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DAS
Maze Runner Series (age 10+)
by James Dashner
survival ... adventure ... action ... fantasy ... science fiction
Publisher comments: When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift's doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls. Just like Thomas, the Gladers don't know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they've closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift. Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.
title: The Maze Runner
title: The Scorch Trials
title: The Death Cure
title: The Kill Order
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BOO
Small Persons With Wings (age 10+)
by Ellen Booraem
humor ... adventure ... fantasy
Publisher comments: Mellie has been trying, unsuccessfully, to live down the day she told her kindergarten class she had a fairy living in her bedroom. Years later, she is still teased. So when her parents inherit her grandfather's inn and their family moves to a new town, Mellie believes she'll leave all that fairy nonsense behind - only to discover that her family members have been fairy guardians for generations and the inn is overrun with small persons with wings (they hate to be called fairies). Before she knows it, the family and fairies are all facing an evil temptress in disguise who wants the fairy magic all for her own. Can Mellie set things right and save the day?
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BED
Looking Glass Wars Trilogy (age 10+)
by Frank Beddor
humor ... fantasy ... adventure ... action
Publisher comments: The Myth: Alice was an ordinary girl who stepped through the looking glass and entered a fairy-tale world invented by Lewis Carroll in his famous storybook. The Truth: Wonderland is real. Alyss Heart is the heir to the throne, until her murderous aunt Redd steals the crown and kills Alyss? parents. To escape Redd, Alyss and her bodyguard, Hatter Madigan, must flee to our world through the Pool of Tears. But in the pool Alyss and Hatter are separated. Lost and alone in Victorian London, Alyss is befriended by an aspiring author to whom she tells the violent, heartbreaking story of her young life. Yet he gets the story all wrong. Hatter Madigan knows the truth only too well, and he is searching every corner of our world to find the lost princess and return her to Wonderland so she may battle Redd for her rightful place as the Queen of Hearts.
title: The Looking Glass Wars
title: Seeing Redd
title: ArchEnemy
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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
title: SkyClan's Destiny
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PEA
The Kingdom Keepers Series (age 10+)
by Ridley Pearson
science fiction ... fantasy ... adventure ... action
Publisher comments: Using a cutting-edge technology called DHI — which stands for both Disney Host Interactive and Daylight Hologram Imaging — Finn Whitman, an Orlando teen, and four other kids are transformed into hologram projections that guide guests through the park. The new technology turns out, however, to have unexpected effects that are both thrilling and scary. Soon Finn finds himself transported in his DHI form into the Magic Kingdom at night. Is it real? Is he dreaming? Finn's confusion only increases when he encounters Wayne, an elderly Imagineer who tells him that the park is in grave danger. Led by the scheming witch Maleficent, a mysterious group of characters called the Overtakers is plotting to destroy Disney's beloved realm, and maybe more.
title: The Kingdom Keepers
title: Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark
title: Kingdom Keepers II: Disney at Dawn
title: Kingdom Keepers III: Disney in Shadow
title: Kingdom Keepers IV: Power Play
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ALE
The Iron Ring (age 10+)
by Lloyd Alexander
action ... voyages/journeys ... humor ... magic ... adventure ... fantasy
Driven by his sense of "dharma," or honor, young King Tamar sets off on a perilous journey, with a significance greater than he can imagine, during which he meets talking animals, villainous and noble kings, demons, and the love of his life.
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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
title: The Seven Songs of Merlin
title: The Fires of Merlin
title: The Mirror of Merlin
title: The Wings of Merlin
title: The Merlin Effect
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BEL
The Goblin Wood (age 10+)
by Hilari Bell
adventure ... fantasy ... knights/castles/dragons ... magic
A young Hedgewitch, an idealistic knight, and an army of clever goblins fight against the ruling hierarchy that is trying to rid the land of all magical creatures.
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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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RIO
Heros of Olympus Series (age 10+)
by Rick Riordan
folklore ... fantasy ... adventure ... action
Publisher comments: After saving Olympus from the evil Titan lord Kronos, Percy and friends have rebuilt their beloved Camp Half-Blood, where the next generation of demigods must now prepare for a chilling prophecy of their own: Seven half-bloods shall answer the call, To storm or fire the world must fall. An oath to keep with a final breath, And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death. Fans of Percy Jackson and the Olympians return to the world of Camp Half-Blood. Here, a new group of heroes will inherit a quest. But to survive the journey, they'll need the help of some familiar demigods.
sequel: The Lost Hero
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RIO
The Kane Chronicles (age 10+)
by Rick Riordan
fantasy ... adventure ... action
Publisher comments: Since their mother's death, Carter and Sadie have become near strangers. While Sadie has lived with her grandparents in London, her brother has traveled the world with their father, the brilliant Egyptologist, Dr. Julius Kane. One night, Dr. Kane brings the siblings together for a "research experiment" at the British Museum, where he hopes to set things right for his family. Instead, he unleashes the Egyptian god Set, who banishes him to oblivion and forces the children to flee for their lives. Soon, Sadie and Carter discover that the gods of Egypt are waking, and the worst of them--Set-has his sights on the Kanes. To stop him, the siblings embark on a dangerous journey across the globe — a quest that brings them ever closer to the truth about their family, and their links to a secret order that has u existed since the time of the pharaohs.
sequel: The Red Pyramid
sequel: The Throne of Fire
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AIK
Black Hearts in Battersea (age 10+)
by Joan Aiken
humor ... fantasy ... adventure
Simon, the foundling from The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, arrives in London to meet an old friend and pursue the study of painting. Instead he finds himself unwittingly in the middle of a wicked crew's fiendish caper to the good King James and the Duke and Duchess of Battersea. With the help of his friend Sophie and the resourceful waif Dido, Simon narrowly escapes a series madcap close calls and dangerous run-ins. In a time and place where villains do nothing halfway, Simon is faced with wild wolves, poisoned pies, kidnapping, and a wrecked ship. This is a cleverly contrived tale of intrigue and misadventure.
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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 Cuckoo Tree (age 10+)
by Joan Aiken
humor ... fantasy ... adventure
Publisher comments: When Dido Twite sets foot back on English soil, more mischief awaits. As her friend Captain Hughes recovers from a carriage accident, Dido stays at the Dogkennel Cottages and meets the odd inhabitants of Tegleaze Manor: strange old Lady Tegleaze, her nephew, Tobit, and his wizened, witchy nurse, Sannie. Soon suspicious things happen. A priceless miniature is stolen. Tobit is framed and then kidnapped. A twin sister is found. And when Dido catches a glimpse of her rascally father in Petworth, she is sure shes in the midst of another Hanoverian plot. Can she get to London to warn the king and save St. Paul's Cathedral from sliding into the Thames?
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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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HAN
Godesses Series (age 10+)
by Clea Hantman
growing up ... humor ... fantasy ... folklore
Publisher comments: Three goddesses, banished to earth by their dad, Zeus (yeah, that Zeus). Era, on mortal boys: "Look at him. Even the gods back home aren't that cute." Polly, on Nova High gossip: "I'm simply not in the mood to chatter on about silly spiteful girlsor cute Johnny Jims or sauerkraut breath." Thalia, on earth: "I mean, we don't know what earth is like. Maybe it's all leprechaunsand roses. Maybe it's an adventure every day. Maybe it's space-age." Polly, Era, and Thalia are stuck on earth, and to get back to Olympus, they've got to prove they've learned their lesson. And they've got to get through high school in the meantime. Which would be hard enough without the horribly evil Furies threatening to destroy their chances of ever seeing home again.
title: Heaven Sent
title: Three Girls and a God
title: Muses on the Move
title: Love or Fate
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ZIN
Raptor (age 10+)
by Paul Zindel
fantasy ... adventure ... adventure ... survival
Catalog: Zack and his Ute Indian friend find themselves trapped in a cave with a living dinosaur, the deadly Utahraptor.
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JAR
The Deptford Histories Series (age 10+)
by Robin Jarvis
adventure ... action ... historical ... spooky ... fantasy
Publisher comments: The year is 1664 when young Will Godwin comes to London. In order to survive, he becomes an assistant to a wicked alchemist, Elias Theophratus Spittle. On an errand one freezing night, Will finds a mother cat and her three kittens, and brings the family back to his master's lab. Among the bubbling bottles and evil smelling jars of his master's apothecary shop unfolds an extraordinary tale of villainy, sorcery, and murder.
title: The Alchemist's Cat
title: The Oaken Throne
title: Thomas
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JAR
The Deptford Mice Trilogy (age 10+)
by Robin Jarvis
adventure ... historical ... spooky ... fantasy
Publisher comments: In the British tradition of Redwall comes this trilogy that is sure to capture fans both young and old. In the sewers of Deptford, there lurks a dark presence that fills the tunnels with fear. The rats worship it in the blackness and name it "Jupiter, Lord of All." Into this twilight realm wanders a small and frightened mouse, the unwitting trigger of a chain of events that hurtles the Deptford mice into a world of heroic adventure and terror.
title: The Dark Portal
title: The Crystal Prison
title: The Final Reckoning
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HAR
Runemarks (age 10+)
by Joanne Harris
adventure ... action ... magic ... folklore ... fantasy
Publisher comments: Maddy Smith, born with a rusty-coloured rune shape on her hand, has always been an outsider in her village. For the good folk of Malbry believe a runemark to be a symbol of the old gods, a mark of magic. And that, as everyone knows, is the road to chaos. Dangerous. But Maddy enjoys working magic, even if it is just to control some pesky goblins. And every time he visits, her best friend, a good-for-nowt Outlander known as One-Eye, has been teaching her more and more about the old ways: about gods and glamours, runes and cantrips. Now One-Eye is back again, and he wants her to open Red Horse Hill and descend into the World Below to retrieve a relic of the old gods. Otherwise, apparently, it could be the End of Everything. Again.
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SKE
Endymion Spring (age 10+)
by Matthew Skelton
adventure ... magic ... fantasy
Publishers comments: You've stumbled on to something much larger than you can possibly imagine. In the dead of night, a cloaked figure drags a heavy box through snow-covered streets. The chest, covered in images of mythical beasts, can only be opened when the fangs of its serpent's-head clasp taste blood. Centuries later, in an Oxford library, a boy touches a strange book and feels something pierce his finger. The volume is blank, wordless, but its paper has fine veins running through it and seems to quiver, as if it's alive. Words begin to appear on the page; words no one but the boy can see. And so unfolds a timeless secret.
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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: Street Magic
title: Cold Fire
title: Shatterglass
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PIE
The Immortals Series (age 10+)
by Tamora Pierce
adventure ... action ... magic ... fantasy
Publisher comments: Thirteen-year-old Daine has always had a knack with animals, but it's not until she's forced to leave home that she realizes it's more than a knack, it's magic. With this wild magic, not only can Daine speak to animals, but also she can make them obey her. Daine takes a job handling horses for the Queen's Riders, where she meets the master mage Numair and becomes his student. Under Numair's guidance, Daine explores the scope of her magic. But she begins to sense other beings too: immortals. These bloodthirsty monsters have been imprisoned in the Divine Realms for the past four hundred years, but now someone has broken the barrier. It's up to Daine and her friends to defend their world from an immortal attack.
title: Wild Magic
title: Wolf-Speaker
title: Emperor Mage
title: The Realms of the Gods
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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: The Woman Who Rides Like a Man
title: Lioness Rampant
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PIE
Trickster's Choice (age 10+)
by Tamora Pierce
action ... adventure ... fantasy
Publisher comments: Alianne is the teenage daughter of the famed Alanna, the first lady knight in Tortall. Young Aly follows in the quieter footsteps of her father, however, delighting in the art of spying. When she is captured and sold as a slave to an exiled royal family in the faraway Copper Islands, it is this skill that makes a difference in a world filled with political intrigue, murderous conspiracy, and warring gods.
sequel: Trickster's Queen
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PIE
Circle of Magic Series (age 10+)
by Tamora Pierce
adventure ... friendship ... magic ... fantasy
Publisher comments: Here begins the tale of Daja, Briar, Tris, and Sandry--four children brought to Winding Cirle Temple for training in crafts and magic. They are outcasts in their homeland. But in this magical place, they are valued and respected for their special powers.
title: Sandry's Book
title: Tris's Book
title: Daja's Book
title: Briar's Book
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HAN
The Healer's Keep (age 10+)
by Victoria Hanley
historical ... school ... fantasy
Publisher comments: Something is threatening the legendary Healer’s Keep, where students gifted in the healing arts are trained. Will they learn enough in time to keep the darkness at bay? Or will the Shadow King turn their gifts against them and once again walk the world?
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HAL
The Goose Girl (age 10+)
by Shannon Hale
folklore ... magic ... princesses ... fantasy
Publisher comments: Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, Crown Princess of Kildenree, spends the first years of her life under her aunt's guidance learning to communicate with animals. As she grows up Ani develops the skills of animal speech, but is never comfortable speaking with people, so when her silver-tongued lady-in-waiting leads a mutiny during Ani's journey to be married in a foreign land, Ani is helpless and cannot persuade anyone to assist her. Becoming a goose girl for the king, Ani eventually uses her own special, nearly magical powers to find her way to her true destiny. Shannon Hale has woven an incredible, original and magical tale of a girl who must find her own unusual talents before she can become queen of the people she has made her own.
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SLE
Rewind (age 10+)
by William Sleator
fantasy ... growing up
Publisher comments: When Peter is hit by a car, he is given the ultimate do-over: go back to any point in time before that fateful moment, and alter the events leading up to his death. If he fails, he will die again-this time, for good. Now Peter's racing against time to save his own life, but what should he change? His adoptive parents don't understand him, the school jock is out to get him, and no one appreciates his own talents. This may be his last chance-can Peter cheat death, or will he be lost forever?
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LUB
Flip (age 10+)
by David Lubar
friendship ... fantasy ... science fiction
Publisher comments: If you could become anyone in the world, who would you be? Did you ever wish you could be anyone else but who you are? Twins Ryan and Taylor do it all the time. Now their dream is about to come true. They've discovered mysterious alien disks that allow they to "flip"--to become legendary heroes from the past. But who?
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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.
The Anybodies Series (age 10+)
magic ... identity ... mystery ... fantasy
Publisher comments: What if I were to tell you that this is an all-true story, every word? You see, once there was a very real girl named Fern who found out that she'd been swapped at birth. This might disturb some people, but it made Fern happy because she'd never felt at home with her tragically dull parents, the Drudgers. Fern finds out about the mix-up when the Bone (er, her father) and his "son," Howard, show up at Fern's front door. Now both families decide to UNSWAP the kids for the summer, and Fern heads off with the Bone on a wild adventure into a world inhabited by the Miser, a sinister fellow; and the Great Realdo, a true hero, to name just two. This book promises suspense! Intrigue! Mystery! Fairies fall out of books! Birds turn into dogs! Nuns turn into lampposts! So I have no idea why you're still lingering here... Start reading!
title: The Anybodies by N. E. Bode F BOD
title: The Anybodies by Julianna Baggott F BAG
title: The Nobodies by N. E. Bode F BOD
title: The Somebodies by N. E. Bode F BOD
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COL
The Hunger Games Series (age 10+)
by Suzanne Collins
action ... adventure ... survival ... fantasy ... science fiction
Publisher comments: Katniss is a 16-year-old girl living with her mother and younger sister in the poorest district of Panem, the remains of what used be the United States. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games." The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed. When Kat's sister is chosen by lottery, Kat steps up to go in her place.
title: The Hunger Games
title: Catching Fire
title: Mockingjay
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DEL
The Last Apprentice (age 10+)
by Joseph Delaney
action ... adventure ... fantasy
Publisher comments: For years, Old Gregory has been the Spook for the county, ridding the local villages of evil. Now his time is coming to an end. But who will take over for him? Twenty-nine apprentices have tried; some floundered, some fled, some failed to stay alive. Only Thomas Ward is left. He's the last hope, the last apprentice. Can Thomas succeed? Will he learn the difference between a benign witch and a malevolent one? Does the Spook's warning against girls with pointy shoes include Alice? And what will happen if Thomas accidentally frees Mother Malkin, the most evil witch in the county..?
title: Revenge of the Witch
title: Curse of the Bane
title: Night of the Soul Stealer
title: Attack of the Fiend
title: Wrath of the Bloodeye
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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: So You Want To Be a Wizard
title: Deep Wizardry
title: High Wizardry
title: A Wizard Abroad
title: The Wizard's Dilemma
title: A Wizard Alone
title: Wizards Holiday
title: Wizards at War
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DUN
The Ingo Adventures (age 10+)
by Helen Dunmore
magic ... adventure ... fantasy
Publisher comments: I wish I was away in Ingo Far across the briny sea, Sailing over deepest waters Where love nor care never trouble me. . . . By the Cornwall coast where Sapphire lives with her family, it's easy to hear the call of the sea. Too easy. When the sea called to Sapphy's father, he vanished from her life. When the sea called to her brother, he started disappearing for hours on end. And now the sea is calling to Sapphy, and she feels its pull more strongly than she's ever felt anything in her life. In a novel full of longing, mystery, and magic, Helen Dunmore takes us to a new world that has the power both to captivate and to destroy. At the waterline, the two worlds of Air and Ingo meet. Sapphy and her brother, Conor, find themselves at the boundary between these worlds, in a place of danger and amazing discoveries.
title: Ingo
title: The Tide Knot
title: The Deep
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GAI
The Graveyard Book (age 10+)
by Neil Gaiman
fantasy ... spooky
Publisher comments: Bod is an unusual boy who inhabits an unusual place; he's the only living resident of a graveyard. Raised from infancy by the ghosts, werewolves, and other cemetery denizens, Bod has learned the antiquated customs of his guardians' time, as well as their timely ghostly teachings, like the ability to Fade. Can a boy raised by ghosts face the wonders and terrors of the worlds of both the living and the dead? And then there are things like ghouls that aren't really one thing or the other.
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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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KIR
The Elf Realm Series (age 10+)
by Daniel Kirk
adventure ... fantasy
Catalog: When Matt and his family move to a new development, they stumble into the middle of massive upheaval in the Fairy world, and as the elves' territory disintegrates and dark factions try to seize control, an apprentice mage sees in Matt the key to saving the realms from destruction.
title: The Low Road
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MAR
Birdwing (age 10+)
by Rafe Martin
identity ... growing up ... fantasy ... folklore
Publisher comments: Once upon a time, a girl rescued her seven brothers from a spell that had turned them into swans. But one boy, Ardwin, was left with the scar of the spell's last gasp: one arm remained a wing. And while Ardwin yearned to find a place in his father's kingdom, the wing whispered to him of open sky and rushing wind. Marked by difference, Ardwin sets out to discover who he is: bird or boy, crippled or sound, cursed or blessed. But followed by the cold eye of a sorceress and with war rumbling at his kingdom's borders, Ardwin's path may lead him not to enlightenment, but into unimaginable danger.
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MCN
The Navigator Series (age 10+)
by Eoin McNamee
fantasy ... action ... adventure
Publisher comments: One day the world around Owen shifts oddly: Time flows backwards, and the world and family he knew disappear. Time can only be set right when the Resisters vanquish their ancient enemies, the Harsh. Unless they are stopped, everything Owen knows will vanish as if it has never been....And Owen discovers he has a terrifying role to play in this battle: he is the Navigator.
title: The Navigator
title: City of Time
title: The Frost Child
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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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MYE
Storyteller (age 10+)
by Edward Myers
growing up ... authorship ... adventure ... fantasy ... folklore
Publisher comments: "Once upon a time," begins the narrator of this richly imagined novel. But what follows is no ordinary fantasy full of dragons, elves, and wicked stepmothers. Yes, the tale involves a boy named Jack. But he's not the one who climbed a beanstalk or slew seven giants with one blow. This Jack is a storyteller, a seventeen-year-old farm boy who sets off to seek his fortune in the royal city of Sundar. Jack has many adventures and narrow escapes on his journey. He also meets an assortment of memorable characters, including a talking bird, a one-eyed robber, a mysterious illusionist, and a melancholy princess. Each has a tale to tell, and these accounts, along with Jack's own stories and the framing narrative, are woven into a complex, dazzling tapestry that will capture the readers imagination. Through them, Edward Myers explores the power...for good and for evil...of the stories we all tell.
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NIX
Keys to the Kingdom Series (age 10+)
by Garth Nix
adventure ... action ... fantasy
Publisher comments: Seven days. Seven keys. Seven virtues. Seven sins. One mysterious house is the doorway to a very mysterious world, where one boy is about to venture and unlock a number of fantastical secrets. This is another thrilling, triumphantly imaginative series from Garth Nix.
title: Mister Monday
title: Grim Tuesday
title: Drowned Wednesday
title: Sir Thursday
title: Lady Friday Garth Nix
title: Superior Saturday
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VAN
Stolen (age 10+)
by Vivian Vande Velde
identity ... fantasy ... spooky
Catalog: A girl finds herself running through the forest at the edge of a village with no memory of anything, even her own name, and later learns that she might be twelve-year-old Isabelle, believed to be stolen by a witch six years before.
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WHI
Silverskin Legacy Series (age 10+)
by Jo Whittemore
magic ... fantasy
Catalog: Middle school students and "ex-friends" Ainsley and Megan are transported to another world by a portal that appears in their neighbor's yard.
title: Escape From Arylon
title: Curse of Arastold
title: Onaj's Horn
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BEN
The Grey Griffins Series (age 10+)
by Derek Benz
action ... adventure ... fantasy
Publisher comments: Max Sumner and his three best friends, Harley, Ernie, and Natalia--who form the secret club The Grey Griffins--seem to be the only people in their very normal Minnesota town to notice that strange things have started to happen. When creatures like goblins and fairies and unicorns, all characters from a card game the Grey Griffins play, begin to make appearances in Max's backyard, Max and his friends know something is terribly wrong. And it's up to them to stop the wicked creatures of the cards from destroying their town-indeed, their world.
title: The Revenge of the Shadow King
title: The Rise of the Black Wolf
title: The Fall of the Templar
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BAK
Wings: A Fairy Tale (age 10+)
by E. D. Baker
identity ... fantasy
Publisher comments: When Tamisin discovers real wings growing from her back she wants to know what is making her supposedly normal life so weird. But before she can piece together the facts, she is kidnapped by goblins and brought to the land of fairies, goblins and many other magical creatures, including her real mother, Titania, the fairy queen. As she falls in love with Jak, who’s half goblin, and realizes the depth of her human parents’ love for her, she finds that having a set of beautiful wings suddenly sprout from your shoulder blades isn’t all bad, and there are many good reasons to fly.
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GEO
Dragon Slippers (age 10+)
by Jessica Day George
adventure ... action ... knights/castles/dragons ... fantasy
Publisher comments: When an orphan girl named Creel befriends a dragon, she unknowingly inherits a pair of slippers that could be used to save her kingdom, or destroy it. The light tone and charming characterizations bring this heartwarming fantasy to life. Older middle grade readers and young teens alike will appreciate the adventure, fun, and dragon-drenched action!
sequel: Dragon Flight
sequel: Dragon Spear
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HAY
The Lost Journals of Ven Polypheme (age 10+)
by Elizabeth Haydon
voyages/journeys ... adventure ... fantasy
Publisher comments: Charles Magnus Ven Polypheme, known as Ven, is the youngest son of a long line of famous shipwrights. He dreams not of building ships, but of sailing them to far-off lands where magic thrives. Ven gets his chance when he is chosen to direct the Inspection of his family’s latest ship, and sets sail on the journey of a lifetime. Attacked by fire pirates, lost at sea and near death, Ven is rescued by a passing ship on its way to the Island of Serendair. Thankful to be alive, little does Ven know that the pirate attack, and his subsequent rescue, may not have been an accident. Shadowy figures are hunting for the famed Floating Island, the only source of the mystical Water of Life. They think Ven can lead them to this treasure and will stop at nothing to get it, even murder.
title: The Floating Island: the Lost Journals of Ven Polypheme
title: The Thief Queen's Daughter
title: The Dragon's Lair
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HIG
The Black Book of Secrets (age 10+)
by F. E. Higgins
mystery ... fantasy ... spooky
Publisher comments: A boy arrives at a remote village in the dead of night. His name is Ludlow Fitch, and he is running from a most terrible past. What he is about to learn is that in this village is the life he has dreamed of, a safe place to live, and a job, as the assistant to a mysterious pawnbroker who trades people's deepest, darkest secrets for cash. Ludlow's job is to neatly transcribe the confessions in an ancient leather-bound tome: The Black Book of Secrets.
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HIG
The Bone Magician (age 10+)
by F. E. Higgins
fantasy ... spooky ... mystery ... magic
Publisher comments: Pin Carpue is on his own in the world. His mother is dead and his father is missing after being labeled a suspect in a rash of murders. Pin finds a job working for the local undertaker as a body watcher, making sure people are really dead before they're buried. The body hes supposed to be watching tonight is currently surrounded by three people engaged in a most unusual ceremony. An old man, a bone magician, and his young female assistant are waking a woman so her grieving fiancé can have one last goodbye with her. Pin can't believe it will work, but then the dead woman sits up and speaks. Pin is determined to discover how the magic works. He cannot believe they are raising the dead. He cannot believe his father is a murderer. Then Pin himself nearly becomes the killers next victim. As this mysterious tale unfolds with delicious creepiness, Pin will learn more about the bone magician, the girl Juno, and a hideous creature called the Gluttonous Beast that is kept in a local tavern where people pay for a glimpse.
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HIG
The Saint of Dragons (age 10+)
by Jason Hightman
humor ... adventure ... action ... fantasy ... knights/castles/dragons
Publisher comments: You've been taught to believe they are dead. Figments of an ancient imagination. But one lonely schoolboy at the Lighthouse School for Boys, who has never known his family, and who has never known adventure, is about to have a rude awakening. Dragons are real. And they have ... evolved. Two descendants remain of the legendary St. George. One is just a teenager. And only they can destroy the dragons that plague the world.
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HUL
The Seems Series (age 10+)
by John Hulme
humor ... fantasy ... science fiction
Publisher comments: Twelve-year-old Becker Drane has definitely got the coolest job of any seventh grader in Highland Park, New Jersey. He works as a Fixer for The Seems. From the Department of Weather to the Department of Sleep, The Seems is a secret organization that makes sure our world keeps running--and more importantly, sticks to The Plan that's been made for it. But The Plan, and The Seems for that matter, would be nothing without the people in it, and that's where Becker Drane comes in. When a Glitch is reported in the Department of Sleep, Becker is dispatched to Fix it, but he's not so sure this is a routine mission. Could the Bed Bugs, who are behind our Worst Nightmares, be responsible for the problems? Or maybe it's The Tide, an underground organization bent on destroying The Seems? No matter what, Becker's in for quite an adventure, and it'll take all his training, a little luck, and the coolest Tools(TM) known in (or out of) the Seems to Fix the problem.
title: The Glitch in Sleep
title: The Split Second
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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
title: The Last Wilderness
title: Fire in the Sky
title: Spirits in the Stars
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LAW
Scumble (age 10+)
by Ingrid Law
growing up ... fantasy ... family
Publisher comments: It's nine years after Savvy, and Mibs' cousin Ledge is on the verge of turning thirteen. More than anything, he wants the power to run like the wind. But when his birthday comes, he discovers that his savvy is actually making things fall apart. It starts out with small things, but then it gets worse. To top it all off, someone outside the family has witnessed his destruction. Now, in addition to trying to figure out how to control - or scumble - his savvy, he's got to worry about how to protect the family secrets. Over the course of one amazing summer, Ledge learns a lot about himself and his family, makes a new - and very unlikely - friend, and learns to appreciate his newfound skills.
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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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PEM
The Cat Master (age 10+)
by Bonnie Pemberton
fantasy ... action ... adventure
Tension is growing between the Ferals and Indoors, and the old Cat Master, spiritual leader of all felines, is dying. Time is running out, and he must choose a successor that will rule wisely and keep peace among their kind. Of all his descendents there are only two brothers that are qualified: Jett, the powerful, ambitious Feral who has survived the perils of the alley and quiet, complacent Buddy, who was rescued by a human and now lives the pampered life of an Indoor. With his last breath, the old cat decides. He alerts Buddy through mind-talk. "Rise from the alley, my son," he commands. "Of all my blood, you are The Chosen." But his message is intercepted telepathically, and Darkness suddenly reigns in the cat world. Driven by jealousy and desperation, brother is pitted against brother in the fight to rule their species...a struggle that will confront Buddy's deepest fears and threaten the lives of those he loves most.
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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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URS
The Chronus Chronicles (age 10+)
by Anne Ursu
folklore ... adventure ... action ... fantasy
See that girl, the one with the bright red hair, overstuffed backpack, and aura of grumpiness? That's Charlotte Mielswetzski. And something extra-ordinary is about to happen to her. Oh, it's not the very cute kitten that appears out of nowhere and demands to go home with her. It's not the sudden arrival of her cousin Zee, who believes he's the cause of a mysterious sickness that has struck his friends back in England. It's not her creepy English teacher Mr. Metos, who takes his mythology lessons just a little too seriously. And it's not the white-faced, yellow-eyed men in tuxedoes, who follow Charlotte everywhere. What's so extraordinary is not any one of these things... It's all of them. And when Charlotte's friends start to get sick one by one, Charlotte and Zee set out to find a cure. Their quest leads them to a not-so-mythical Underworld, where they face rhyme-loving Harpies, gods with personnel problems, and ghosts with a thirst for blood. Charlotte and Zee learn that in a world overrun by Nightmares, Pain, and Death, the really dangerous character is a guy named Phil. And then they discover that the fate of every person, living and dead, is in their young hands.
title: The Shadow Thieves
title: The Siren Song
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STE
First Light (age 10+)
by Rebecca Stead
math/science/technology ... fantasy ... adventure ... mystery
Peter is thrilled to join his parents on an expedition to Greenland, where his father studies global warming. Peter will get to skip school, drive a dogsled, and-finally-share in his dad's adventures. But on the ice cap, Peter struggles to understand a series of visions that both frighten and entice him. Thea has never seen the sun. Her extraordinary people, suspected of witchcraft and nearly driven to extinction, have retreated to a secret world they've built deep inside the arctic ice. As Thea dreams of a path to Earth's surface, Peter's search for answers brings him ever closer to her hidden home. Rebecca Stead's fascinating novel is a dazzling tale of mystery, science and adventure at the top of the world.
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SER
Yesterday's Magic (age 10+)
by Pamela Service
folklore ... action ... adventure ... fantasy
When Heather McKenna is kidnapped by the sorceress Morgan LeFay, it is up to Heather’s friend Welly and the wizard Merlin (yes, that Merlin), to rescue her. Set 500 years in the future, following a nuclear devastation, the technological world has ground to a halt, but magic is beginning to take hold again. And the powerful icons of myth are starting to fight over control of the world. From the Russian witch Baba Yaga, to the native American trickster god, Raven, the most ancient magical forces are beginning to awaken, and they have very different ideas about the future of the earth.
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SER
Tomorrow's Magic (age 10+)
by Pamela Service
folklore ... action ... adventure ... fantasy
It's 500 years after the nuclear holocaust that devastated the earth's population and left the few survivors dealing with unending winter. At their remote British boarding school, Wellington Jones and Heather McKenna have a lot in common. Both are misfits trying to avoid attention, and both are fascinated by Earl, a tall, calm, older boy with no recollection of his past, but a remarkable knack for showing up when he is needed most. When a blow to the head brings Earl's memory back, he claims that he is actually Merlin . . . a 2000-year-old wizard.
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SER
Winter of Magic's Return (age 10+)
by Pamela Service
folklore ... action ... adventure ... fantasy
Convinced that a new age of magic is about to begin in the wake of the nuclear holocaust, a young resurrected Merlin and two friends set out to bring King Arthur back to the land.
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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
title: Soul Eater
title: Outcast
title: Oath Breaker
title: Ghost Hunter
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MAC
Pendragon Series (age 10+)
by D. J. MacHale
letters/journal ... action ... science fiction ... adventure ... fantasy
Bobby Pendragon is a seemingly normal fourteen-year-old boy. He has a family, a home, and even Marley, his beloved dog. But there is something very special about Bobby. He is going to save the world. And not just Earth as we know it. Bobby is slowly starting to realize that life in the cosmos isn't quite what he thought it was. And before he can object, he is swept off to an alternate dimension known as Denduron, a territory inhabited by strange beings, ruled by a magical tyrant, and plagued by dangerous revolution. If Bobby wants to see his family again, he's going to have to accept his role as savior, and accept it wholeheartedly. Because, as he is about to discover, Denduron is only the beginning....
title: The Merchant of Death
title: Into the Storm
title: The Lost City of Faar
title: The Never War
title: The Reality Bug
title: Black Water
title: The Rivers of Zadaa
title: The Quillan Games
title: The Pilgrims of Rayne
title: Raven Rise
title: The Soldiers of Halla
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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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KRE
Alex and the Ironic Gentleman: a Novel (age 10+)
by Adrienne Kress
humor ... fantasy ... adventure
This smart, funny mixture of fantasy and high adventure is the story of Alex Morningside, an inquisitive girl who is often mistaken for a boy because of her bowl haircut. A student at the prestigious Wigpowder-Steele Academy, Alex discovers one of her teachers has a mysterious family secret which leads her to a pirate ship called "The Ironic Gentleman."
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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: The Lives of Christopher Chant
title: Charmed Life
title: The Magicians of Caprona
title: Witch Week
title: Conrad's Fate: a Chrestomanci Book
title: The Pinhoe Egg
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GAR
Into the Woods (age 10+)
by Lyn Gardner
adventure ... fantasy ... folklore
Storm, Aurora, and Anything Eden live in a decaying mansion on the edge of the wilds with their erstwhile father and indolent mother. When an accident leaves them orphaned and at the mercy of the sinister Dr. DeWilde, these three courageous and eccentric sisters are forced to flee into the woods, where they encounter kidnappers, sweet-filled orphanages, mountains of ice, diamond mines, and some ravenously hungry wolves. Taking inspiration from numerous fairytales and weaving them into a wholly original story, Into the Woods is a whirlwind of a novel, full of imaginative happenings and dastardly deeds.
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GAN
Aldabra, or, The Tortoise Who Loved Shakespeare (age 10+)
by Silvana Gandolfi
fantasy ... animals
In Venice, Italy, ten-year-old Elisa finds she must deal with all the unexpected consequences of her beloved eccentric grandmother's transformation into a giant Aldabra tortoise, native to a small group of coral islands in the Seychelles.
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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: Gom on Windy Mountain
title: The Riddle and the Rune
title: The Crystal Stair
title: The Starstone
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PRA
The Wee Free Men (age 10+)
by Terry Pratchett
growing up ... brilliant protagonist ... humor ... adventure ... fantasy ... magic
Tiffany, a young witch-to-be in the land of Discworld, teams up with the Wee Free Men, a clan of six-inch-high blue toughs, to rescue her baby brother and ward off a sinister invasion from Fairyland.
sequel: A Hat Full of Sky
sequel: Wintersmith
sequel: I Shall Wear Midnight
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AND
The May Bird Series (age 10+)
by Jodi Lynn Anderson
princesses ... spooky ... action ... adventure ... fantasy
Most people aren't very comfortable in the woods, but the woods of Briery Swamp fit May Bird like a fuzzy mitten. There, she is safe from school and the taunts and teases of kids who don't understand her. Hidden in the trees, May is a warrior princess, and her cat, Somber Kitty, is her brave guardian. Then May falls into the lake. When she crawls out, May finds herself in a world that most certainly does not feel like a fuzzy mitten. in fact, it is a place few living people have ever seen. Here towns glow blue beneath zipping stars and the people (people?) walk through walls. Here the Book of the Dead holds the answers to everything in the universe. And here, if May is discovered, the horrifying evil Bo Cleevil will turn her into nothing. May Bird must get out. Fast.
title: May Bird and the Ever After
title: May Bird Among the Stars
title: May Bird, Warrior Princess
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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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YOL
Sword of the Rightful King: a Novel of King Arthur (age 10+)
by Jane Yolen
fantasy ... adventure ... historical ... knights/castles/dragons ... magic
The newly crowned King Arthur is unsure of himself; worse, the people are unsure of him. Too many people want the throne, and treachery is everywhere. Merlin must do something before the king is betrayed, or murdered, or--worst of all--gets married. So Merlin magically places a sword into a slab of rock, lets it be known that whosoever removes the blade will rule all of England, and invites any man who would dare, to try to pull out the sword. After a bit of showmanship, Arthur will draw the blade (with a little magical help, of course), and the people will rally around the young king. Except someone else pulls the sword out first. . . .
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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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KAY
The Divide Series (age 10+)
by Elizabeth Kay
humor ... fantasy ... adventure ... illness/loss
When Felix's parents take him to "The Divide" ... a spot in Costa Rica where the waters that run down to the Pacific and Atlantic oceans separate ... Felix finds himself in a bizarre parallel world where mythical creatures and magic are a reality. There, he meets Betony, a tangle child and herbalist who becomes his friend in this strange land. As Felix explores this new world he soon discovers that its mythical beasts and fairy folk think Felix is a legendary creature who uses practical science instead of magic! Will Felix ever find his way back home...and will he want to?
title: The Divide
title: Back to the Divide
title: Jinx on the Divide
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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: Dragonsinger
title: Dragondrums
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GLI
Pure Dead Series (age 10+)
by Debi Gliori
fantasy ... humor ... spooky ... magic
Things are not right at the Strega-Borgia castle. Signor Luciano Strega-Borgia has been kidnapped. Signora Baci Strega-Borgia is struggling with her spells at the Advanced Witchcraft Institute. Titus and Pandora don't like their suspiciously cheerful and fearless new nanny. Baby Damp has been accidentally shrunk, e-mailed, and lost on the World Wide Web. And to top it off, there's a gangster in a bunny suit lurking about. . . . This seriously over-the-top, gothic romp is sure to have readers clamoring for the next Strega-Borgia adventure.
title: Pure Dead Magic
title: Pure Dead Batty
title: Pure Dead Brilliant
title: Pure Dead Wicked
title: Pure Dead Trouble
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CRO
The Seeing Stone (age 10+)
by Kevin Crossley-Holland
identity ... fantasy ... folklore
Thirteen-year-old Arthur de Caldicot lives on a manor, desperately waiting for the moment he can become a knight. One day his father's friend Merlin gives him a shining black stone - a seeing stone - that shows him visions of his namesake, King Arthur. The legendary dragons, battles, and swordplay that young Arthur witnesses seem a world away from his own life. And yet there is something definitely joining the Arthurs together. It will be Arthur de Caldicot's destiny to discover how his path is intertwined with a king's . . . for the past is not the only thing the seeing stone can see.
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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
title: Inheritance, or the Vault of Souls
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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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ALC
The Red-Eared Ghosts (age 10+)
by Vivien Alcock
science fiction ... fantasy ... spooky
Mary Frewin has seen "ghosts" since she was a baby and after learning about her great-great grandmother and stumbling through a time wreck near her home in London, she understands why.
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TUR
Instead of Three Wishes (age 10+)
by Megan Whalen Turner
fantasy ... spooky ... short stories
A collection of seven stories featuring such elements of fantasy as leprechauns, ghosts, and the supernatural.
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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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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: First Test
title: Page
title: Squire
title: Lady Knight
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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
title: Flight of the Dragon Kyn
title: Sign of the Dove
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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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JOL
The Warriors Series Graphic Novels (age 10+)
by Dan Jolley
adventure ... fantasy
Graystripe, deputy leader of ThunderClan, has finally returned to his forest home after being kidnapped by Twolegs, and finds that Firestar has appointed a new deputy leader. This graphic novel is based on the popular Warriors series by Erin Hunter.
title: The Lost Warrior
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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: The Fourth Apprentice
title: Fading Echoes
title: Night Whispers
title: Sign of the Moon
title: The Forgotten Warrior
title: The Last Hope
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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
title: Battles of the Clans
title: The Lost Warrior
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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 Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen (age 10+)
by Lloyd Alexander
voyages/journeys ... fantasy ... adventure
When Prince Jen volunteers to search for the legendary court of T'ien-kuo, a mysterious old man chooses six gifts for him to bear in homage: a saddle, a sword, a paint box, a bowl, a kite, and a flute. Puzzled by the humbleness of the gifts but full of high spirits and pride, Jen sets off ... but stumbles almost immediately into a series of misfortunes. Only with the help of his faithful servant Mafoo and valiant flute-girl Voyaging moon, and only after a breathtakingly exciting string of adventures, can Jen discover the real meaning of the gifts and face his true destiny.
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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
title: The El Dorado Adventure
title: The Drackenberg Adventure
title: The Jedera Adventure
title: The Philadelphia Adventure
title: The Xanadu Adventure
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ALE
The Arkadians (age 10+)
by Lloyd Alexander
folklore ... fantasy ... adventure
To escape the wrath of the king and his wicked soothsayers, an honest young man joins with a poet-turned-jackass and a young girl with mystical powers on a series of epic adventures.
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ALC
The Haunting of Cassie Palmer (age 10+)
by Vivien Alcock
fantasy ... spooky
Thirteen-year-old Cassie, the seventh child of a seventh child, begins to exhibit the gift of second sight which enables her to communicate with the Other World.
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REI
Time Windows (age 10+)
by Kathryn Reiss
fantasy ... spooky
When Miranda moves with her family to a new house in a small Massachusetts town, she discovers a mysterious antique--a dollhouse. Through the windows, she is shocked to find what seem to be living people in the tiny rooms, and gradually she realizes that scenes from the lives of the big house's past inhabitants are being replayed there.
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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.''
sequel: The Land of the Silver Apples
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LEG
The Earthsea Series (age 10+)
by Ursula LeGuin
fantasy
Ged was the greatest sorcerer in all Earthsea, but once he was called Sparrowhawk, a reckless youth, hungry for power and knowledge, who tampered with long-held secrets and loosed a terrible shadow upon the world. This is the tale of his testing, how he mastered the mighty words of power, tamed an ancient dragon, and crossed death's threshold to restore the balance.
title: A Wizard of Earthsea
title: The Tombs of Atuan
title: The Farthest Shore
title: Tehanu: the Last Book of Earthsea
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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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OPP
Darkwing (age 10+)
by Kenneth Oppel
fantasy ... action ... adventure
As the sun sets on the time of the dinosaurs, a new world is left in its wake. . . . Dusk. He alone can fly and see in the dark, in a colony where being different means being shunned¿or worse. As the leader¿s son, he is protected, but does his future lie among his kin? Carnassial. He has the true instincts of a predator, and he is determined that his kind will not only survive, but will dominate the world of beasts.
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STE
The Edge Chronicles (age 10+)
by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell
action ... identity ... adventure ... fantasy
Young Twig lives in the Deepwoods, among the Woodtrolls, but he isn't one of them. In a brave attempt to find out where he belongs, Twig wanders into the mysterious, dangerous world beyond the Deepwoods.
title: Beyond the Deepwoods
title: Stormchaser
title: Midnight Over Sanctaphrax
title: Freeglader
title: The Last of the Sky Pirates
title: The Curse of the Gloamglozer
title: Vox
title: The Winter Knights
title: Clash of the Sky Galleons
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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.
sequel: The Blue Sword
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MCK
The Door in the Hedge (age 10+)
by Robin McKinley
princesses ... short stories ... folklore ... fantasy ... magic
Master storyteller Robin McKinley here spins two new fairy tales and retells two cherished classics. All feature princesses touched with or by magic. There is Linadel, who lives in a kingdom next to Faerieland, where princesses are stolen away on their seventeenth birthdays--and Linadel's seventeenth birthday is tomorrow. And Korah, whose brother is bewitched by the magical Golden Hind; now it is up to her to break the spell. Rana must turn to a talking frog to help save her kingdom from the evil Aliyander. And then there are the twelve princesses, enspelled to dance through the soles of their shoes every night. . . . These are tales to read with delight!
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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
title: A Wind in the Door
title: A Swiftly Tilting Planet
title: Many Waters
title: An Acceptable Time
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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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MOO
Redwall: the Graphic Novel (age 10+)
by Stuart Moore
fantasy ... humor ... adventure
A graphic novel adaptation of Brian Jacques's novel in which the peaceful life of ancient Redwall Abbey is shattered by the arrival of the evil rat Cluny and his villainous hordes; and Matthias, a young mouse, determines to find the legendary sword of Martin the Warrior which, he is convinced, will help Redwall's inhabitants destroy the enemy.
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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: The Pearls of Lutra
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: Loamhedge: a Tale of 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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HUG
Jack Black and the Ship of Thieves (age 10+)
by Carol Hughes
voyages/journeys ... fantasy ... adventure
Jack Black is thrilled when his father, the captain of the largest airship in the world, invites him on the ship's maiden voyage. Once aloft, Jack overhears a plot to sabotage the ship. But before he can tell his father, Jack falls, plummeting through the air to be caught in the sails of a pirate ship. Now Jack must try to convince a crew of thieves to rescue his father.
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FUN
Corazon de Tinta (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.
sequel: Inkspell
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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
title: Inkspell
title: Inkdeath
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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
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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: Greenwitch
title: The Grey King
title: Silver on the Tree
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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.
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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
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NIM
Griffin's Castle (age 10+)
by Jenny Nimmo
family ... fantasy
After years of having moved around, eleven-year-old Dinah determines to make a huge, dilapidated old mansion into a home for her mother and herself, but the wild beasts she summons from a stone wall to protect her may also imprison her.

Sat Aug 25 11:55:25 2012
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