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.

Have You Read the Series?

Series books are always popular.  We love to read stories that just keep on going.  Here are some of my favorite series for teens . . .

(First book in series is listed.)

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, a learning many hard lessons along her path to high adventure.

Elemental by Antony John
In a dystopian colony of the United States where everyone is born with powers of the elements, water, wind, earth, and fire, sixteen-year-old Thomas, the first and only child born without an element seems powerless, but is he?

Freakling by Lana Krumwiede
After a traumatic accident removes his telekinetic ability, or psy, twelve-year-old Taemon is exiled to the "dud farm," where he is surprised to find kind, open people who enjoy using their hands but there are also mysteries at the colony and when Taemon unwittingly leaks one of the secrets he must find the courage to repair the damage, even if it means returning to the city from which he was banished.

Legacies by Mercedes Lackey & Rosemary Thornhill
Spirit is shocked to discover that she is a Legacy -- a child of a former student at Whitehall Academy.  Even more shocking is that the school is for those who have magical powers.

Abandon by Meg Cabot
A near-death experience, a horrible incident at school, and a move from Connecticut to Florida have turned seventeen-year-old Pierce's life upside-down, but when she needs him most John Hayden is always there, helping but reminding her of her visit to the Underworld.


More Teen Series --
Crash by Lisa McMann
Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer
Enchanted by Alethea Kontis
The Enemy by Charlie Higson
Half Bad by Sally Green
I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans
The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey
Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
Redwall by Brian Jacques
Slathbog's Gold by M.L. Forman
William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope by Ian Doescher
Wolf Tower by Tanith Lee
Zom-B by Darren Shan

Check out these books on display at the Arnold Branch through May 20, 2016.

Song of the Lioness Quartet by Tamora Pierce

Alanna has always dreamed of being a knight and going on adventures, but she is a girl.  When her father decrees that she will go to the convent to learn to be a lady and her twin brother Thom will go to the castle to become a knight she hatches a plan -- they switch places.  Alanna is determined to hide her identity long enough to become a knight.  But it's difficult always being on guard and hiding your true identity from your friends.  Plus, there's Duke Roger who seems to be out to get her for some reason . . .

The Song of the Lioness Quartet was one of the first female empowered fantasy series for teens.  It's a wonderful story of a girl who shows that she can do anything a boy can and often can do it better.

Alanna: The First Adventure shares the story of Alanna as a page training to be a knight.
In the Hand of the Goddess tells of her years as a squire and her showdown with Duke Roger.
The Woman Who Rides Like a Man tells of her adventures after winning her shield and revealing her true identity.
The Lioness Rampant closes the series with the story of her quest for the Dominion Jewel.

Have You Read the Series? Teen Edition

With the start of summer, it's the perfect time to start reading a series of books.  Here are some of my favorite teen series . . .

Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz
The Alex Rider Adventures #1
After the death of the uncle who had been his guardian, fourteen-year-old Alex Rider is coerced to continue his uncle's dangerous work for Britain's intelligence agency, MI6.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
Beautiful Creatures #1
In a small South Carolina town, where it seems little has changed since the Civil War, sixteen-year-old Ethan is powerfully drawn to Lena, a new classmate with whom he shares a psychic connection and whose family hides a dark secret that may be revealed on her sixteenth birthday.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore
The Graceling Realm #1
In a world where some people are born with extreme and often-feared skills called Graces, Katsa struggles for redemption from her own horrifying Grace, the Grace of killing, and teams up with another young fighter to save their land from a corrupt king.

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Moon series #1
Through journal entries sixteen-year-old Miranda describes her family's struggle to survive after a meteor hits the moon, causing worldwide tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.

Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce
Song of the Lioness #1
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, a learning many hard lessons along her path to high adventure.


More Teen Series --
Abandon trilogy by Meg Cabot
Adventurers Wanted series by M.L. Forman
BZRK series by Michael Grant
Chaos Walking series by Patrick Ness
The Claidi Journals series by Tanith Lee
The Enemy series by Charles Higson
Gone series by Michael Grant
Halo trilogy by Alexandra Adornetto
I Hunt Killers series by Barry Lyga
The Luxe series by Anna Godbersen
Num8ers series by Rachel Ward
Redwall series by Brian Jacques
Shiver trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater
Witch & Wizard series by James Patterson
Zom-B series by Darren Shan


Check out these series on display at the Arnold Branch through June 26, 2015.