YOL |
Dove Isabeau
(age 8-11) by Jane Yolen fantasy ... magic Catalog: Young, beautiful Dove Isabeau is turned into a fire-breathing dragon by her evil stepmother and is saved from the spell by her true love, Kemp Owain. |
GAI |
Odd and the Frost Giants
(age 8-11) by Neil Gaiman magic ... adventure ... folklore ... traditions Publisher comments: In this inventive, short, yet perfectly formed novel inspired by traditional Norse mythology, Neil Gaiman takes readers on a wild and magical trip to the land of giants and gods and back. In a village in ancient Norway lives a boy named Odd, and he's had some very bad luck: His father perished in a Viking expedition; a tree fell on and shattered his leg; the endless freezing winter is making villagers dangerously grumpy. Out in the forest Odd encounters a bear, a fox, and an eagle—three creatures with a strange story to tell. Now Odd is forced on a stranger journey than he had imagined—a journey to save Asgard, city of the gods, from the Frost Giants who have invaded it. |
EDW |
The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles
(age 8-11) by Julie Andrews Edwards adventure ... humor ... magic ... fantasy Publisher comments: The Whangdoodle was once the wisest, the kindest, and the most extraordinary creature in the world. Then he disappeared and created a wonderful land for himself and all the other remarkable animals — the ten-legged Sidewinders, the little furry Flukes, the friendly Whiffle Bird, and the treacherous, "oily" Prock. It was an almost perfect place where the last of the really great Whangdoodles could rule his kingdom with "peace, love and a sense of fun" — apart from and forgotten by people. But not completely forgotten. Professor Savant believed in the Whangdoodle. And when he told the three Potter children of his search for the spectacular creature, Lindy, Tom, and Ben were eager to reach Whangdoodleland. With the Professor's help, they discovered the secret way. But waiting for them was the scheming Prock, who would use almost any means to keep them away from his beloved king. Only by skill and determination were the four travelers able to discover the last of the really great Whangdoodles and grant him his heart's desire. |
DIC |
The Magician's Elephant
(age 8-11) by Kate Dicamillo fantasy ... magic Publisher comments: When a fortuneteller's tent appears in the market square of the city of Baltese, orphan Peter Augustus Duchene knows the questions that he needs to ask: Does his sister still live? And if so, how can he find her? The fortuneteller's mysterious answer (an elephant! An elephant will lead him there!) sets off a chain of events so remarkable, so impossible, that you will hardly dare to believe its true. With atmospheric illustrations by fine artist Yoko Tanaka, here is a dreamlike and captivating tale that could only be narrated by Kate DiCamillo. In this timeless fable, she evokes the largest of themes hope and belonging, desire and compassion with the lightness of a magicians touch. |
COR |
The Trick Series (age 8-11) by Scott Corbett humor ... fantasy ... magic A mysterious potion from Kerby's chemistry set yields surprising results for Kerby and his friends. title: The Baseball Trick title: The Hairy Horror Trick title: The Hockey Trick title: The Home Run Trick title: The Lemonade Trick title: The Disappearing Dog Trick |
ALE |
The Wizard in the Tree
(age 8-11) by Lloyd Alexander fantasy ... magic ... folklore When Mallory notices that there's something funny about an old oak tree, she takes a closer look and breaks a magical spell. Arbican the wizard has been trapped in the oak for thousands of years and his powers are gone. Will he get them back in time to save Mallory's village from greedy Squire Scrupner? |
ALE |
The Cat Who Wished to Be a Man
(age 8-11) by Lloyd Alexander identity ... magic When he begins dealing with humanity, Lionel the cat begins to understand why his wizard master was reluctant to change him into a man. |
BEL |
The Johnny Dixon Mysteries (age 8-11) by John Bellairs magic ... spooky ... mystery Thirteen-year-old Johnny Dixon joins Professor Childermass to take on the forces of evil...both natural and supernatural. title: Secret of the Underground Room title: The Eyes of the Killer Robot title: The Mummy, the Will, and the Crypt title: The Revenge of the Wizard's Ghost title: The Spell of the Sorcerer's Skull |
BIL |
Well Wished
(age 8-11) by Franny Billingsley magic ... fantasy A wishing well in Bishop allows every person who lives there one wish per lifetime. Few even dare to try because often, these wishes go wrong. After Nuria makes a wish to put her inside Catty's body, can things ever be put right again? |
DYE |
Ibby's Magic Weekend
(age 8-11) by Heather Dyer humor ... mystery ... magic Publisher comments: When straight-arrow Ibby visits her two troublemaking cousins in their chaotic country house, she learns of an old box of magic tricks they found hidden in the attic. Ibby thinks magic is nothing but sleight of hand...until her cousin Francis shrinks to the size of her thumb! The trio gets into all sorts of hijinks, from levitating to turning invisible. Then they uncover the mystery of Uncle Godfrey, a professional magician who disappeared years ago. After some sleuthing, the kids decide Godfrey's Vanishing Act must have gone wrong. Now it's up to Ibby to be the magician-- and find him! |
LUB |
Punished!
(age 8-11) by David Lubar humor ... fantasy ... magic Publisher comments: Logan and his friend Benedict run into the wrong guy at the library--literally. When Logan slams into the reference guy in the basement and gives him a little lip, Logan gets punished, really and truly punished. He has three days to complete three tasks before Professor Wordsworth will lift the magical punishment that keeps getting Logan in even more trouble. |
SEL |
To Catch a Mermaid
(age 8-11) by Suzanne Selfors humor ... illness/loss ... family ... fantasy ... magic When Boom Broom's mother is swept away by a twister, he doesn't think his life can get any worse. But when he and his sister Mertyle find a baby mermaid who grants unlimited wishes, he thinks his luck has turned--until his sister is hit by the curse of the merfolk. |
LAY |
Missing Magic
(age 8-11) by Emma Laybourn fantasy ... magic ... school In a world where everyone has magical abilities, eleven-year-old Ned has none, but when the world turns upside down his lack of powers turns out to be his best asset. |
KUR |
Leon and the Spitting Image
(age 8-11) by Allen Kurzwell magic ... humor ... school "Leon and the Spitting Image" is about a hotel full of animals. It's about an evil ice maker. It's about glass eyeballs and human catapults. It's about really old panty hose and Possibly Fake Hair. But mostly it's about Leon Zeisel and his epic quest to survive fourth grade. What's stopping him? Two things. First, there's Miss Hagmeyer. She's a supernaturally strict teacher with ears that resemble giant rotting mushrooms. And then there is Leon's archenemy, Lumpkin the Pumpkin, a human tank with a deadly dodgeball throw known to all as the sidewinder. Luckily, Leon has two friends, Lily-Matisse and P.W., who will stand by him no matter what, even if his magical, mysterious plans for rescue and revenge involve . . . SPIT! |
KRU |
Katie Kazoo, Switcheroo Series (age 8-11) by Nancy Krulik humor ... magic A magic wind turns Katie into other people, helping her see things from a different perspective, in these hilarious escapades. title: Anyone But Me title: Doggone it! title: Get Lost! title: I Hate Rules! title: No Bones About It title: Oh, Baby! title: Quiet on the Set! |
CHE |
Witch's Broom
(age 8-11) by Ruth Chew fantasy ... magic A new broom and an unusual blue jay involve Amy and her friend in magical adventures. |
CHE |
Witch in the House
(age 8-11) by Ruth Chew fantasy ... magic A witch in the house has to bring with it the unexpected. |
CHE |
What the Witch Left
(age 8-11) by Ruth Chew fantasy ... magic Two little girls have magical adventures with a strange assortment of items they find in a locked drawer. |
CHE |
The Witch's Buttons
(age 8-11) by Ruth Chew fantasy ... magic A talking button in the shape of a man leads two young girls into a series of magical adventures. |
CHE |
The Magic Series (age 8-11) by Ruth Chew adventure ... magic ... fantasy A great deal of trouble often accompanies a little bit of magic. title: The Magic Cave |
BAR |
The Magic Half
(age 8-11) by Annie Barrows adventure ... magic ... family Magic is just a way of setting things right... Miri is the non-twin child in a family with two sets of them ... older brothers and younger sisters. The family has just moved to an old farmhouse in a new town, where the only good thing seems to be Miri's ten-sided attic bedroom. But when Miri gets sent to her room after accidentally bashing her big brother on the head with a shovel, she finds herself in the same room...only not quite. Without meaning to, she has found a way to travel back in time to 1935 where she discovers Molly, a girl her own age very much in need of a loving family. |
YOU |
15 Minutes
(age 8-11) by Steve Young fantasy ... humor ... sports ... magic Seventh-grader Casey Little is always late until he discovers a magic watch that takes him back in time, a trick he uses both on and off the football field. It's not that Casey Little is always late. It's just that everything starts a little too early. But when Casey discovers a weird little time machine, he figures he'll never be late again. Unfortunately, it's not a very good time machine. It can only go back 15 minutes. And it seems to have a mind of its own. Still ... what could possibly go wrong? |
GRE |
Eating Ice Cream With a Werewolf
(age 8-11) by Phyllis Green humor ... fantasy ... magic A wacky baby sitter and her book of spells keep a twelve-year-old and his little sister guessing while their parents are away. |
ENR |
Thimble Summer
(age 8-11) by Elizabeth Enright historical ... adventure ... magic ... animals When Garnet finds a silver thimble in the sand by the river, she is sure it's magical. But is it magical enough to help her pig, Timmy, win a blue ribbon on Fair Day? |
LIS |
Investigators of the Unknown Series (age 8-11) by Janet Taylor Lisle family ... magic ... mystery ... fantasy Angela, Georgina, and Poco are on the lookout for magic in everyday life, and in each volume these three friends find themselves facing the inexplicable. title: Angela's Aliens |
PEA |
The Little Gentleman
(age 8-11) by Philippa Pearce humor ... friendship ... magic A young girl's dull life is transformed when she meets and befriends an extraordinary talking mole that likes to be read to and tell of his own past exploits throughout the centuries. |
IBB |
Not Just a Witch
(age 8-11) by Eva Ibbotson fantasy ... humor ... magic Heckie, a graduate of one of the best witch schools, settles in the town of Wellbridge, determined to find evildoers and turn them into animals. But Heckie's do-gooding lands her in big trouble. |
YOL |
The Young Merlin Trilogy (age 8-11) by Jane Yolen magic ... growing up ... fantasy ... folklore A boy is abandoned in the woods of medieval England. A year passes--a year of terror and hunger, of sleeping in trees and foraging for food, of outrunning packs of wild dogs--until one day a falconer captures and tames the boy as he would any passager, a young bird caught in the wild and trained. The falconer adopts the boy and teaches him all of the things he's forgotten, including the boy's true name--and the legacy of magic that will be his when he comes of age. title: Passager: the Young Merlin Trilogy, Book One title: Hobby: the Young Merlin Trilogy title: Merlin: the Young Merlin Trilogy, Book Three |
CUY |
Invisible in the Third Grade
(age 8-11) by Margery Cuyler traditions ... humor ... magic Alex has fun fooling his family and his fellow third graders when he finds a brand of bubble gum that turns him invisible, but his pranks get out of hand on Halloween night. |
TRA |
Mary Poppins Series (age 8-11) by P. L. Travers growing up ... magic ... humor ... fantasy An extraordinary English nanny blows in on the East Wind with her parrot-headed umbrella and magic carpetbag and introduces her charges, Jane and Michael, to some delightful people and experiences. title: Mary Poppins |
WIL |
The Velveteen Rabbit: or, How Toys Become Real
(age 8-11) by Margery Williams friendship ... magic By the time the velveteen rabbit is dirty, worn out, and about to be burned, he has almost given up hope of ever finding the magic called Real. |
ROD |
Deltora Quest Series (age 8-11) by Emily Rodda action ... adventure ... fantasy ... magic In the first book of this series, Forest of Silence, the evil Shadow Lord is plotting to invade the land of Deltora and enslave its people. All that stands against him is the magic Belt of Deltora with its seven stones of great and mysterious power. In secrecy, with only a hand-drawn map to guide them, two unlikely companions set out on a dangerous quest. Determined to find the lost stones and rid their land of the Shadow Lord, they struggle toward their first goal--the sinister Forests of Silence. title: The Forests of Silence title: The Lake of Tears title: City of the Rats title: The Shifting Sands title: Dread Mountain title: The Maze of the Beast title: The Valley of the Lost title: Return to Del |
COV |
Magic Shop Series (age 8-11) by Bruce Coville fantasy ... friendship ... magic ... humor Problems of the real world are nothing compared to the problems stirred up in Mr. Elives' Magic Shop, where young customers leave with more than they bargained for. title: Juliet Dove, Queen of Love title: Jennifer Murdley's Toad title: The Skull of Truth title: Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher title: The Monster's Ring |
STA |
The Unicorns of Balinor Series (age 8-11) by Mary Stanton princesses ... magic ... fantasy In the first book, The Road to Balinor, the magical world of Balinor has been threatened by darkness, and the Princess Arianna and her unicorn, Sunchaser, are the only ones who can save the world. title: Road to Balinor title: Valley of Fear title: Search for the Star |
ROD |
The Rowan Series (age 8-11) by Emily Rodda magic ... fantasy ... adventure ... knights/castles/dragons Because only he can read the magical map, young, weak and timid Rowan joins six other villagers to climb a mountain and try to restore their water supply, as fears of a dragon and other horrors threaten to drive them back. title: Rowan of Rin title: Rowan and the Ice Creepers title: Rowan and the Keeper of the Crystal title: Rowan and the Travelers title: Rowan and the Zebak |
FLE |
The Midnight Horse
(age 8-11) by Sid Fleischman adventure ... spooky ... magic On a coach bound for Cricklewood, the orphan boy Touch caught his first glimpse of the haunt named The Great Chaffalo. According to rumor, he was once a famous magician who could turn a pile of straw into a horse. Now, Touch needs the ghost's help in order to escape his wicked great-uncle. So, with an armload of straw and a determined spirit, Touch makes his plea to The Great Chaffalo, and, magically, a horse appears! But can magic save Touch when his great-uncle's schemes grow even more villainous? |
EAG |
Knight's Castle
(age 8-11) by Edgar Eager magic ... fantasy ... adventure Four cousins, Roger, Ann, Eliza, and Jack, have an extraordinary summer when, after an old toy soldier comes to life, they find themselves transported back to the days of Robin and Ivanhoe. sequel: The Time Garden |
EAG |
Magic or Not?
(age 8-11) by Edgar Eager magic ... fantasy ... adventure When the family moves to Connecticut, twins James and Laura make new friends and begin a series of unusual adventures after discovering an old well that seems to be magic in their backyard. |
EAG |
The Well-Wishers
(age 8-11) by Edgar Eager magic ... fantasy ... adventure Six children relate their experiences with an unpredictable old wishing well that involves them in some magical adventures during an eventful autumn. |
EAG |
Seven-day Magic
(age 8-11) by Edgar Eager magic ... fantasy ... adventure A seven-day book of magic proves to be fractious for five children, who must learn the book's rules and tame its magic. |
EAG |
Half Magic
(age 8-11) by Edgar Eager knights/castles/dragons ... magic ... fantasy ... adventure Four children looking forward to an ordinary summer enjoy a series of fantastic adventures by double-wishing on an ancient coin. sequel: Magic by the Lake |
BAN |
The Indian in the Cupboard
(age 8-11) by Lynne Reid Banks adventure ... magic Publisher comments: It all starts with a birthday present Omri doesn't even want; a small plastic Indian of no use to him at all. But when an old wooden cupboard and a special key bring the unusual toy to life, Omri's Indian becomes his most important secret: precious, dangerous, wonderful, and above all, magical. sequel: The Return of the Indian sequel: The Secret of the Indian sequel: The Mystery of the Cupboard sequel: The Key to the Indian |
AMA |
The Word Eater
(age 8-11) by Mary Amato fantasy ... magic ... school Catalog: Lerner Chanse, a new student at Cleveland Park Middle School, finds a worm that magically makes things disappear, and she hopes it will help her fit in, or get revenge, at her hated school. |