EPS |
The Familiars (age 8-11) by Adam Jay Epstein animals ... adventure ... fantasy ... magic Publisher comments: When Aldwyn, a young alley cat on the run, ducks into a mysterious pet shop, he doesn't expect his life to change. But that's exactly what happens when Jack, a young wizard, picks Aldwyn to be his magical familiar. Finally off the tough streets, Aldwyn thinks he's got it made. He just has to convince the other familiars—the know-it-all blue jay Skylar and the friendly tree frog Gilbert—that he's the telekinetic cat he claims to be. But when Jack and two other wizards in training are captured by a terrible evil, it will take all of Aldwyn's street smarts, a few good friends, and a nose for adventure to save the day! title: The Familiars |
VAN |
The Sweetest Fig
(age 8-11) by Chris Van Allsburg fantasy ... magic Catalog: After being given two magical figs that make his dreams come true, Monsieur Bibot sees his plans for future wealth upset by his long-suffering dog. |
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. |
BAN |
The Adventures of King Midas
(age 8-11) by Lynne Reid Banks adventure ... humor ... folklore ... magic King Midas' obsession with gold takes some unexpected turns in this fun retelling of the classic Greek myth. |
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 Black Mask Trick title: the Hateful Plateful Trick title: The Hockey Trick title: The Home Run 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: The Eyes of the Killer Robot title: The Mummy, the Will, and the Crypt title: The Revenge of the Wizard's Ghost |
BRO |
No Flying in the House
(age 8-11) by Betty Brock friendship ... magic ... fantasy Most little girls have parents to look after them, but not Annabel Tippens. She has Gloria, a tiny white dog who talks and wears a gold collar. And that's not the only thing that makes Annabel different: She can do all kinds of things that other kids can't do, like kiss her own elbow and fly around the house! Could it be true that Annabel is not a little girl at all, but a fairy? Soon Annabel will have to decide. If she chooses to be a fairy, she'll have to say good-bye to Gloria forever. But how can she decide between her newly found magic and her dearest friend? |
WOO |
The Summer I Shrank My Grandmother
(age 8-11) by Elvira Woodruff action ... humor ... fantasy ... magic When aspiring scientist Nelly Brown uses a magic chemistry set to make her grandmother young again but is unable to stop the alteration, the seventy-year-old woman becomes a baby and Nelly fears that she may shrink into nothing. |
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. |
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 |
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 |
CAM |
Julia's Magic
(age 8-11) by Eleanor Cameron magic ... family A broken perfume bottle and the threat of losing their home cause a crisis in the Redfern family that shakes Julia's belief in magic. |
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. |
BAK |
The Tales of the Frog Princess (age 8-11) by E. D. Baker princesses ... humor ... folklore ... magic ... fantasy ... action After reluctantly kissing a frog, an awkward, fourteen-year-old princess suddenly finds herself a frog, too, and sets off with the prince to seek the means--and the self-confidence--to become human again. title: The Frog Princess title: Dragon's Breath title: No Place for Magic title: Once Upon a Curse title: The Salamander Spell: A Prequel to the Tales of the Frog Princess title: Dragon Kiss title: The Dragon Princess |
KRE |
The Dragon Circle
(age 8-11) by Stephen Krensky adventure ... knights/castles/dragons ... magic The magical Wynd family becomes involved with dragons needing help in recovering treasure lost centuries before at the bottom of a lake. |
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? |
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. |
FLE |
Mr. Mysterious and Company
(age 8-11) by Sid Fleischman humor ... family ... voyages/journeys ... magic The adventures of a family of magicians traveling across the western deserts and plains in the 1880s. |
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 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: Jennifer Murdley's Toad title: The Skull of Truth title: Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher title: The Monster's Ring |
RYL |
The Van Gogh Cafe
(age 8-11) by Cynthia Rylant fantasy ... magic The Van Gogh Cafe, located in Flowers, Kansas, has magic in its walls, causing strange and mysterious events to occur. |
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 |
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. |