LEV |
The Magic Hat of Mortimer Wintergreen
(age 9-12) by Myron Levoy humor ... voyages/journeys ... magic ... fantasy ... adventure In 1893, thirteen-year-old Joshua and his eleven-year-old sister, Amy, travel from South Dakota to New York City with the help of the mysterious Mortimer Wintergreen and his unpredictable magic hat. |
MCG |
The Magician's Apprentice Series (age 9-12) by Tom McGowen magic ... fantasy A young pickpocket becomes apprenticed to a magician who opens a whole new world for the boy, not only of magic and healing, but of kindness and adventure. Together they seek knowledge lost since the Age of Magic thousands of years before. title: The Magician's Company title: The Magician's Challenge |
SNO |
The Ratbridge Chronicles (age 9-12) by Alan Snow humor ... fantasy ... magic Welcome to Ratbridge. But beware, for there is skulduggery afoot. Young Arthur has fallen foul of the appalling outlaw, Snatcher, and is trapped alone in the town with every way home sealed. Meanwhile Snatcher and his men are working tirelessly in secret on a fiendish and dastardly plan to take over, and destroy, the entire town. With the help of Willbury Nibble, QC; some friendly boxtrolls and cabbageheads; Marjorie the frustrated inventor; and the rats and pirates from the Ratbridge Nautical Laundry, can Arthur thwart Snatcher's evil plans, and find his way home? title: Here Be Monsters! An Adventure Involving Magic Trolls and Other Creatures |
FUN |
Igraine the Brave
(age 9-12) by Cornelia Funke princesses ... knights/castles/dragons ... adventure ... fantasy ... magic Princess Igraine dreams of becoming a famous knight just like her great grandfather, but the truth is, life at the family castle is rather boring. Until the nephew of the baroness-next-door shows up. He's got a dastardly plan to capture the castle and claim as his own the wonderful singing spell books that belong to Igraine's magician parents. To make matters worse, at the very moment of the siege, her mom and dad botch a spell, turning themselves into pigs! Aided by a Gentle Giant and a Sorrowful Knight, it's up to Igraine to be brave and save the day--and the books! |
CAR |
Witch-cat
(age 9-12) by Joan Davenport Carris fantasy ... identity ... magic A down-to-earth girl is made to see that she is a witch through the efforts of a magical cat. |
CHR |
Front Court Hex
(age 9-12) by Matt Christopher magic ... sports Star of the previous year's basketball team, Jerry can't do anything right in the new season, but refuses to believe his new friend who, claiming to be a warlock, predicts Jerry's play won't improve until he changes his slovenly habits. |
NIM |
The Magician Trilogy (age 9-12) by Jenny Nimmo family ... fantasy ... magic On his ninth birthday Gwyn is given a brooch and told to cast it to the wind. What returns to him as a result is an amazing fantasy story about the fight between good and evil, sorrow and joy, friendship and betrayal. title: The Snow Spider |
MAC |
The Light Princess
(age 9-12) by George MacDonald princesses ... magic ... fantasy ... folklore The princess at her christening is cursed by a wicked witch with lightness. She floats blissfully about the castle all day long and, as one can imagine, gets into all sorts of adventures. Gravity, weight, sorrow, suffering ... all of this the princess misses, but with all of these she misses love, for what is love without weight, without falling? |
SAG |
Septimus Heap Series (age 9-12) by Angie Sage magic ... fantasy ... humor ... action Septimus Heap, the seventh son of the seventh son, disappears the night he is born, pronounced dead by the midwife. That same night, the baby's father, Silas Heap, comes across an abandoned child in the snow ... a newborn girl with violet eyes. The Heaps take her into their home, name her Jenna, and raise her as their own. But who is this mysterious baby girl, and what really happened to their beloved son Septimus? title: Magyk title: Flyte title: Physik title: Queste title: Syren |
SAI |
Varjak Paw
(age 9-12) by S. F. Said adventure ... action ... spooky ... magic Varjak Paw is a Mesopotamian Blue kitten. He lives high up in an old house on a hill. He's never left home, until his grandfather tells him about the Way ... a secret martial art for cats. Now Varjak must use the Way to survive in a city full of dangerous dogs, cat gangs, and strangest of all, the mysterious Vanishings. |
CLE |
The Nutcracker
(age 9-12) by David Clement-Davies traditions ... magic ... folklore Catalog: After hearing how the toy nutcracker that she and her brother received for Christmas got his ugly face, Marie helps break the spell he is under and watches him change into a handsome prince. Illustrated notes throughout the text explain the historical background of the story. |
ALM |
Skellig
(age 9-12) by David Almond magic ... family ... spooky Ten-year-old Michael was looking forward to moving into a new house. But now his baby sister is ill, his parents are frantic, and Doctor Death has come to call. Michael feels helpless. Then he steps into the crumbling garage....What is this thing beneath the spiders' webs and dead flies? A human being, or a strange kind of beast never before seen? The only person Michael can confide in is his new friend, Mina. Together, they carry the creature out into the light, and Michael's world changes forever. |
SNY |
The Witches of Worm
(age 9-12) by Zilpha Keatley Snyder friendship ... magic ... spooky A lonely twelve-year-old is convinced that the cat she finds is possessed by a witch and is responsible for her own strange behavior. |
SNY |
Black and Blue Magic
(age 9-12) by Zilpha Keatley Snyder growing up ... magic You'd think that someone with a name like Harry Houdini Marco would be deft and skillful, but Harry could only occasionally catch even an easy fly ball without making some dumb error. On top of that, most of his friends' families were moving to the suburbs. It would have been a long, dreary summer, but then a Mr. Mazeeck showed up and turned out to be more than he seemed. |
PUL |
I Was a Rat!
(age 9-12) by Philip Pullman magic ... folklore ... humor I Was a Rat! So insists a scruffy boy named Roger. Maybe it's true. But what is he now? A terrifying monster running wild in the sewers? The Daily Scourge is sure of it. A victim of Rodent Delusionâ The hospital nurse says yes. A lucrative fairground freak? He is to Mr. Tapscrew. A champion wriggler and a budding thief? That's what Billy thinks. Or just an ordinary small boy, though a little ratty in his habits? Only three people believe this version of the story. And it may take a royal intervention, and a bit of magic, to convince the rest of the world. |
CAR |
The Land of Elyon Series (age 9-12) by Patrick Carman adventure ... magic ... voyages/journeys ... fantasy Inquisitive twelve-year-old Alexa Daley is spending another summer in the walled town of Bridewell. This year, she is set on solving the mystery of what lies beyond the walls. Legend says the walls were built to keep out an unnamed evil that lurks in the forests and The Dark Hills. But what exactly is it that the townspeople are so afraid of? As Alexa begins to unravel the truth, pushing beyond the protective barrier she's lived behind all her life, she discovers a strange and ancient enchantment, and exposes a danger that could destroy everything she holds dear. title: The Dark Hills Divide title: Beyond the Valley of Thorns |
WOO |
The Christmas Doll
(age 9-12) by Elvira Woodruff traditions ... magic ... enterprise ... historical Lucy and her sister Glory have only each other to lean on as they labor day after day in the workhouse. When they flee to escape a deadly fever, they find an old, discarded doll...but this is no ordinary toy. This story of love, hope, and redemption finds magic in the least likely places. |
ROW |
Quidditch Through the Ages
(age 9-12) by J. K. Rowling fantasy ... sports ... magic The definitive guide to Quidditch, for all Harry Potter fans. |
ROW |
The Harry Potter Series (age 9-12) by J. K. Rowling fantasy ... adventure ... family ... school ... magic As the first book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone opens, all Harry Potter knows is a miserable life with the Dursleys, his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominable son, Dudley, a great big swollen spoiled bully. Harry's room is a closet at the foot of the stairs, and he hasn't had a birthday party in eleven years. But all that is about to change when a mysterious letter arrives by owl messenger: a letter with an invitation to an incredible place that Harry (and anyone who reads about him) will find unforgettable. title: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone title: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets title: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban title: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire title: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix title: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince title: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows |
ROD |
Deltora Shadowlands Series (age 9-12) by Emily Rodda adventure ... fantasy ... magic In the first book of this series, Cavern of Fear, the Shadow Lord's evil tyranny over Deltora has ended. He and the creatures of his sorcery have been driven back across the mountains. But thousands of Deltorans are still enslaved in the Shadowlands, the Enemy's own terrifying and mysterious domain. To rescue them, Lief, Barda and Jasmine, heroes of the quest for the Belt of Deltora, must find a weapon powerful enough to combat the Shadow Lord's magic on his own ground. According to legend, the only thing the Shadow Lord fears is the fabled Pirran Pipe. But does the mysterious Pipe still exist? title: Cavern of the Fear title: The Isle of Illusion title: The Shadowlands |
BAR |
Peter and the Starcatchers Series (age 9-12) by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson adventure ... magic ... humor In this fast-paced (and often hilarious) adventure on the high seas and on a faraway island, an orphan boy named Peter and his mysterious new friend, Molly, take on bands of pirates and thieves in their quest to keep a fantastical secret safe and save the world from evil. title: Peter and the Shadow Thieves |
BEL |
The House With a Clock in Its Walls
(age 9-12) by John Bellairs spooky ... magic ... mystery A boy goes to live with his magician uncle in a mansion that has a clock hidden in the walls which is ticking off the minutes until doomsday. sequel: The Figure in the Shadows |
YOL |
Wizard's Hall
(age 9-12) by Jane Yolen fantasy ... magic ... school Poor Henry. It's not enough that his mother has sent him away from home to learn magic. It's not enough that everyone at his new school calls him Thornmallow because he's ``prickly on the outside, squishy within''. It's not enough that the only talent he shows at Wizard's Hall is an ability to make messes of even the simplest spells. He finds himself with more responsibility than he knows how to bear. |
WIN |
The Castle in the Attic
(age 9-12) by Elizabeth Winthrop magic ... knights/castles/dragons ... fantasy A gift of a toy castle, complete with silver knight, introduces William to an adventure involving magic and a personal quest. sequel: The Battle For the Castle |
NOR |
Bed-Knob and Broomstick
(age 9-12) by Mary Norton magic ... fantasy The Magic Bed-Knob and Bonfires and Broomsticks in one volume. These are the exploits of the three Wilson children; Miss Price, the apprentice witch; and the flying bed. A tale of a witch-in-training and trouble of the most unforgettable kind. |