Classics of Teen Fantasy

 This week, I'm sharing some of the classics in teen fantasy.  Here are a few of my favorites . . . .

Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede

Bored with traditional palace life, a princess goes off to live with a group of dragons and soon becomes involved with fighting against some disreputable wizards who want to steal away the dragons' kingdom.

The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

Gen flaunts his ingenuity as a thief and relishes the adventure which takes him to a remote temple of the gods where he will attempt to steal a precious stone.

Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce

Eleven-year-old Alanna, who aspires to be a knight even though she is a girl, disguises herself as a boy to become a royal page, learning many hard lessons along her path to high adventure.

The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia McKillip

Raised on Eld mountain with only her father's magical menagerie for company, a young wizard is drawn irrevocably into the human world with all its sorrows and delights when a baby comes into her care.

Howl's Moving Castle by Diane Wynne Jones

Eldest of three sisters in a land where it is considered to be a misfortune, Sophie is resigned to her fate as a hat shop apprentice until a witch turns her into an old woman and she finds herself in the castle of the greatly feared wizard Howl .

More Classics of Teen Fantasy --

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

The Girl of Fire and Thorn by Rae Carson

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin

Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through August 13, 2021.

An Now For Something Completely Different

Sometimes you're just in the mood for something new . . . something different.  So this week, I'm sharing some teen stories that are quirky and different.  Here are a few of my favorites . . . .

The Year of the Beasts by Cecil Castelucci
Tessa tries to be happy when her crush, Charlie, falls for her younger sister, Lulu, and it becomes easier after she begins a secret relationship with Jasper, a social outcast who lives next door to Tessa's best friend. Alternate chapters are in graphic novel form.

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
Eldest of three sisters in a land where it is considered to be a misfortune, Sophie is resigned to her fate as a hat shop apprentice until a witch turns her into an old woman and she finds herself in the castle of the greatly feared wizard Howl .

Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley
Seventeen-year-old Cullen's summer in Lily, Arkansas, is marked by his cousin's death by overdose, an alleged spotting of a woodpecker thought to be extinct, failed romances, and his younger brother's sudden disappearance.

The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness
The best friend of a kid with superhuman qualities endeavors to have a life of his own that is both normal and extraordinary in the face of constant world-shaking challenges, threats against his school, and an elusive pretty girl.


More Books --
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
As You Wish by Chelsea Sedoti
Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schrieber
Away We Go by Emil Ostrovski
Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
Bone Gap by Laura Ruby
Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Going Bovine by Libba Bray
The Golden Day by Ursula Dubosarsky
Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith
Looking for Alaska by John Green
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Paper Towns by John Green
The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
Searching for Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
Spontaneous by Aaron Starmer
Stranger Than Fanfiction by Chris Colfer
There Is No Dog by Meg Rosoff
Wax by Gina Damico
We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan
William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope by Ian Doescher


Check these books out on display at the Arnold Branch through December 20, 2019.

The Book Is Better!

While I love to watch movie adaptations of books, I almost always find that I liked the book better than the movies.  However, I do have to say that I love several of the movies made from the following chapter books for kids . . . . .

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
Eldest of three sisters in a land where it is considered to be a misfortune, Sophie is resigned to her fate as a hat shop apprentice until a witch turns her into an old woman and she finds herself in the castle of the greatly feared wizard Howl.

How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell
Chronicles the adventures and misadventures of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third as he tries to pass the important initiation test of his Viking clan, the Tribe of the Hairy Hooligans, by catching and training a dragon.

Babe: The Gallant Pig by Dick-King Smith
A piglet destined for eventual butchering arrives at the farmyard, is adopted by an old sheep dog, and discovers a special secret to success.

Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers
The wind brings two English children a new nanny who slides up the bannister and introduces them to some delightful people and experiences.

The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander
The land of Prydain is threatened by the evil Arawn and his band of invincible warriors.


More Books Turned into Movies --
The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
The Field Guide by Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex



Check out these books on display at the Arnold Branch through June 3, 2016.

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Sophie always knew she wouldn't amount to much.  She's the oldest daughter.  The daughter who would stay at home and mind the hat shop.

Until the Witch of the Waste curses Sophie and she changes from a teen girl to an old woman.  She aches.  She tires easily.  And worst of all -- she can't tell anyone that she is under a curse.

So she leaves the hat shop . . . and ends up as the housekeeper to the Wizard Howl and his castle that walks around the countryside.  There she enters into a bargain with the fire demon Calcifer that they will break each other's curses.

But that isn't easy.  She has to deal with Howl trying to make her younger sister fall in love with him.  She has to visit the King to convince him that Howl that worthless. She is being chased by the Witch of the Waste and a scarecrow.


I love this book.  It is one of the best fantasy novels for children and teens ever written.  It is detailed with many plot twists and turns.  The characterization is fully developed.  And best of all, there are two sequels to the book.  It's also been turned into an animated movie by the famed Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki and a manga.