Favorite Fantasy Books For 'Tweens

My friend's almost twelve-year-old daughter loves reading, but she is in a bit of a reading rut at the moment. She needs a little Jump Start for the New Year. (By the way, this post isn't about books for girls, so if you have a 'tween son, keep reading).

photo: Annie Spratt

She's done the Anne of Green Gables and Betsy-Tacy books.
She moved on to Narnia and Harry Potter and found she loves fantasy.
She tried Ender's Game, but says she isn't as fond of science fiction ("yet," said hopefully to me by Mom).

So as it now stands, my friend's daughter is reading the Percy Jackson books over and over because she just doesn't "know what else to read".

I passed along some fantasy titles that our sons and daughter really enjoyed during the 'Tween Years...did I leave out your favorites?

1. The Chronicles of Prydain series by Lloyd Alexander. This (not-to-be-missed!) series of children's fantasy novels recounts the adventures of a young man named Taran, who is awarded the humble "honor" of Assistant Pig-Keeper (of an oracular pig, named "Hen Wen"), but dreams of being a grand hero. He finds himself caught in a struggle between good and evil with the help of his unlikely companions: stubborn Princess Eilonwy; a bard named Fflewddur Fflam; a wild, yet gentle creature called Gurgi; and a dwarf named Doli. The book focuses on Taran's progression from youth to maturity, with the series being loosely based on Welsh mythology. The Book of Three; The Black Cauldron; The Castle of Llyr; Taran Wanderer; The High King (ages 9-12).

2. George MacDonald's The Princess and the Goblin and The Princess and Curdie. Although George MacDonald wrote The Princess and the Goblin primarily for children, his fantasy continues to delight readers of all ages. This fantasy story surrounds a young princess (Irene) and a miner boy named Curdie. The princess's great-great-grandmother, who lives high up in the castle turret and appears either as very old or young and beautiful, admonishes Irene to behave courageously and to overcome her fears as Curdie strives to save her from the evil goblin's plan to kidnap her. MacDonald's books contain the elements of good story telling—an exciting, well-paced plot and believable characters, who have human weaknesses as well as strengths. (ages 8 and up)

3. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Jester (ages 10-12) is a fantasy story of a mysterious tollbooth appearing in the home of a young and bored time-waster, a boy named Milo. Boys especially will enjoy the humor, wordplay, and brain teasers as the tollbooth allows Milo to stumble upon many adventures of the mind! (An example of the quirky humor, fun use of words and logic? Milo arrives at the "Island of Conclusions" by jumping, of course!)

4. Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce (ages 9-12). From Books That Build Character: "This novel is widely considered to be one of the masterpieces of children's literature...critic Humphrey Carpenter has noted that TOM'S MIDNIGHT GARDEN is, in essence, a reversal of PETER PAN. In Pearces's novel, a boy has to come to terms with the fact that time cannot be stopped, that change and growth and loss are part of human existence...Tom's brother has measles, and so Tom is forced (unhappily) to spend the summer with his aunt and uncle...one night he hears an old grandfather clock strike thirteen. When he goes down to investigate, he decides to step outside, and he discovers himself in a beautiful garden rather than a paved driveway...he meets a pretty young girl named Hatty. After many puzzling visits, he begins to realize that each one occurs at a different point in time in Hatty's life...she perceives him as a ghost who appears only after long absences...The author resolves these mysteries in a satisfying and moving conclusion. Tom's experiences cause him to leave his angry, self-preoccupied life behind, and learn something about love, time, and the importance of memory." The descriptive writing and plot in this book made a huge impression on my older son. To this day, he sites it as a favorite.

Happy Reading in 2018!
So many books, so little time!

Do you have a 'tween who enjoys mysteries?  Go here for my past "Who Dunnits for Preteens" post.

How about sci-fi?  You'll find my book list here.

Time for me to get working on a non-fiction list for 'tweens!  Any recommendations?

GOOD BOOKS FOR PRETEEN BOYS

My sister suggested I follow up my post GOOD BOOKS FOR TEEN GIRLS with one for teenage boys. But first, I'd like to post a list for preteen boys, because I can't stress enough the importance of getting your boys to discover excellent chapter books early on, so that they stick with it during their busy high school years.  

There are several challenges with getting boys to read.   Boys can be reluctant readers, partly due to the fact that they like action and are risk takers - not something that is necessarily fulfilled by curling up with a good book.  But I think even boys that are eager readers have a hard time sitting still and focusing on a book when there are things like baseballs, basketballs, bugs, bike riding, and buddies vying for their time and attention.

Girls from a young age, on the other hand, tend to be more people-oriented than action oriented. (That must be why we girls love our Jane Austen books!)  I recently came across an interesting article on raising boys vs. girls and their differences, HERE.

Growing up, both of my sons shared a penchant for Legos, action figures, karate, bike riding, exploring, and playing in the mud.  Pretty much typical boys, I'd say.

But in regards to their individual interests, they were pretty different.  My older son was an avid reader, loved science, drawing (especially dinosaurs, sealife, and space), and eventually started making stop-motion movies with our video camera!  My second son - who is four and a half years younger than his older brother, with a sister between them - was active and a reluctant reader.  As a youngster, his idea of art was completing dot-to-dot books. He loved climbing (not just swinging) on our swingset, doing headstands, and playing with balls, trains, and cars - moving on later to a love of the game of basketball, math and numbers, and collecting things (especially basketball cards).  

GOOD MIDDLE READERS FOR BOYS:

Pictured below are books for boys ages 9-12, that I listed in a past post "CHAPTER BOOKS MY SONS LOVED", which can be read HERE. Scroll down to read about some others I've added to my list...

  

  

   

    

Books about SCIENCE and THE WAY THINGS WORK (see my list, HERE)

REDWALL series, by Brian Jacques (read my past post HERE)

MORE CHAPTER BOOKS MY SONS LOVED (for ages 9-12):

THE INDIAN IN THE CUPBOARD series, by Lynne Reid Banks. Exciting, absorbing, and thought provoking story, alive with magic as two boys discover they can bring their toys to life by putting them in an old medicine cabinet that one of them receives - along with a small plastic Indian - for his birthday. They are faced with the responsibility of this tiny person and the consequences of their actions.

THE NEVERENDING STORY by Michael Ende.  Much better than the movie! Bastian embarks on a wild adventure when he enters the magical world of Fantastica, a doomed land filled with dragons, giants, and monsters, and risks his life to save Fantastica by going on a very dangerous quest.

THE SUGAR CREEK GANG (series) by Paul Hutchens.  I had these books recommended by my husband's dad, who grew up on them in the 1940's.  They are like a Christian version of THE HARDY BOYS mysteries. The narrator of the series is Bill Collins, a red-headed freckle-faced boy, who is an only child.  Bill and his "gang" of six friends start the series as 10-year-old 5th graders. By the end of the series, they have aged several years and Bill has picked up a little sister named Charlotte Ann.

   

DETECTIVES IN TOGAS by Henry Winterfield. In this delightful history-mystery, seven boys in Ancient Rome solve strange crimes . . . thanks to some help from their cranky teacher, a little bit of logic, and a lot of amusing misadventure. Yes, Rufus wrote "CAIUS IS A DUMBBELL" on his tablet at school, but no, he did not break into the schoolroom, did not tie up his teacher, and certainly did not paint his slur about Caius on the Temple of Minerva (even if it is in Rufus's own handwriting). Rufus is doomed unless his six classmates can find out who is really responsible. Every hour seems to bring a new, confusing clue . . . until the boys finally stumble upon someone who is not what he appears to be. Also good - MYSTERY OF THE ROMAN RANSOM.

 
THANK YOU, JACKIE ROBINSON by Barbara Cohen (ages 9-12)  This compelling novel isn't just about baseball, but about the warm friendship between a 10-year-old Jewish boy named Sam and an older African American man.  This man, Davy, is a cook at Sam's mother's New Jersey inn.  It's 1947, and they both love the Brooklyn Dodgers.  And they both love Jackie Robinson.  Davy is a cook at Sam's mother's inn.  When Davy has a heart attack, Sam musters up his courage and gets past many obstacles to get Jackie Robinson's autograph on a baseball for Davy, somehow convinced that the ball with make him better.