Kids Fantasy
ELLA ENCHANTED by Gail Carson Levine
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When Ella was a baby, a misguided fairy bestowed on her the “gift” of obedience; whenever anyone gives her a direct order, she must obey. Although the fairy’s curse presents certain challenges, growing up at home with her mother and her beloved fairy godmother (and cook), Mandy, Ella has never been ordered to do anything too dangerous. But when her mother dies, and her father decides to send her to finishing school, Ella’s world is turned upside down. Two spiteful girls discern her secret and begin to use her obedience against her. Through the terrors of finishing school, Dame Olga’s daughters, and run-ins with dangerous ogres, the only things that keep her spirits high are her friendship with Prince Char and the hope that one day she may be able to break her curse.
I just reread this childhood favorite, and it is just as funny and delightful now as it was when I was nine. Levine’s story is a brilliant spin-off of the Cinderella tale with fascinating, deep characters. You cannot help but fall in love with Ella, Char, and Mandy—for all of their goodness and their flaws. Although the reading level is appropriate for elementary schoolers (and the fractured fairytale will surely appeal to young readers), I would not hesitate to recommend this novel to teens as well. Ella and Char’s friendship and romance is sweet, funny, exciting, and full of love and self-sacrifice. I cannot recommend it highly enough to readers who enjoy fantasy and/or fractured fairytales! And now I really want to go home and slide down the banisters. . . .
WOLF BROTHER by Michelle Paver
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Torak can remember the exact moment that his life changed. He and Fa had been setting up camp, happy and laughing, when the bear exploded from the forest—the great demon bear that no hunter could destroy—and attacked Fa. Numb with shock and grief, Torak swears to Fa’s dying request. He will find the mountain of the World Spirit that no man has ever seen. He will trust the guide that the spirits send him, whoever or whatever it may be. And he will stay away from the clans, avoiding people at all costs, so that they do not hinder him. He will fulfill his quest or die trying.
The guide is certainly not what Torak expected. Almost as soon as Torak finds the orphaned wolf cub, he feels a connection between them. Though he does not know how, Torak can communicate with the wolf, understanding his wolf speech and speaking back with grunts, whines, and growls. Realizing that the wolf must be his guide, Torak follows the cub through the forest, hoping that the young wolf will lead him to the mountain of the World Spirit. But Torak forgets his father’s hunting advice—“Look behind you, Torak”—and before his quest is fully underway, he is captured by hunters from the Raven clan. Yet if he had not been captured, he never would have met Renn, learned about the prophecy, or discovered the secrets of his father’s past and the demon bear. Now, Torak is more determined than ever to find the mountain of the World Spirit—but first he must escape the clutches of the Ravens. . . .
I cannot recommend this audiobook highly enough! Sir Ian McKellen’s narration is phenomenal. The story itself is dark, suspenseful, and very exciting. It has all of the story elements you could ask for: action, mystery, complex and evolving characters, friendships and rivalries, puzzles to solve, and evil to defeat. I especially recommend this book to readers who enjoy historical fiction and/or high fantasy and to dog lovers. Wolf Brother is the first in the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series.
If you liked Wolf Brother, you might like The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins, Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner, Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George, or Dreamwood by Heather Mackey.
EMMY AND THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING RAT by Lynne Jonell
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Emmy used to be happy, back when people noticed her, before her parents got rich and forgot she existed, traveling sometimes for months at a time and leaving Emmy with her terrible new nanny, Miss Barmy. Now the students in her class seem to look right through her; her teacher can’t even remember her name. In fact, the only creature who notices Emmy is her class pet rat–and for some reason, Emmy can hear him speak. One day, in a fit of rebelliousness, Emmy sets her rat free and decides to skip her gymnastics class and explore her town instead. That is how she happens upon Professor Vole’s rodent shop and sees Miss Barmy place a mysterious, secret order for rodents. What’s more, she finds a caged rat in the shop that is identical to the rat she set free. And the twin rat, along with all of the other rodents, are labeled with strange special powers. Sure that something sinister is happening, Emmy is determined to find out the secret of the rats and to stop Miss Barmy and Professor Vole from whatever evil they might be plotting. Unfortunately, Miss Barmy is on to her and it will take all of Emmy’s cleverness–and a lot of help from her friends Joe and the Rat–to solve the mystery before it’s too late.
This book is a fun, silly, and suspenseful story. It has plenty of mystery and intrigue to keep you turning pages, as long as you have a taste for the absurd and unbelievable. Personally, I enjoyed it and would recommend it to middle grade readers who like fantasy set in the real world.
If you liked Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat ,you might also like Mousenet and Whales on Stilts.
THE HOBBIT, OR THERE AND BACK AGAIN by J.R.R. Tolkien
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Bilbo Baggins was a polite and respectable hobbit who lived in a neat little hobbit-hole in the Shire and never, ever did anything unexpected. That is, until the wizard Gandalf the Grey and a company of thirteen dwarves show up on his doorstep and suddenly sweep him off on an adventure. The dwarves have been wandering for years since their home under the Lonely Mountain was conquered by Smaug the dragon. Thorin Oakenshield believes the time is right to lead his followers back to the mountain and reclaim his grandfather’s treasure. For reasons he does not fully explain, Gandalf has chosen Bilbo as the “burglar” who will help the dwarves reclaim their home (although poor Bilbo has never stolen anything in his life). The quest begins with unfortunate encounters with mountain trolls and goblins, and Bilbo worries that he may not be cut out for adventuring after all. But when a misadventure in the Misty Mountains leads him to discover a magical ring, Bilbo’s luck turns for the better, and he may become a successful burglar at last.
Tolkien’s classic precursor to the Lord of the Rings trilogy is truly a children’s book–lighthearted and full of adventure, humor, and magic. Elementary-age readers who enjoy fantasy such as Harry Potter or the Redwall books will love The Hobbit, although younger or less skilled readers may prefer it as a family read-aloud since it is not an easy text. It is an engaging book, however, and many reluctant readers find that the story motivates them to read it again and again despite the initial struggle.
If you liked The Hobbit, you may also enjoy The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, Charmed Life, The Secret of Platform 13, Magyk, Peter Pan, Peter and the Starcatchers, Gregor the Overlander, and Redwall.
MOUSENET by Prudence Breitrose
When an inventor created the world’s smallest computer–the Thumbtop–the Mouse Nation knew that they were about to enter a new age. Finally, a computer that was the perfect size for a mouse to operate! No more jumping back and forth across the letters on a keyboard! No more skulking around after the humans went to sleep! At last, the mice would take their rightful place in the technological age, along side their intellectual equals, the humans. That is, if they are able to win over the inventor’s niece, Megan, and establish the world’s first human-mouse alliance.
Mousenet was a light read. There was very little suspense or major obstacles for the characters to overcome, and most tasks that the characters undertook seemed to work out unbelievably smoothly. In addition, the environmental message was incorporated slightly clumsily and came off as heavy-handed. Still, the Mouse Nation the author created was a fun fantasy to imagine and the characters themselves were overall believable and likeable. I would recommend this to readers in grades 4-6 who enjoy animal stories.
If you liked Mousenet, you might also enjoy Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat by Lynne Jonell, Freddy by Dietlof Reiche or Babe, the Gallant Pig by Dick King Smith.
ALL THE LOVELY BAD ONES by Mary Downing Hahn
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Corey and Travis are bad. Not evil, but mischievous. They were “not invited back” to summer camp as a result of all of the pranks they pulled last year, so instead their parents send them to spend the summer at their grandmother’s bed and breakfast inn in Vermont. They are afraid the summer may be boring until they find out that the inn is supposed to be haunted. Their grandmother insists that all of the ghost stories are nonsense, but Corey and Travis realize they could have a lot of fun pretending to be ghosts and frightening the guests. That is, until they accidentally wake the real ghosts from their sleep. . . .
Mary Downing Hahn excels at writing creepy ghost stories with a historical twist. In this particular story, the realistic depiction of a nineteenth century poor farm is perhaps more horrifying than the ghosts themselves. A great scary story with an interesting history behind it. I highly recommend it!
THE MIRACULOUS JOURNEY OF EDWARD TULANE by Kate DiCamillo
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Edward Tulane is a finely crafted china rabbit who belongs to a girl called Abilene. He is very proud of his craftsmanship and his fancy clothes and spends most of his time thinking about how wonderful he is. Although Abilene loves him, Edward doesn’t love anyone but himself. When Abilene’s grandmother tells a story about a witch who cast a horrible spell on a selfish man because he didn’t know how to love, Edward doesn’t think the story has anything to do with him. But when Abilene takes him along on an ocean voyage and he falls overboard, Edward realizes that the witch’s curse may have affected him as well. So begins Edward’s incredible journey through the ocean and on land as his adventures teach him how to love.
Winner of a Christopher Award for “affirming high values of the human spirit,” this simple novel reads like a fairy tale. Although on the reading level for 3rd-4th graders, it would make a great read-aloud for younger children in grades K-2 as well.
If you liked The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, you might also like The Velveteen Rabbit, which has a similar tone and message. If you are up for a longer read, you may enjoy The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien.
IF THAT BREATHES FIRE, WE’RE TOAST by Jennifer J. Stewart
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When Rick’s mother first decides that they will be moving from their home in San Diego out to the middle of nowhere near Tuscon, Arizona, Rick is horrified. He wasn’t even consulted before his mom made this huge decision that affected his life terribly. And Arizona is approximately a billion degrees all the time. Although his new neighbor Natalie seems pretty cool, she is a girl and therefore less-than-ideal best friend material. But when the company that is supposed to be sending them a new furnace instead sends them a real, live dragon, life in Arizona promises to get a little more interesting.
This book is a fun, light read for readers who enjoy books about dragons (but aren’t purists–this dragon doesn’t always act like a dragon) or readers who like silly, quirky stories. Other books about adapting to a new home after a move include Lost: A Dog Called Bear by Wendy Orr, Closed for the Season by Mary Downing Hahn, The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester, and Ellie Ever by Nancy Ruth Patterson.
FABLEHAVEN by Brandon Mull
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Kendra and Seth are dreading spending two weeks with their Grandpa and Grandma Sorenson. First, their trip was prompted by the death of both of their maternal grandparents who requested in their will that all of their children (including Kendra and Seth’s parents) use their inheritance to take a long vacation. Second, although Kendra and Seth were very close to their grandparents who passed away, they hardly know the Sorensons at all. They’ve never been to visit, and every time their grandparents visit them, there is something distant and mysterious about them. When they arrive at the farm, their grandmother is missing, and their grandfather immediately lectures them with bizarre rules and forbidden areas of the property. But when Seth begins exploring out of bounds and Kendra finds some keys and a mysterious diary hidden in the attic, they discover that there are more secrets on Grandpa Sorenson’s farm than they ever could have imagined. Suddenly plunged into a world of fairies, witches, naiads, and other fantastical creatures, Seth and Kendra quickly learn that even a small act of carelessness could plunge their entire family into mortal danger.
The Fablehaven series is sure to be popular with fantasy lovers. While much of the first book is devoted to establishing the characters, the fantasy world, and the future conflict, the action picks up toward the end of the novel and leaves you hanging with the promise of sequels. The adventure continues in Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star. There are five books in the series.
If you liked Fablehaven, you might like The Sisters Grimm by Michael Buckley or Dreamwood by Heather Mackey. Teen readers who liked Fablehaven and enjoy dark fantasy might enjoy Reckless by Cornelia Funke.
CHARMED LIFE by Diana Wynne Jones
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Cat has always been a kind and quiet boy with few special talents—quite unlike his older sister Gwendolyn, the self-centered, bossy, young witch. In the tragic boating accident that claimed the lives of their parents, Cat survived only by clinging to Gwendolyn. With nowhere else to go, the two children are sent off to live with their powerful enchanter relative, the Chrestomanci. Gwendolyn hopes that Chrestomanci will train her in magic, but he seems unimpressed with her talents. Insulted and greedy for power, Gwendolyn flees to another dimension where she hopes to rule as queen; as a result, her counterpart from that alternate world, Janet, gets stuck at Chrestomanci castle. As Cat and Janet try to cover up Gwendolyn’s escape by pretending that Janet is Gwendolyn, Cat begins to realize that there is something odd about his sister’s powers—and he may not be as talentless as he seems.
Charmed Life begins a classic fantasy series that is often overlooked in the post-Potter world of children’s literature. But readers who enjoy Harry Potter, Charlie Bone, Septimus Heap, and other similar fantasy series should definitely check out the Chrestomanci books. Diana Wynne Jones builds an intricate and fascinating collection of fantasy worlds filled with cool magic and intriguing characters. I highly recommend this series.
If you liked Charmed Life, you should check out The Secret of Platform 13 and other fantasy novels by Eva Ibbotson, Midnight for Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo, The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, and Magyk by Angie Sage.
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Susan the Librarian 