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BEL |
Farsala Trilogy (age 12+) by Hilari Bell war ... folklore ... adventure ... fantasy Publisher comments: Three young people watch as their world is torn apart. An enemy approaches Farsala's borders, but the rulers of Farsala believe that they cannot be beaten. Three young people are less sure of Farsala's invincibility. Jiaan, Soraya, and Kavi see Farsala headed toward the Flames of Destruction. But what they cannot see is how inextricably their own lives are linked to Farsala's destiny--until it's too late. As their world crumbles around them, the only thing left for them to do is look to the future and hope that somehow they can rebuild all that has been lost. In Flame, the first volume of The Book of Sorahb and the Farsala Trilogy, Hilari Bell introduces readers to a world of honor, danger, and magic in a spellbinding tale of self-discovery. title: Flame title: Fall of a Kingdom title: Rise of a Hero title: Forging the Sword |
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BAR |
Great Tree of Avalon Series (age 12+) by T. A. Barron magic ... adventure ... folklore ... fantasy Publisher comments: Long ago, the great wizard Merlin planted the seed that would become the peaceful world of Avalon. Now, though, Avalon is suffering from mysterious droughts. Then the very stars begin to lose their light, and it seems that the Lady of the Lake's dire predictions are about to come true. The fate of Avalon now rests with Tamwyn, a wandering wilderness guide; Elli, an apprentice priestess; and Scree, a young eagleman. One of them is the true heir of Merlin, the only person who can save Avalon, and one of them is the dreaded child of the Dark Prophecy, fated to destroy it. title: Child of the Dark Prophecy title: Shadow on the Stars title: Shadows on the Stars title: The Eternal Flame |
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BUN |
A Curse Dark as Gold
(age 12+) by Elizabeth Bunce fantasy ... folklore Catalog: Upon the death of her father, seventeen-year-old Charlotte struggles to keep the family's woolen mill running in the face of an overwhelming mortgage and what the local villagers believe is a curse, but when a man capable of spinning straw into gold appears on the scene she must decide if his help is worth the price. |
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PRA |
The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents
(age 12+) by Terry Pratchett folklore ... adventure ... fantasy ... humor Publisher comments: One rat, popping up here and there, squeaking loudly, and taking a bath in the cream, could be a plague all by himself. After a few days of this, it was amazing how glad people were to see the kid with his magical rat pipe. And they were amazing when the rats followed hint out of town. They'd have been really amazed if they'd ever found out that the rats and the piper met up with a cat somewhere outside of town and solemnly counted out the money. The Amazing Maurice runs the perfect Pied Piper scam. This streetwise alley cat knows the value of cold, hard cash and can talk his way into and out of anything. But when Maurice and his cohorts decide to con the town of Bad Blinitz, it will take more than fast talking to survive the danger that awaits. For this is a town where food is scarce and rats are hated, where cellars are lined with deadly traps, and where a terrifying evil lurks beneath the hunger-stricken streets.... |
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REE |
Here Lies Arthur
(age 12+) by Philip Reeve fantasy ... folklore Publisher comments: Gwynna is just a girl who is forced to run when her village is attacked and burns to the ground. To her horror, she is discovered in the wood. But it is Myrddin the bard who has found her, a traveler and spinner of tales. He agrees to protect Gwynna if she will agree to be bound in service to him. Gwynna is frightened but intrigued-and says yes-for this Myrddin serves the young, rough, and powerful Arthur. In the course of their travels, Myrddin transforms Gwynna into the mysterious Lady of the Lake, a boy warrior, and a spy. It is part of a plot to transform Arthur from the leader of a ragtag war band into King Arthur, the greatest hero of all time. If Gwynna and Myrrdin's trickery is discovered, what will become of Gwynna? Worse, what will become of Arthur? Only the endless battling, the mighty belief of men, and the sheer cunning of one remarkable girl will tell. |
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SAN |
Song of the Sparrow
(age 12+) by Lisa Ann Sandell growing up ... war ... folklore ... historical Since the days of King Arthur, there have been poems and paintings created in her name. She is Elaine of Ascolat, the Lady of Shalott, and now there is a book all her own. The year is 490 A.D. and 16-year-old Elaine has a temperament to match her fiery red hair. Living on a military base with her father, brothers, and the rest of Arthur's army, Elaine pines for the handsome Lancelot, and longs for a female friend. But when the cruel, beautiful Gwynivere arrives, Elaine is confronted with startling emotions of jealousy and rivalry. Can Elaine find the strength to survive the birth of a kingdom? |
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HAL |
Book of a Thousand Days
(age 12+) by Shannon Hale folklore ... identity ... fantasy When Dashti, a maid, and Lady Saren, her mistress, are shut in a tower for seven years for Saren's refusal to marry a man she despises, the two prepare for a very long and dark imprisonment. As food runs low and the days go from broiling hot to freezing cold, it is all Dashti can do to keep them fed and comfortable. But the arrival outside the tower of Saren's two suitors (one welcome, and the other decidedly less so) brings both hope and great danger, and Dashti must make the desperate choices of a girl whose life is worth more than she knows. |
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MCK |
A Knot in the Grain and Other Stories
(age 12+) by Robin McKinley short stories ... folklore ... magic ... spooky Fantastic stories of the supernatural. |
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YEP |
Dragon of the Lost Sea
(age 12+) 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 Cauldron sequel: Dragon War |