WOO |
Dear Napoleon, I Know You're Dead, But...
(age 9-12) by Elvira Woodruff fantasy ... letters/journal ... spooky Catalog: Marty receives a surprising reply when he writes a letter describing his spirited but sick grandfather to Napoleon Bonaparte. |
BAR |
Peter Pan
(age 9-12) by J. M. Barrie fantasy ... adventure Welcome to Neverland! For three lucky children living in London, nothing could seem better than a faraway world where you were free to play all day. In this magical world, there would be no school. And no parents to tell you to brush your teeth. Or to sit up straight, or to eat your vegetables. Best of all, in this make-believe world no one would ever grow up. Children would remain children forever. As Wendy, John, and Michael and are about to discover, this faraway land is not so very far away after all. In fact, it is but a short dream away. On a world within a cloud called Neverland. It truly is a dream come true! But no dream lasts forever. Every child has to grow up eventually. Unless, of course, that child is named Peter Pan. |
BUR |
Sara Crewe: Or, What Happened at Miss Minchin's
(age 9-12) by Frances Hodgson Burnett growing up ... friendship ... fantasy When she is orphaned, the star pupil of Miss Minchin's boarding school in London becomes a penniless, friendless ward of the cruel Miss Minchin. |
LOF |
The Story of Doctor Dolittle: Being the History of His Peculiar Life at Home and Astonishing Adventures in Foreign Parts Never Before Printed
(age 9-12) by Hugh Lofting fantasy ... animals The adventures of a kind-hearted doctor, who is fond of animals and understands their language, as he travels to Africa with some of his favorite pets to cure the monkeys of a terrible sickness. |
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 Apprentice |
RUB |
Children of the Seventh Prophecy
(age 9-12) by Amy Kateman Rubin adventure ... fantasy Klig, the troll prince, enlists Alice and Bernard to help fight the dark forces which are attempting to bring about the fulfillment of the Seventh Prophecy. |
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 |
HEL |
Horns and Wrinkles
(age 9-12) by Joseph Helgerson adventure ... humor ... fantasy How can you tell if a river's under a spell? River trolls, rock trolls, blue-wing fairies--the usual suspects--the stretch of the Mississippi where Claire lives has rumors of them all, not that she's ever spotted any. But then Claire's cousin Duke takes a swim and sprouts a horn--a long, pointy, handsome thing. After that, Claire doesn't have much choice but to believe that something rivery is going on, especially since she's the only one who can help Duke lose his new addition. In the tradition of grand river adventures, Joseph Helgerson's tale is as twisty and unpredictable as the Mississippi River itself, while an unusual cast of characters adds pepper to the pot. Readers of all ages will enjoy getting in--and out of--trouble with Claire and Duke in this nimble, sharp, and funny fantasy. |
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! |
FLA |
The Ranger's Apprentice Series (age 9-12) by John Flanagan fantasy ... adventure ... action He had always wanted to be a warrior. The Rangers, with their dark cloaks and shadowy ways, made him nervous. The villagers believe the Rangers practice magic that makes them invisible to ordinary people. And now fifteen year-old Will, always small for his age, has been chosen as a Ranger's apprentice. What he doesn't realize yet is that the Rangers are the protectors of the kingdom. Highly trained in the skills of battle and surveillance, they fight the battles before the battles reach the people. And as Will is about to learn, there is a large battle brewing. The exiled Morgarath, Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night, is gathering his forces for an attack on the kingdom. This time, he will not be denied.... title: The Ruins of Gorlan title: The Burning Bridge title: The Icebound Land title: The Battle For Skandia title: The Sorcerer of the North title: The Siege of Macindaw |
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. |
BUC |
The Sisters Grimm Series (age 9-12) by Michael Buckley fantasy ... folklore ... humor ... mystery In the tradition of Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events and The Spiderwick Chronicles comes a new humorous mystery of fantastic circumstances. The Sisters Grimm Book One: The Fairy Tale Detectives introduces us to two orphaned sisters, Sabrina and Daphne, who are sent to live with their mysterious grandmother, Relda Grimm. Grandmother Grimm lives in a strange town in New York State, known for it's extraordinary number of unexplained and unusual crimes. As soon as the sisters arrive, they begin to unravel a mystery that leads to their ancestors' magical beginnings. Sabrina and Daphne learn they are descendants of the Brothers Grimm, who were actually detectives of the magical phenomenon perpetrated by the Everafters, a parallel race of magical beings. They soon discover it is the Grimm family's legacy to keep the Everafters in line and the two sisters are the sole heirs to this challenge! title: The Fairy-Tale Detectives title: The Unusual Suspects title: The Problem Child title: Once Upon a Crime title: Magic and Other Misdemeanors title: Tales From the Hood title: The Everafter War title: The Inside Story |
PEC |
The Dreadful Future of Blossom Culp
(age 9-12) by Richard Peck fantasy ... school ... friendship ... spooky Blossom, not the most popular member of her freshman class in 1914, travels ahead seventy years, and returns in time to make Halloween a memorable night for her classmates and teachers. |
LOF |
The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle
(age 9-12) by Hugh Lofting animals ... adventure ... fantasy When his colleague Long Arrow disappears, Dr. Dolittle sets off with his assistant, Tommy Stubbins, his dog, Jip, and Polynesia the parrot on an adventurous voyage over tropical seas to floating Spidermonkey Island. |
LIS |
Afternoon of the Elves
(age 9-12) by Janet Taylor Lisle fantasy ... friendship As Hillary works in the miniature village, allegedly built by elves, in Sara-Kate's backyard, she becomes more and more curious about Sara-Kate's real life inside her big, gloomy house with her mysterious, silent mother. |
KIR |
The Pagemaster
(age 9-12) by David Kirschner authorship ... fantasy A young boy finds shelter in a library, where to his peril, stories in the books come alive. |
GLO |
Outside the Gates
(age 9-12) by Molly Gloss fantasy Vren, exiled into the dark forest outside the Gates, finds a new life with a friendly weather-worker, until their gentle existence is disrupted by a spellbinder misusing his power. |
MCA |
Mistmantle Chronicles (age 9-12) by M.I. McAllister fantasy ... adventure The start of an exciting new trilogy, Urchin of the Riding Stars is an epic, Shakespearian story of murder, treachery and revenge set on the island of Mistmantle, a world of squirrels, otters, and moles. title: Urchin of the Riding Stars title: Urchin and the Heartstone title: The Heir of Mistmantle |
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 |
GRA |
The Wind in the Willows
(age 9-12) by Kenneth Grahame adventure ... fantasy When Mole goes boating with the Water Rat instead of spring-cleaning, he discovers a new world. As well as the river and the Wild Wood, there is Toad's craze for fast travel, which leads him and his friends on a whirl of trains, barges, gipsy caravans and motor cars, and into a lot of trouble. |
COV |
The Unicorn Chronicles (age 9-12) by Bruce Coville magic ... fantasy This is the magical story of Cara, a girl sent on a mission by her grandmother to the land of the unicorns. Only Cara can protect the unicorns and their world from invasion. title: Into the Land of the Unicorns |
TOL |
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
(age 9-12) by J. R. R. Tolkien fantasy ... voyages/journeys Bilbo Baggins, a respectable, well-to-do hobbit, lives comfortably in his hobbit-hole until the day the wandering wizard Gandalf chooses him to take part in an adventure from which he may never return. |
SAI |
The Little Prince
(age 9-12) by Antoine de Saint-Exupery folklore ... voyages/journeys ... fantasy ... science fiction A flier is forced to make a landing in the Sahara Desert where he meets a little prince from a distant asteroid, who describes for the pilot his strange adventures on various planets. |
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 title: Into the Mist |
ARM |
Whittington
(age 9-12) by Alan Armstrong authorship ... folklore ... family ... fantasy Abby and Ben come to the barn every day to help feed the animals. Abby shares her worry that Ben can't really read yet and that he refuses to go to Special Ed. Whittington the cat and the Lady, the leader of the barnyard animals, decide that Abby should give Ben reading lessons in the barn. It is a balm for Ben when, having toughed out the daily lesson, Whittington comes to tell, in tantalizing installments, the story handed down to him from his nameless forebearer, Dick Whittington's cat: the legend of the lad born into poverty in rural England during the Black Death, who runs away to London to seek his fortune. This is an unforgettable tale about how learning to read saves one little boy. It is about the healing, transcendent power of storytelling and how, if you have loved ones surrounding you and good stories to tell, to listen to, and to read, you have just about everything of value in this world. |
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 |
Dragons of Deltora Series (age 9-12) by Emily Rodda adventure ... fantasy ... knights/castles/dragons In the first book of this series, Dragon's Nest, the evil Shadow Lord has been banished, but famine still stalks Deltora, and only monsters thrive. As the starving people weaken, Lief, Jasmine and Barda discover a terrible secret. The Enemy left the seeds of death behind him. Four vile creations of sorcery called the Four Sisters are hidden in the land. They are slowly killing it while the Shadow Lord gloats, awaiting his triumphant return. The companions must find the deadly Sisters and destroy them. Their only clue is a fragment of an ancient map. Their only hope of help lies with 7 unlikely allies - the last of Deltora's dragons. title: Dragons Nest title: Shadowgate title: The Sister of the South title: Isle of the Dead |
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 |
BAU |
The Wizard of Oz Series (age 9-12) by L. Frank Baum princesses ... voyages/journeys ... friendship ... fantasy They're off to read the Wizard--the original, imaginative American tale written by Frank L. Baum just over a century ago. All the beloved characters are here, along with the splendid Emerald City and the shoes with unparalleled power. title: The Wizard of Oz title: Ozma of Oz title: Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz title: The Road to Oz title: The Emerald City of Oz title: The Patchwork Girl of Oz |
LAS |
Legends of the Ga'hoole (age 9-12) by Kathryn Lasky action ... adventure ... fantasy It is a time of Legends and a time of chaos. Warlords vie for power and marauding outlaws roam the land. Good King Hrath and his queen, Siv, noble Spotted Owls struggle to keep peace in their kingdom. Grank, noble Spotted Owl, friend and supporter of King Hrath, has exiled himself to Beyond the Beyond, where he has developed his firesight and learns how to work with embers, fire and how to forge metals. He is the First Collier. Deep in a volcano in the farthest reaches of Beyond the Beyond, he discovers a magical Ember but fears its awful powers will be misused and hides it again. title: The First Collier title: The Coming of Hoole title: To Be a King |
LAS |
Guardians of the Ga'hoole Series (age 9-12) by Kathryn Lasky adventure ... fantasy In the first book in the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series The Capture, readers meet Soren, a barn owl who discovers a great evil in the owl kingdom which he must work to vanquish. title: The Capture title: The Rescue title: The Siege title: The Shattering title: The Burning title: The Hatchling title: The Outcast title: The Golden Tree title: The River of Wind title: Exile |
NOR |
The Borrowers Series (age 9-12) by Mary Norton fantasy ... adventure ... family A family of tiny people live underneath the boards of an English home and ``borrow'' what they need. title: The Borrowers |
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. |
NIM |
Children of the Red King (Charlie Bone) Series (age 9-12) by Jenny Nimmo adventure ... fantasy ... school This series chronicles Charlie's mysterious adventures at Bloor's Academy. title: Midnight for Charlie Bone title: Charlie Bone and the Castle of Mirrors title: Charlie Bone and the Hidden King title: Charlie Bone and the Invisible Boy title: Charlie Bone and the Time Twister |
LEW |
The Chronicles of Narnia (age 9-12) by C. S. Lewis war ... family ... fantasy ... adventure In the first book of this series, ``The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe'', Lucy is the first to find the secret of the wardrobe in the professor's mysterious old house. At first, no one believes her when she tells of her adventures in the land of Narnia. But soon Edmund and then Peter and Susan discover the Magic and meet Aslan, the Great Lion, for themselves. In the blink of an eye, their lives are changed forever. title: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe title: The Magician's Nephew title: The Horse and His Boy title: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader title: The Silver Chair |
LEV |
Ella Enchanted
(age 9-12) by Gail Carson Levine folklore ... fantasy In this novel based on the story of Cinderella, Ella struggles against the childhood curse that forces her to obey any order given to her. |
JAN |
The Moomintroll Stories (age 9-12) by Tove Jansson humor ... fantasy ... adventure ... family Adventures of the members of this family center around the Hobgoblin's tall black top hat and the Valley of the Moomins. title: Comet in Moominland |
IBB |
Which Witch?
(age 9-12) by Eva Ibbotson humor ... fantasy When handsome Arriman the Awful announces a contest to choose his bride, every witch in town is a flutter because only the meanest witch in town will wed Arriman. Belladonna is dismayed because all she can conjure up are begonias and baby birds. |
IBB |
The Secret of Platform 13
(age 9-12) by Eva Ibbotson adventure ... fantasy A forgotten door on an abandoned railway platform is the entrance to a magical kingdom--an island where humans live happily with mermaids, ogres, and other wonderful creatures--and is only accessible for nine days every nine years. When the island's prince is captured, it's up to a strange band of rescuers to save him. But can they do it before the door closes for another nine years? |
IBB |
Island of the Aunts
(age 9-12) by Eva Ibbotson adventure ... fantasy When the kindly old aunts decide that they need help caring for creatures who live on their hidden island, they know that adults can't be trusted. What they need are a few special children who can keep a secret; a secret as big as a magical island. And what better way to get children who can keep really big secrets, than to kidnap them! (After all, some children just plain need to be kidnapped.) |
FUN |
Dragon Rider
(age 9-12) by Cornelia Funke knights/castles/dragons ... fantasy After learning that humans are headed toward his hidden home, Firedrake, a silver dragon, is joined by a brownie and an orphan boy in a quest to find the legendary valley known as the Rim of Heaven, encountering friendly and unfriendly creatures along the way, and struggling to evade the relentless pursuit of an old enemy. |
COL |
Artemis Fowl Series (age 9-12) by Eoin Colfer math/science/technology ... mystery ... adventure ... science fiction ... brilliant protagonist ... adventure ... action ... fantasy Artemis Fowl, a charming but villainous twelve-year-old, takes on the dangerous world of the Fairy People in this unforgettable story. Full of unexpected twists and turns, Artemis Fowl opens up a riveting world of fantasy and mystery where anything, literally, is possible. title: Artemis Fowl title: The Artemis Fowl Files |
BUR |
The Secret Garden
(age 9-12) by Frances Hodgson Burnett fantasy ... friendship When Mary Lennox, lonely and sad, comes to live at her uncle's great house on the Yorkshire moors, she finds it full of secrets. At night, she hears the sound of crying down one of the long corridors. Outside, she meets a magical boy who can charm and talk to animals. Then, one day, Mary discovers the most mysterious wonder of all--a secret garden, walled and locked, which has been completely forgotten for years and years. Is everything in the garden dead, or can Mary bring it back to life? |
BUR |
A Little Princess
(age 9-12) by Frances Hodgson Burnett growing up ... friendship ... fantasy A Little Princess tells the story of Ann, whose comfortable life as the daughter of a wealthy and loving father is destroyed when he goes missing. Though she faces many challenges, we find that her strength of character makes her special indeed. |
BOS |
The Children of Green Knowe
(age 9-12) by L. M. Boston spooky ... adventure ... fantasy This is the first thrilling and chilling tale of Green Knowe, a haunted manor deep in an overgrown garden in the English countryside. sequel: The River at Green Knowe sequel: A Stranger at Green Knowe sequel: An Enemy at Green Knowe sequel: Treasure of Green Knowe |
BAB |
Tuck Everlasting
(age 9-12) by Natalie Babbitt adventure ... fantasy The Tuck family is confronted with an agonizing situation when they discover that a ten-year-old girl and a malicious stranger now share their secret about a spring whose water prevents one from ever growing any older. |