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SNY
Eyes in the Fishbowl (age 10+)
by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
fantasy ... spooky
Catalog: Locked in one evening with the vast wealth of the Alcott-Simpson department store, a fourteen-year-old boy meets an unusual girl who hints about the mysterious "they" and tells him of strange goings-on in the building.
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HUN
Warriors Super Edition (age 10+)
by Erin Hunter
war ... adventure ... fantasy
Publisher comments: There is peace at last between the warrior Clans, and all four are thriving. Then Firestar, legendary leader of ThunderClan, discovers a shocking secret: StarClan, the warrior ancestors who guide his paw steps, have lied to him. Firestar must embark on a perilous quest to discover a long-forgotten truth. Whatever he finds at the end of his journey, he’s sure of one thing: Nothing will ever be the same again.
title: Firestar's Quest
title: Bluestar's Prophecy
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AVI
The Book Without Words: a Fable of Medieval Magic (age 10+)
by Avi
folklore ... historical ... fantasy ... magic
Thorston, an alchemist who has spent his life trying to decipher the secret to immortality contained in the Book Without Words, is on the brink of realizing his dream when he drops dead, leaving Odo, a talking raven, and Sybil, a servant who was about to be sacrificed to Thorston's plan, to reap the rewards of his work.
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BAR
The Lost Years of Merlin Series (age 10+)
by T. A. Barron
magic ... identity ... folklore ... adventure ... fantasy
A young boy who has no identity nor memory of his past washes ashore on the coast of Wales. Only after a series of fantastic adventures does he find his true name.
title: The Lost Years of Merlin
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BEL
The Rescue of Ranor (age 10+)
by Wilanne Schneider Belden
magic ... adventure ... fantasy
Having no magic powers of his own, Sven Pentalion enlists the help of a white witch and her familiar, a goblin demon, to help rescue his brother from a powerful Black Enchanter.
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AIK
Nightbirds on Nantucket (age 10+)
by Joan Aiken
animals ... humor ... fantasy ... adventure
Having had enough of life on board the ship that saved her from a watery grave, Dido Twite wants nothing more than to sail home to England. Instead, Captain Casket's ship lands in Nantucket, where Dido and the captain's daughter, Dutiful Penitence, are left in the care of Dutiful's sinister Aunt Tribulation. In Tribulation's farmhouse, life is unbearable. When mysterious men lurk about in the evening fog, the resourceful Dido rallies against their shenanigans with help from Dutiful, a cabinboy named Nate, and a pink whale.
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AIK
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (age 10+)
by Joan Aiken
humor ... fantasy ... adventure
Bonnie and her cousin Sylvia don't know the trouble in store for them when Bonnie's parents leave them in the care of the terrible Miss Slighcarp.
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PIE
The Circle Opens Series (age 10+)
by Tamora Pierce
action ... adventure ... mystery ... magic ... fantasy
Publisher comments: While caring for her uncle in Summersea, Lady Sandrilene Fa Toren witnesses a boy working a most unusual spell. Pasco can dance magic, but he wants nothing to do with his powers. It's up to Sandry to teach him about his magic, and to convince him he can use it to get to the bottom of a series of gruesome murders.
title: Magic Steps
title: Cold Fire
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PIE
Song of the Lioness Series (age 10+)
by Tamora Pierce
knights/castles/dragons ... action ... adventure ... fantasy
Publisher comments: Becoming a legend is not easy, as young Alanna of Trebond discovers when she disguises herself as a boy and begins training to be a knight. Alanna's skills and stubborness help her befriend Prince Jonathan and alienate his evil uncle, Duke Roger. Filled with swords and sorcery, adventure and intrigue, good and evil, this book is a rousing introduction to the intensely satisfying story of Alanna.
title: Alanna: The First Adventure
title: In the Hand of the Goddess
title: Lioness Rampant
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HOF
Aquamarine (age 10+)
by Alice Hoffman
fantasy ... growing up ... friendship
Publisher comments: Hailey and Claire are spending their last summer together when they discover something at the bottom of the murky pool at the Capri Beach Club. There in the depths is a mysterious and beautiful creature with a sharp tongue and a broken heart: a mermaid named Aquamarine who has left her six sisters to search for love on land. Now, as this mythological yet very real being starts to fade in the burning August sun, a rescue is begun. On the edge of growing up, during a summer that is the hottest on record, Hailey and Claire are discovering that life can take an unpredictable course, friendship is forever, and magic can be found in the most unexpected places.
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DUA
Young Wizards Series (age 10+)
by Diane Duane
action ... adventure ... humor ... magic ... fantasy
Publisher comments: Something stopped Nita's hand as it ran along the bookshelf. She looked and found that one of the books had a loose thread at the top of its spine. It was one of those So You Want to Be a . . . books, a series on careers. So You Want to Be a Pilot, and a Scientist . . . a Writer. But his one said, So You Want to Be a Wizard. I don't believe this, Nina thought. She shut the book and stood there holding it in her hand, confused, amazed, suspicious--and delighted. If it was a joke, it was a great one. If it wasn't . . . ?
title: Deep Wizardry
title: A Wizard Abroad
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IBB
The Dragonfly Pool (age 10+)
by Eva Ibbotson
adventure ... friendship ... fantasy
Publisher comments: At first Tally doesn't want to go to the boarding school called Delderton. But she soon discovers that it is a wonderful place where freedom and self-expression are valued. Tally organizes a ragtag dance troupe so the school can participate in an international folk dancing festival in Bergania in the summer of 1939. There she befriends Karil, the crown prince, who would love nothing more than to have ordinary friends and attend a school like Delderton. When Karilas father is assassinated, it is up to Tally and her friends to help Karil escape the Nazis and the bleak future he has inherited.
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LEV
Ever (age 10+)
by Gail Carson Levine
adventure ... fantasy
Publisher comments: Falling in love is never easy, but falling in love with an immortal god while your days on earth are numbered is almost more than a young girl can bear. Newbery Honor author Gail Carson Levine has created a stunning new world of flawed gods, unbreakable vows, and ancient omens in this spellbinding story of Kezi, a girl confronted with a terrible destiny. Attempting to thwart her fate, Kezi and her love, Olus, the god of wind and loneliness, embark on a series of dangerous and seemingly impossible quests.
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HUN
The Seekers Series (age 10+)
by Erin Hunter
adventure ... fantasy
Publisher comments: From the author of the Warriors books comes a brand-new animal fantasy series. Three young bears from different species (black, polar, and grizzly) are separated from their families when they are just young cubs. They find themselves brought together on a perilous journey. Fate is about to change all these bears lives forever, setting their paws on a path toward a future they cannot yet imagine . . .
title: The Quest Begins
title: Great Bear Lake
title: Smoke Mountain
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LAW
Savvy (age 10+)
by Ingrid Law
growing up ... fantasy ... family
Publisher comments: For generations, the Beaumont family has harbored a magical secret. They each possess a "savvy", a special supernatural power that strikes when they turn thirteen. Grandpa Bomba moves mountains, her older brothers create hurricanes and spark electricity...and now it's the eve of Mibs's big day. As if waiting weren't hard enough, the family gets scary news two days before Mibs's birthday: Poppa has been in a terrible accident. Mibs develops the singular mission to get to the hospital and prove that her new power can save her dad. So she sneaks onto a salesman's bus...only to find the bus heading in the opposite direction. Suddenly Mibs finds herself on an unforgettable odyssey that will force her to make sense of growing up and of other people, who might also have a few secrets hidden just beneath the skin.
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YOL
Pit Dragon Series (age 10+)
by Jane Yolen
adventure ... action ... fantasy
Jakkin, a bond boy who works as a Keeper in a dragon nursery on the planet Austar IV, secretly trains a fighting pit dragon of his own in hopes of winning his freedom.
title: Dragon's Blood
title: Heart's Blood
title: A Sending of Dragons
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HOR
Gatekeeper's Series (age 10+)
by Anthony Horowitz
fantasy ... adventure ... action
As punishment for a crime he didn't really commit, Matt was given a choice: go to jail or go live with an old woman named Mrs. Deverill in a remote town called Lesser Malling. He should have chosen jail. A strange and sinister plan is coming together made in Lesser Malling, with Matt at the center of it all. People who try to help him disappear . . . or die. It all ties to an evil place named Raven's Gate - a place whose destiny is horrifyingly intertwined with Matt's own.
title: Ravens Gate
title: Evil Star
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GAI
Coraline (age 10+)
by Neil Gaiman
family ... fantasy ... spooky
When Coraline steps through a door to find another house strangely similar to her own (only better), things seem marvelous. But there's another mother there, and another father, and they want her to stay and be their little girl. They want to change her and never let her go. Coraline will have to fight with all her wit and courage if she is to save herself and return to her ordinary life.
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STR
The Bartimaeus Trilogy (age 10+)
by Jonathan Stroud
humor ... adventure ... action ... fantasy ... magic
Nathaniel is a young magician's apprentice, taking his first lessons in the arts of magic. But when a devious hotshot wizard named Simon Lovelace ruthlessly humiliates Nathaniel in front of everyone he knows, Nathaniel decides to kick up his education a few notches and show Lovelace who's boss. With revenge in his mind, he masters one of the toughest spells of all: summoning the all-powerful djinni, Bartimaeus. But summoning Bartimaeus and controlling him are two different things entirely, and when Nathaniel sends the djinni out to steal the powerful Amulet of Samarkand, Nathaniel finds himself caught up in a whirlwind of magical espionage, murder, blackmail, and revolt.
title: The Amulet of Samarkand
title: The Golems Eye
title: Ptolemy's Gate
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PAV
The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness (age 10+)
by Michelle Paver
fantasy ... action ... adventure
Six thousand years ago. Evil stalks the land. Only twelve-year-old Torak and his wolf-cub companion can defeat it. Their journey together takes them through deep forests, across giant glaciers, and into dangers they never imagined. In this page-turning, original, and spectacularly told adventure story, Torak and Wolf are joined by an incredible cast of characters as they battle to save their world, in this first book in the "Chronicles of Ancient Darkness."
title: Wolf Brother
title: Spirit Walker
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LOW
Gathering Blue (age 10+)
by Lois Lowry
fantasy ... identity ... science fiction
Kira, an orphan with a twisted leg, lives in a world where the weak are cast aside. She fears for her future until she is spared by the all-powerful Council of Guardians. Kira is a gifted weaver and is given a task that no other community member can do. While her talent keeps her alive and brings certain privileges, Kira soon realizes she is surrounded by many mysteries and secrets. No one must know of her plans to uncover the truth about her world and see what places exist beyond. Companion to The Giver.
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LOW
Messenger (age 10+)
by Lois Lowry
fantasy ... identity ... science fiction
Strange changes are taking place in Village. Once a utopian community that prided itself on its welcome to new strangers, Village will soon be closed to all outsiders. As one of the few people able to travel through the dangerous Forest, Matty must deliver the message of Village's closing and try to convince Seer's daughter to return with him before it's too late. But Forest has become hostile to Matty as well, and he must risk everything to fight his way through it, armed only with an emerging power he cannot yet explain or understand. The characters from Lowry's The Giver and Gathering Blue meet in this shocking novel of utopia gone wrong.
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LOW
Gossamer (age 10+)
by Lois Lowry
fantasy ... growing up
Where do dreams come from? What stealthy nighttime messengers are the guardians of our most deeply hidden hopes and our half-forgotten fears? Drawing on her rich imagination, two-time Newbery winner Lois Lowry confronts these questions and explores the conflicts between the gentle bits and pieces of the past that come to life in dream, and the darker horrors that find their form in nightmare. In a haunting story that tiptoes between reality and imagination, two people (a lonely, sensitive woman and a damaged, angry boy) face their own histories and discover what they can be to one another, renewed by the strength that comes from a tiny, caring creature they will never see.
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JON
Power of Three (age 10+)
by Diana Wynne Jones
adventure ... fantasy
Ayna could predict the future. Cari could find what was lost. Gair thought he was ordinary. The three children of Gest, the chief of Garholt, know the perils of the Moor on which they live. The Dorig, their people's enemies, are cold-blooded, fierce underwater creatures who terrify anyone unlucky enough to happen upon them. The Giants are dangerous and violent. But it's not until their home is invaded that Gair learns of a dying curse that endangers all three peoples of the Moor. A curse that ordinary Gair, with the help of his extraordinary brother and sister, may be able to break, but only at the most dreadful risk to all three, and to the Moor itself.
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JON
The Chronicles of Chrestomanci (age 10+)
by Diana Wynne Jones
magic ... fantasy
In the multiple parallel universes of the Twelve Related Worlds, only an enchanter with nine lives is powerful enough to control the rampant misuse of magic, and to hold the title Chrestomanci. . . . Cat and Christopher Chant make the most unusual friends. Christopher befriends a boy with terrible karma in a mansion where everything keeps changing. Cat meets a girl whose family of rogue witches is hiding shocking secrets. Will the Chrestomanci be able to sort out the tangle of mysteries and magic?
title: The Chronicles of Chrestomanci
title: Charmed Life
title: Conrad's Fate: a Chrestomanci Book
title: The Pinhoe Egg
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CHE
Tales of Gom in the Legends of Ulm Series (age 10+)
by Grace Chetwin
magic ... adventure ... fantasy
Gom, the son of a poor woodcutter and his wife, grows up with his father after his mother leaves home and his siblings go to stay with townsfolk and discovers he has unusual abilities which bring him trouble, yet lead him to envision a different sort of life for himself.
title: The Riddle and the Rune
title: The Crystal Stair
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SWI
Gulliver's Travels (age 10+)
by Jonathan Swift
fantasy ... humor
The unusual voyages of Englishman Lemuel Gulliver carry him to such strange locales as Lilliput, where the inhabitants are six inches tall; Brobdingnag, a land of giants; an island of sorcerers; and a nation ruled by horses.
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TOL
The Lord of the Rings Series (age 10+)
by J. R. R. Tolkien
voyages/journeys ... fantasy ... adventure
Sauron, the Dark Lord, has gathered to him all the Rings of Power except one ... the One Ring that rules them all ... which has fallen into the hands of the hobbit Bilbo Baggins. Young Frodo Baggins finds himself faced with an immense task when Bilbo entrusts the Ring to his care. Frodo must make a perilous journey across Middle-earth to the Cracks of Doom, there to destroy the Ring and foil the Dark Lord in his evil purpose.
title: The Fellowship of the Ring, Being the First Part of the Lord of the Rings
title: The Two Towers, Being the Second Part of the Lord of the Rings
title: The Return of the King, Being the Third Part of the Lord of the Rings
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LEV
The Two Princesses of Bamarre (age 10+)
by Gail Carson Levine
princesses ... adventure ... fantasy ... magic ... illness/loss
When a plague strikes Bamarre, Princess Addie must save her sister. Brave and adventureous, Princess Meryl dreams of fighting dragons and protecting the kingdom of Bamarre. Shy and fearful, Princess Addie is content to stay within the safety of the castle walls. The one thing that the sisters share is their unwavering love for each other. The tables are turned, however, when the Gray Death leaves Meryl fatally ill. To save her sister, meek Princess Addie must find the courage to set out on a dangerous quest filled with dragons, unknown magic, and death itself. Time is running out, and the sisters' lives ... and the future of the kingdom of Bamarre ... hang in the balance.
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MCC
Harper Hall Trilogy (age 10+)
by Anne McCaffrey
folklore ... the arts ... fantasy ... adventure
Forbidden by her father to indulge in music in any way, a girl on the planet Pern runs away, taking shelter with the planet's fire lizards who, along with her music, open a new life for her.
title: Dragonsong
title: Dragondrums
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PAO
The Inheritance Series (age 10+)
by Christopher Paolini
adventure ... action ... magic ... fantasy
Fifteen-year-old Eragon believes that he is merely a poor farm boy ... until his destiny as a Dragon Rider is revealed. Gifted with only an ancient sword, a loyal dragon, and sage advice from an old storyteller, Eragon is soon swept into a dangerous tapestry of magic, glory, and power. Now his choices could save ... or destroy ... the Empire.
title: Eragon
title: Eldest
title: Brisingr, or, the Seven Promises of Eragon Shadeslayer and Saphira Bjartskular
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COO
Seaward (age 10+)
by Susan Cooper
folklore ... fantasy ... voyages/journeys ... survival
His name is West. Her name is Cally. They speak different languages and come from different countries thousands of miles apart, but they do not know that. What they do know are the tragedies that took their parents, then wrenched the two of them out of reality, into a strange and perilous world through which they must travel together, knowing only that they must reach the sea. Together West and Cally embark upon a strange and sometimes terrifying quest, learning to survive and to love and, at last, the real secret of their journey.
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CHA
Summerland (age 10+)
by Michael Chabon
fantasy ... magic ... sports
For over a century, the people of Clam Island, Washington, have enjoyed barbecues and baseball games and Summerland, on the Western tip of the island, where it never rains. The small beings...known as ferishers...who ensure this perfect weather, however, are threatened by an ancient enemy, and need a hero...a baseball star, in fact...to vanquish their foe.
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YEP
Dragon of the Lost Sea (age 10+)
by Laurence Yep
princesses ... knights/castles/dragons ... adventure ... fantasy ... folklore
The exiled dragon princess Shimmer and a frail human boy, Thorn, search for the powerful witch Civet, who stole the Dragon Clan's sea and captured it in a pebble.
sequel: Dragon Steel
sequel: Dragon War
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SEL
The Genie of Sutton Place (age 10+)
by George Selden
magic ... fantasy
A young boy recounts the events of the summer when he had the services of an Arabian genie at his disposal.
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RYL
The Islander: a Novel (age 10+)
by Cynthia Rylant
growing up ... fantasy ... family
Living with his grandfather on an island off British Columbia, orphaned ten-year-old Daniel feels deep loneliness until the night he meets a mermaid whose identity he tries to learn.
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PUL
His Dark Materials (age 10+)
by Philip Pullman
growing up ... spooky ... action ... adventure ... fantasy
Lyra Belaqua is content to run wild among the scholars of Jordan College, with her daemon familiar Pantalaimon always by her side. But the arrival of her fearsome uncle, Lord Asriel, draws her to the heart of a terrible struggle ... a struggle born of Gobblers and stolen children, witch clans and armored bears. And as she hurtles toward danger in the cold, far North, young Lyra never suspects the shocking truth: She alone is destined to win, or to lose, this more-than-mortal battle.
title: The Golden Compass
title: The Subtle Knife
title: The Amber Spyglass
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PIE
Protector of the Small Series (age 10+)
by Tamora Pierce
enterprise ... fantasy ... knights/castles/dragons
In the first book, First Test, Ten-year-old Keladry of Mindalen, daughter of nobles, serves as a page but must prove herself to the males around her if she is ever to fulfill her dream of becoming a knight.
title: Page
title: Squire
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HAN
The Seer and the Sword (age 10+)
by Victoria Hanley
princesses ... fantasy ... historical
Princess Torina, who has the ability to see the future, and her friend Landen, who seeks a sword that belongs to his conquered kingdom, are separated when a treacherous murderer gains power, but from exile each works to restore peace and the rightful rulers.
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HAL
Princess Academy (age 10+)
by Shannon Hale
princesses ... fantasy ... friendship ... school
Miri lives on a mountain where, for generations, her ancestors have quarried stone and lived a simple life. Then word comes that the king's priests have divined her small village the home of the future princess. In a year's time, the prince himself will come and choose his bride from among the girls of the village. The king's ministers set up an academy on the mountain, and every teenage girl must attend and learn how to become a princess. Miri soon finds herself confronted with a harsh academy mistress, bitter competition among the girls, and her own conflicting desires to be chosen and win the heart of her childhood best friend. But when bandits seek out the academy to kidnap the future princess, Miri must rally the girls together and use a power unique to the mountain dwellers to save herself and her classmates.
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FLE
Dragon Chronicles (age 10+)
by Susan Fletcher
knights/castles/dragons ... fantasy ... adventure
In Dragon's Milk, the first of the series, Kaeldra, an outsider adopted by an Elythian family as a baby, possesses the power to understand dragons and uses this power to try to save her younger sister, who needs dragon's milk to recover from an illness.
title: Dragon's Milk
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RIO
Percy Jackson and the Olympians (age 10+)
by Rick Riordan
action ... folklore ... fantasy ... adventure
Percy, expelled from six schools for being unable to control his temper, learns the truth from his mother that his father is the Greek god Poseidon, and is sent to Camp Half Blood where he is befriended by a satyr and the demigod daughter of Athena who join him in a journey to the Underworld to retrieve Zeus's lightning bolt and prevent a catastrophic war.
title: The Lightning Thief
title: The Sea of Monsters
title: The Titan's Curse
title: the Battle of the Labyrinth
title: The Last Olympian
title: The Demigod Files
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HUN
Warriors: Omen of the Stars (age 10+)
by Erin Hunter
war ... adventure ... fantasy
Publisher comments: Four warrior Clans have shared the land around the lake as equals for many moons. But a prophecy foretells that three ThunderClan cats will hold the power of the stars in their paws. Jayfeather and Lionblaze know that they are two of the cats in the prophecy. Now the brothers must wait for a sign from StarClan to discover the identity of the third cat. Meanwhile, Dovekit and Ivykit¿kin of the great leader Firestar¿are poised to become ThunderClan apprentices. Soon one sister will have an ominous dream¿and will begin to realize that she possesses mystical skills unmatched by any other cat. In the midst of a cruel season that threatens the lives of all four warrior Clans, bonds will be forged, promises made, and three young cats will start to unravel the secrets that bind them together.
title: Fading Echoes
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HUN
Warriors, Power of Three Series (age 10+)
by Erin Hunter
war ... adventure ... fantasy
In a troubled time for the Clans, three young cats, grandchildren of the legendary Firestar, begin their training as warriors and, in the course of many adventures, discover their true destiny.
title: The Sight
title: Dark River
title: Outcast
title: Eclipse
title: Long Shadows
title: Sunrise
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HUN
The Warriors Series (age 10+)
by Erin Hunter
war ... adventure ... fantasy
In the first book, Into the Wild, Rusty starts out as an ordinary house kitten, but his travels deep into the forest involve him in the epic battles of the cat warrior clans who roam (and rule) the wild. With a new name, Firepaw, and a position as a ThunderClan apprentice, our feline hero faces his destiny, struggles with issues of friendship, honour, courage, and betrayal, and learns what it truly means to be a warrior.
title: Into the Wild
title: A Dangerous Path
title: The Darkest Hour
title: Dawn
title: Fire and Ice
title: Forest of Secrets
title: Sunset
title: Twilight
title: Midnight
title: Moonrise
title: Rising Storm
title: Starlight
title: Warriors Field Guide: Secrets of the Clans
title: Cats of the Clans
title: Code of the Clans
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BEL
The Mansion in the Mist (age 10+)
by John Bellairs
science fiction ... fantasy ... mystery ... spooky
While spending the summer in an old house on a desolate Canadian island, Anthony Monday and Miss Eells discover a chest that can transport them to another world and a maniacal group who are plotting the destruction of people on Earth.
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ALE
The Vesper Holly Series (age 10+)
by Lloyd Alexander
fantasy ... adventure
Publisher comments: About The Illyrian Adventure, first in the series: It's 1872, and adventurous Vesper Holly and her guardian set out for the tiny country of Illyria on a quest for its legendary treasure. But once Vesper and Brinnie arrive, they are plunged into a fierce struggle between rebel forces--and someone is out to kill the two of them. About The Jedera Adventure: Returning a library book is simple-unless the library is in North Africa and the book is Vesper Holly's! She organizes a library-bound caravan, deals with feuding desert tribes, rough terrain, and slave traders-but then is faced with the evil Dr. Helvitius.
title: The Illyrian Adventure
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FAR
The Sea of Trolls (age 10+)
by Nancy Farmer
action ... folklore ... fantasy ... adventure ... historical
Jack was eleven when the berserkers loomed out of the fog and nabbed him. ``It seems that things are stirring across the water,'' the Bard had warned. ``Ships are being built, swords are being forged.'' ``Is that bad?'' Jack had asked, for his Saxon village had never before seen berserkers. ``Of course. People don't make ships and swords unless they intend to use them.'' The year is A.D. 793. In the next months, Jack and his little sister, Lucy, are enslaved by Olaf One-Brow and his fierce young shipmate, Thorgil. Nancy Farmer has never told a richer, funnier tale, nor offered more timeless encouragement to young seekers than ``Just say no to pillaging.''
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ENZ
The Number Devil: a Mathematical Adventure (age 10+)
by Hans Magnus Enzensberg
math/science/technology ... fantasy ... humor
In twelve dreams, Robert, a boy who hates math, meets a Number Devil, who leads him to discover the amazing world of numbers: infinite numbers, prime numbers, Fibonacci numbers, numbers that magically appear in triangles, and numbers that expand without. As we dream with him, we are taken further and further into mathematical theory, where ideas eventually take flight, until everyone...from those who fumble over fractions to those who solve complex equations in their heads...winds up marveling at what numbers can do.
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WRE
The Enchanted Forest Chronicles (age 10+)
by Patricia C. Wrede
princesses ... knights/castles/dragons ... fantasy ... humor
This series begins with Dealing With Dragons. Bored with traditional palace life, a princess goes off to live with a group of dragons and soon becomes involved with fighting against some disreputable wizards who want to steal away the dragons' kingdom.
title: Dealing With Dragons
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MCK
The Hero and the Crown (age 10+)
by Robin McKinley
fantasy ... adventure
Aerin is the only child of the king of Damar, and should be his rightful heir. But she is also the daughter of a witchwoman of the North, who died when she was born, and the Damarians cannot trust her. But Aerin's destiny is greater than her father's people know, for it leads her to battle with Maur, the Black Dragon, and into the wilder Damarian Hills, where she meets the wizard Luthe.
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LOW
The Giver (age 10+)
by Lois Lowry
science fiction ... fantasy ... identity
Jonas' world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear of pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the community. When Jonas turns 12 he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now, it is time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back.
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L'E
A Wrinkle in Time / The Time Quintet (age 10+)
by Madeleine L'Engle
adventure ... fantasy ... science fiction
Meg Murry and her friends become involved with unearthly strangers and a search for Meg's father, who has disappeared while engaged in secret study of the fifth dimension of time travel.
title: A Wrinkle in Time / The Time Quintet
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JON
Howl's Moving Castle (age 10+)
by Diana Wynne Jones
humor ... adventure ... fantasy
In the land of Ingary, such things as spells, invisible cloaks, and seven-league boots were everyday things. The Witch of the Waste was another matter. In this giant jigsaw puzzle of a fantasy, people and things are never quite what they seem. Destinies are intertwined, identities exchanged, lovers confused. The Witch has placed a spell on the Wizard Howl. Does the clue to breaking it lie in a famous poem? And what will happen to Sophie Hatter when she enters Howl's castle?
sequel: Castle in the Air
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JAC
The Redwall Series (age 10+)
by Brian Jacques
fantasy ... humor ... adventure
Each dazzling story in the Redwall series is packed with wit, wisdom, humor, and blood-curdling adventure.
title: Redwall
title: Mossflower
title: Mattimeo
title: Mariel of Redwall
title: Salamandastron
title: Martin the Warrior
title: The Bellmaker
title: Outcast of Redwall
title: Pearls of Lutra
title: The Long Patrol: a Tale from Redwall
title: Marlfox: a Tale of Redwall
title: The Legend of Luke
title: Lord Brocktree
title: Triss: a Tale From Redwall
title: Taggerung: a Tale From Redwall
title: Loamhedge: a Tale From Redwall
title: Rakkety Tam
title: High Rhulain
title: Eulalia!
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FUN
Inkheart Series (age 10+)
by Cornelia Funke
authorship ... magic ... fantasy ... adventure ... action
Publisher comments: One cruel night, Meggie's father reads aloud from a book called Inkheart, and an evil ruler escapes the boundaries of fiction and lands in their living room. Suddenly, Meggie is smack in the middle of the kind of adventure she has only read about in books. Meggie must learn to harness the magic that has conjured this nightmare. For only she can change the course of the story that has changed her life forever.
title: Inkheart
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DUP
The Book of Ember Series (age 10+)
by Jeanne Duprau
survival ... action ... adventure ... fantasy ... science fiction
Publisher comments: Built as an underground refuge for the human race, the city of Ember begins to deteriorate as its lights start to flicker. When Lina finds part of an ancient message, she's sure it holds a secret that will save the city. She and her friend Doon must decipher the message before the lights go out on Ember forever.
title: The City of Ember
title: The People of Sparks
title: The Prophet of Yonwood
title: The Diamond of Darkhold
F
COO
The Dark Is Rising Series (age 10+)
by Susan Cooper
folklore ... action ... adventure ... fantasy
On holiday in Cornwall, the three Drew children discover an ancient map in the attic of the house that they are staying in. They know immediately that it is special. It is even more than that...the key to finding a grail, a source of power to fight the forces of evil known as the Dark. And in searching for it themselves, the Drews put their very lives in peril. Begin with "Over Sea, Under Stone."
title: Over Sea, Under Stone
title: The Dark is Rising
title: Silver on the Tree
F
AVI
Midnight Magic (age 10+)
by Avi
spooky ... knights/castles/dragons ... fantasy ... magic
On a stormy night in the Kingdom of Pergamontio, an insistent knocking brings Fabrizio, the servant boy, to the door. Outside stands a soldier summoning Fabrizio's master, Mangus the Magician, to the king's castle. Because Mangus has been under house arrest for confessing to be a magician, he cannot imagine why the king is calling for him. But magic is exactly what the king needs. He wants Mangus to free his daughter from the torment of a terrifying ghost. Mangus' life will depend on his success.
F
ALE
The Prydain Chronicles (age 10+)
by Lloyd Alexander
folklore ... humor ... fantasy ... adventure
In the first book of the Prydain Chronicles, Taran, Assistant Pig-Keeper to a famous oracular sow, sets out on a hazardous mission to save Prydain from the forces of evil.
title: The Book of Three
title: The Black Cauldron
title: The Castle of Llyr
title: Taran Wanderer
title: The High King

LM Nixon Elementary School, Sat Aug 25 11:55:32 2012
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