memorable and mind-boggling.
Additional Titles
Many, many books by Dianne Wynne Jones (kids and teens)
The Runaway Princess by Kate Coombs (ages 10 and up)
The Sight by David Clement-Davies (teens)
The Standbys
There are two additional classic fantasy series which I feel compelled to mention due to their importance to the genre. Though I enjoyed them, I don't worship them as some do.
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
- A Wrinkle in Time
- A Wind in the Door
- A Swiftly Tilting Planet
- Many Waters
It was a dark and stormy night . . . and so it begins. After meeting Mrs Whatsit, Mrs Who, and Mrs Which, Meg Murry and her younger brother Charles Wallace go on a quest to find their father. Time and space, science and geometry (tesseracts!), intuiton and smarts, and love and loyalty see them through.
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
For nearly sixty years, this story has made countless children walk into their wardrobes (and closets, and cupboards) in an attempt to visit a magical world.
Publication order
- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
- Prince Caspian
- The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
- The Silver Chair (written after Horse, but published before Horse)
- The Horse and His Boy (written before Silver, but published after Silver)
- The Magician's Nephew
- The Last Battle
Chronological order
- The Magician's Nephew
- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
- The Horse and His Boy
- Prince Caspian
- The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
- The Silver Chair
- The Last Battle
books.narnia.com offers summaries and the timeline in both Narnian years and English years.
Related Booklist: Funny Fantasies for Kids and Teens
![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
slayground) wrote,
curious
