The state of MG vs YA when YA is so much older now

Let’s talk about middle grade books, young adult books, and that liminal space between, that magic spot of readers ages 10-14 who read up. 

There’s a certain kind of voice you expect from a YA book that tells you “this is about a teenage experience.” It’s different from the exploring/discovery of the world voice we generally hear in MG—it’s more mature, sometimes more cynical. It’s not an adult voice, but it is no longer the voice of a child.

YA has been aging up for about 15-18 years now. In the early 2000s, we called books like Holly Black’s “edgy,” but that sensibility is now par for the course in YA, and generally the books you see shelved in the YA section of a bookstore star protagonists who are 15, 16, 17, 18—very few YA novels star 12-14-year-olds anymore.

This coincided with the vast numbers of YA readers becoming adults, as well—last we heard, more than 80% of YA readers are over 18, purchasing books for their own reading, not that of an actual teenager in their life.

Which for me, as someone who publishes books for children and teens BECAUSE I want to serve the population of children these books are intended for, is VERY frustrating. When books I publish in the YA market for 12-year-olds get dinged for actually sounding like a real 15-year-old is talking (“this book sounds middle grade” to paraphrase one review of one of my books because it didn’t contain romance), I feel like we have fundamentally lost our way if we aren’t serving our target market (or when reviewers don’t remember or don’t care about the books’ target market).

But these are the realities of our current system, so what’s emerging out of it is that MG seems to be picking up the slack for that forgotten, now-underserved tween audience who used to be the core readership for YA books.

Where does that leave the publisher of MG and YA books, though? Do I publish what I’ve always published as YA now as a MG? That doesn’t make sense, either, because the voice doesn’t sound MG–the voice is that of an emerging teenager, not an 8- or 10-year-old.

Yes, 12-18 is a very large developmental gap. We do need to allow space for the older YA—I’m glad it’s finally finding a home. But to then define YA as just what’s happened in the last 10-15 years is to ignore the huge body of work that has been YA for decades before that.I’ve seen more bookstores have tiers (8-11, 10-14, 14 and up, etc.), which is great, but publishing only has the two categories, and B&N only has the “children’s” section (with various subsections) and the “YA” section (now also broken down by genre, but not age), so it’s a challenge to communicate to accounts exactly where to shelve the books, and confusion can arise.

So: if you are a writer for that 10-14 age range, where do your books get shelved? Editors: what solutions have you come across? Readers/teachers/parents, where do you look for books for that age group? Librarians, how do you figure out where to shelve books for that age range?

Dragon books

I’ve been a bit busy with the day job (we’ve been trying to get 7 books out before leaving for Christmas break—we all get the week between Christmas and New Year’s off—and it’s been a scramble) and finishing up the very last of the critiques (I have a small handful left that I want to get back to authors on before Tu opens for submissions). So it’s been a little quiet around here, sorry! But perhaps it’s a relief after all those posts about the Kickstarter. 🙂

Today I break radio silence to build a book list. My sister reports that my five-year-old nephew is going through a dragon phase. He already has A Practical Guide to Dragons (how could he not? I think I gave a copy to every relative who wanted one, and then some), along with the one I edited, A Practical Guide to Monsters. My sister called while in the bookstore, looking for books to go with a Christmas present, and I could only think of the Dragon Codex books I edited. I didn’t even think of the Dragonology books off the top of my head, which would be perfect for him—some reading, but a lot of tactical exploring, as well. So now I’m putting together a list of books for her to look up at the library.

He’s only five, so picture books are welcome for the list. I’m just not as well-versed in them, so I don’t have a great lot of suggestions in that category. I’d love early readers and chapter books, because he can work on those on his own (though he might need help for some of the more advanced ones). They also read aloud a lot together, so suggestions for middle grade novels are definitely welcome.

Dragon Codex books by R.D. Henham (Red, Bronze, Black, Brass, Green, Silver, and Gold)—full disclosure: I edited these. They’re GOOD. And so of course they go at the top of the list. 😀
How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell
How to Speak Dragonese by Cressida Cowell
Dragonology (& all related books)
Kenny & the Dragon, Tony DiTerlizzi
Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher by Bruce Coville
Puff the Magic Dragon (picture book—we loved the song as kids)
Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke (I *knew* she had a dragon book!)
Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull—fun of all sorts, dragon doesn’t come in until most recent book
St. George & the Dragon by Margaret Hodges & Trina Schart Hyman
Magic Treehouse #37: Dragon of the Red Dawn (they love Magic Treehouse in their house–my nephew’s older brother devoured practically the whole series)

I know there are more out there. Suggest away!
Also, happy holidays! Merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah (late), happy Kwanzaa (is it over yet? I’m afraid I’m unfamiliar with it), and happy new year to you all.

More on the SF list

In answer to my question regarding middle grade science fiction on the Child_Lit listserv, Farah Mendlesohn replied with the address of her blog and her book list, dedicated to mostly children’s science fiction. Hooray! This will be a great resource, as will the book she wrote, which is coming out sometime this year.

Now, the book list says "YA SF," but I’m seeing everything from Captain Underpants (how could I forget him?) to Scott Westerfeld, so it encompasses more than just YA. I’ll skim and see what I can glean for the particular list we’re making here, and if you all happen to see any on there that would count as middle grade, let me know.

On to science fiction!

Okay, now that we’ve got the middle grade fantasy list, what about science fiction specifically for middle graders? I’m going to be really lenient in our definitions of science fiction, so we can include dystopian books for kids like City of Ember which are more based on science, but in which the science is kind of iffy. That takes second seat to how much fun the book is for the reader.

Remember, we’re talking specifically about books published for middle grade readers, kids age 8-12. The lines can be blurry, but I want to keep books published for young adults and adults off the list even if kids those age are reading them, simply for clarity’s sake.

Also, let’s leave off anything published prior to . . . oh, let’s give it a wide swath but say 1990. Science fiction published before those years was definitely science fiction, and there are kids who still find that interesting, but like I’ve said before, it’s a forward-looking genre, and really, books published before the kids were born will probably not be regarded as forward anything. But I gave i
t a little bigger swath than what should be probably 1997-2001, because there are a lot of good books like The Giver which are still popular in schools and aren’t set at any time that the reader couldn’t imagine to be their future.

Let’s also do a subgenre breakdown in the list, so we know why we’re calling it science fiction rather than fantasy (especially time travel novels: for the sake of clarity, few of the time travel novels have plausible science in them. I mean, do *you* know anyone who has traveled in time? but for ease of listing, I’m just plunking it in science fiction). If you have a subgenre classification I haven’t used here that applies to your book, let me know.

Dystopic

* City of Ember, Jeanne DuPrau
* The Giver, Lois Lowry
* Among the Hidden, Margaret Peterson Haddix
Running Out of Time, Margaret Peterson Haddix

Cyberpunk

Are there any cyberpunk books for middle graders? Would we even WANT there to be any? (Most of the cyberpunk I’ve read is pretty mature.)

Steampunk

Steampunk is one of those genres that crosses the line between SF and fantasy, too. The one that stands out most is Larklight by Philip Reeve. Others?

Space/spaceships/space travel

* A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L’Engle (this makes *both* fantasy and science fiction lists because it has elements of both. Please be careful when suggesting books like this, but if it it fits, it goes on the list)

Time travel

* Many Waters, Madeleine L’Engle (also a double, fuzzy, slippage kind of book)

Other planets

* Dragonsong, Anne McCaffrey (this goes on this list as much as or more than it does on fantasy, given that the dragons are actually just native to the new planet) new info says this book is definitely YA–sex in later books in the series
* Dragon and Thief (Dragonback), Timothy Zahn 

So far the length of this list sucks. I *know* there are more books out there, but my fantasy collection here at home is far more vast than my science fiction collection. Every SF book I think of tends to be more YA than MG.  I know that Rebecca Moesta and Kevin J. Anderson have spoken out about how little SF there is for kids, but I don’t know that I’d classify Crystal Doors as more SF than fantasy, and most places I’ve seen it sold in the YA section anyway.

So, what’s out there, people?

The final middle grade fantasy list

ETA 7/24/13: I’ve added a few titles to the list below (and deleted a few that I realized were more YA than MG), but if you want a really up-to-date version, follow me on Pinterest, where I keep a number of book lists, including this one, up to date as new titles become available.

 

Next week I’ll move on to science fiction, which, if we don’t count stuff published in the 1950s and 60s (I love Bova and Heinlein, but SF is by its very nature forward-looking, not back, and the kids of today need SF that takes them even farther than the SF world they’re already living in), will feel like a very short list. But hey, look at this huge list we just created! Maybe it won’t be so short after all.
So, behind the cut you’ll find the list you all helped me make. It may not contain every suggestion because sometimes I just didn’t know the books well enough to judge whether they would be right for the list, and sometimes I felt like they didn’t fit either “middle grade” or “fantasy” enough for my personal whims. And it’s exactly that, my own whims.

Feel free to copy for your own use and amend as necessary–this isn’t a comprehensive list (though it feels darn close), but hopefully it’s a great resource for any of us wanting to expand our reading. I know it will be for me!

Thanks for all your help!

Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians, Brandon Sanderson
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
Babe: The Gallant Pig, Dick King-Smith
Beauty, Robin McKinley
Bedknob and Broomstick, Mary Norton
Billy Bones, Christopher Lincoln
Boggart, Susan Cooper
The Book of Three, The Black Cauldron, Lloyd Alexander
The Borrowers, Mary Norton
The Chaos King, Laura Ruby
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, Roald Dahl
Charlie Bone, Jenny Nimmo
Charlotte’s Web, E.B. White
Children of Green Knowe, L.M. Boston
Children of the Lamp: The Akhenaten Adventure, P.B. Kerr
The Chrestomanci Chronicles, Diana Wynne Jones
Coraline, Neil Gaiman
Darkside, Tom Becker
The Deep Freeze of Bartholomew Tullock, Alex Williams
Dragon Castle, Joseph Bruchac
Dragon Keeper, Carole Wilkinson
Dragonlance: The New Adventures, various authors, including Tim Waggoner, Ree Soesbee, Dan Willis, Jeff Sampson, Christina Woods, Stephen D. Sullivan, and Stan Brown
Dragon’s Milk, Susan Fletcher
Dreamhunter/Dreamquake, Elizabeth Knox
Ella Enchanted, Gail Carson Levine
Eva Ibbotson’s books (I’ve meant to read her stuff for years but haven’t ever gotten around to it)
Fablehaven, Brandon Mull
The False Prince, Jennifer A. Nielsen
Five Children and It, E. Nesbit (and pretty much anything by E. Nesbit)
The Folk Keeper, Franny Billingsley
The Gammage Cup, Carol Kendall
A Gift of Magic, Lois Duncan
Half Magic, Edward Eager
Hall Family Chronicles, Jane Langton
Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling
The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien
The Hoboken Chicken Emergency, Daniel Pinkwater
Hugo Pepper, Paul Stewart & Chris Riddel
Inkheart, Cornelia Funke
Into the Wild, Sarah Beth Durst
James & the Giant Peach, Roald Dahl (man, I loved this one in about 3rd or 4th grade)
The Key to Rondo, Emily Rodda
The Last Dragon, Silvana de Mari
The Last Unicorn, Peter S. Beagle
The Light Princess, George MacDonald
The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Narnia), C.S. Lewis
Little Sister, Kara Dalkey
The Mad Scientists’ Club, Bertrand R. Brinley
The Magic Thief, Sarah Prineas
Many Waters, Madeleine L’Engle (part of the Wrinkle in Time series, technically, but far enough forward that I kind of count it separately)
Mary Poppins, P.L. Travers
Matilda, Roald Dahl
May Bird and the Ever After, Jodi Lynn Anderson
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, Robert C. O’Brien
Mister Monday (Keys to the Kingdom), Garth Nix
The Monster in the Mudball, S.P. Gates
The Mouse and His Child, Russell Hoban
My Rotten Life: Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie, David Lubar (ARC, to be published this August)
The Mysterious Benedict Society, Trenton Lee Stewart
The Name of This Book Is Secret, Pseudonymous Bosch
The Neverending Story, Michael Ende
Nightmare Academy, Dean Lorey
Of Mice and Magic, David Farland
Over Sea, Under Stone, Susan Cooper
Pendragon, D.J. MacHale
Peter Pan & Wendy, J.M. Barrie
The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster
The Power of Three, Diana Wynne Jones
Princess Academy, Shannon Hale
The Princess and the Goblin/The Princess and Curdie, George MacDonald
The Princess Tales (Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep, etc.), Gail Carson Levine
First Test, Page, Squire, and Lady Knight, Tamora Pierce
Ranger’s Apprentice
Red Dragon Codex, R.D. Henham
Redwall, Brian Jacques
Savvy, Ingrid Law
Sea of Trolls, Nancy Farmer
The Seeing Stone, Kevin Crossley-Holland
The Shadow Thieves, Anne Ursu
Skulduggery Pleasant, Derek Landy
Snow Spider (Magician trilogy)
Standard Hero Behavior, John David Anderson
The Fairy Tale Detectives (The Sisters Grimm), Michael Buckley (I LOVE this series)
The Spiderwick Chronicles, Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi
The Stink Files, Holm & Hamel
Stoneflight, Georgess McHargue
The Story of the Treasure Seekers, E. Nesbit
Stuart Little, E.B. White
Swan Sister, Terri Windling and Ellen Datlow
The Tale of Despereaux, Kate DiCamillo
The 13th Reality, James Dashner
39 Clues, Rick Riordan et al.
Tom’s Midnight Garden, Phillippa Pearce
The Trumpet of the Swan, E.B. White
Un Lun Dun, China Mieville
Vampirates, Justin Somper
The Wall and the Wing, Laura Ruby
Warriors, Erin Hunter
Watership Down, Richard Adams
Well Wished, Franny Billingsley
What the Witch Left, The Wednesday Witch, The Secret Tree House, Ruth Chew
The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
The Witches, Roald Dahl
Whales on Stilts, M.T. Anderson
A Wolf at the Door, Terri Windling and Ellen Datlow (also in The Dark of the Woods)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum

MG fantasy or not?

No one can read every book out there, especially people who are extremely busy. One can try, though–hence my trying to make a list of great middle grade fantasy. I haven’t read every book on that list, but they all come recommended from someone if I haven’t read them and loved them myself, so now I get the chance to start checking them off the list and seeing if I agree!

I just found another stack of books in my extremely large TBR pile, though, and I haven’t read most of them myself, and some of them I’m not even sure if they’re YA or MG. I’m wondering if any of you have read them, and if so, if you’d add them to the list.

  • The Key to Rondo, Emily Rodda (who is the author of the extremely popular Deltora Quest books)
  • The Shadow Thieves, Anne Ursu
  • The Chaos King, Laura Ruby (the ARC I have says 10 and up)
  • The Faerie Wars, Herbie Brennan (I read about half of this a few years ago but a project took my attention away, and I never came back. Would you consider this one MG or YA? Perhaps it fits in the 10 and up category that crosses over?)
  • Book of a Thousand Days, Shannon Hale (the only one on the list I’ve read all the way through. LOVE this book. I wouldn’t count it as strictly middle-grade, especially with a 15-year-old protagonist, but it does make me wonder if it’s a 10 and up kind of book. Though it’s really about the love story, so perhaps I just need to start making a YA list! But right now, concentrate! Middle grade!)
  • The Dreadful Revenge of Ernest Gallen, James Lincoln Collier (this is the author of My Brother Sam Is Dead, which I loved. Does the ghostly voice whispering to the main character constitute fantasy? I’m not sure, given that I haven’t read it myself. Anyone who has read it, please let me know.)
  • The Tygrine Cat, Inbali Iserles
  • The Deep Freeze of Bartholomew Tullock, Alex Williams

And please keep adding to the ever-growing list!

Booklist update

Let’s take a look at what we have so far for our middle-grade fantasy book list. I’ve actually put it in alphabetical order at this point, so we should be able to see anything left out more easily. Forgive any mistakes in alphabetization–this was done very quickly and had to take "the"s into account and I’m not sure it was completely accurate! But at least it’s better than it was.

* A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L’Engle
A Ring of Endless Light, Madeleine L’Engle
* Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians, Brandon Sanderson
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
* Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
Babe: The Gallant Pig, Dick King-Smith
* Babymouse, Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm (strictly speaking, this is a graphic novel, which opens up a can of worms, but it’s so fun!)
, Robin McKinley
Bedknob and Broomstick, Mary Norton
* The Book of Three, The Black Cauldron, Lloyd Alexander
* The Borrowers, Mary Norton
* Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
Charlotte’s Web, E.B. White
Chasing Vermeer, Blue Balliet
* Children of Green Knowe, L.M. Boston
Children of the Lamp: The Akhenaten Adventure, P.B. Kerr
* The Chrestomanci Chronicles, Diana Wynne Jones
Coraline, Neil Gaiman
* The Dalemark Quintet, Diana Wynne Jones
* Dragon Keeper, Carole Wilkinson
* Dragon’s Milk, Susan Fletcher
* Dragonsong, Anne McCaffrey (?)
Ella Enchanted, Gail Carson Levine
* Fablehaven, Brandon Mull
* Five Children and It, E. Nesbit (and pretty much anything by E. Nesbit)
The Folk Keeper, Franny Billingsley
Half Magic, Edward Eager
* Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling
The Hoboken Chicken Emergency, Daniel Pinkwater
* Howl’s Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones (well… more YA, really, but House of Many Ways is more middle grade, so…)
* Hugo Pepper, Paul Stewart & Chris Riddel
The Indian in the Cupboard, Lynne Reid Banks (though perhaps should be phased off any recommendation lists, due to cultural inaccuracies, but it is a title that grabs kids)
* Inkheart, Cornelia Funke
* Into the Wild, Sarah Beth Durst
James & the Giant Peach, Roald Dahl (man, I loved this one in about 3rd or 4th grade)
* Larklight, Philip Reeve
* The Last Apprentice, Joseph Delaney
The Last Dragon, Silvana de Mari
The Light Princess, George MacDonald
* The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan
* The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Narnia), C.S. Lewis
* Little Sister, Kara Dalkey
The Magic Thief, Sarah Prineas
Many Waters, Madeleine L’Engle (part of the Wrinkle in Time series, technically, but far enough forward that I kind of count it separately)
* Mary Poppins,
P.L. Travers
May Bird and the Ever After, Jodi Lynn Anderson
* Mister Monday (Keys to the Kingdom), Garth Nix
The Mouse and His Child, Russell Hoban
My Rotten Life: Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie, David Lubar (ARC, to be published this August)
* The Mysterious Benedict Society, Trenton Lee Stewart
Of Mice and Magic, David Farland
* Over Sea, Under Stone, Susan Cooper
Penderwicks (is this fantasy? I haven’t read it)
* Pendragon, D.J. MacHale
The Perilous Gard, Elizabeth Pope (not technically fantasy, and perhaps YA? But oh so good!) (?)
Peter Pan & Wendy, J.M. Barrie
The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster
The Power of Three, Diana Wynne Jones
Princess Academy, Shannon Hale
The Princess and the Goblin/The Princess and Curdie, George MacDonald
The Princess Bride (kinda sorta–perhaps more YA?)
* The Princess Tales (Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep, etc.), Gail Carson Levine
* Protector of the Small, Tamora Pierce
* Red Dragon Codex, R.D. Henham
* Redwall, Brian Jacques
* The Seeing Stone, Kevin Crossley-Holland
* Skulduggery Pleasant, Derek Landy
Standard Hero Behavior, John David Anderson
* The Fairy Tale Detectives (The Sisters Grimm), Michael Buckley (I LOVE this series)
* The Spiderwick Chronicles, Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi (that’s one that’s on the young end, but still enjoyed by 9-10 year olds)
* The Stink Files, Holm & Hamel
* The Story of the Treasure Seekers, E. Nesbit
Stuart Little, E.B. White
The Tale of Despereaux, Kate DiCamillo
* The Thief, Megan Whalen Turner (would this be YA or middle grade, really? I’m about to read it so will have a better feeling after, of course)
* The 13th Reality, James Dashner
Tom’s Midnight Garden, Phillippa Pearce
The Trumpet of the Swan, E.B. White
* Vampirates, Justin Somper
* Warriors, Erin Hunter
* The Wee Free Men, Terry Pratchett
Well WishedThe Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
The Witches, Roald Dahl
* Whales on Stilts, M.T. Anderson
* The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum

In the middle of the middle–and a question

First the question: Can anyone point me to where to find the middle grade children’s literature listserv, equivalent to Child_Lit but for older books? I can’t seem to either remember the name or to figure out where to sign up. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve re-subscribed to Child_Lit since I left Wizards–I had it go to a particular folder and only checked in on it from time to time, and nowadays I’m missing it. Off to subscribe!
Onward with the actual post, however. I’m in the middle of trying to make a list of great middle-grade fantasy books, and find that I’m often looking at my shelf thinking, "What a great book! I’ll include it on the list!" only to realize that no, I’m limiting myself to middle-grade, and that chapter book or YA fantasy just won’t do. Just for the purposes of the list I’m making, mind you!
So. A little help, please? I’m looking for classics, contemporaries, obvious and not-so-obvious books. I’m only listing series by series rather than all the books, to simplify matters. So far, I’ve borrowed from Editorial Anonymous‘s list that we talked about the other day, and also from my grad school syllabi, and from my own personal bookshelves, and previous recommendation lists (which so need to be updated, hence the whole thing today!), but surely even with all of those, I’m forgetting something!
I am including crossover titles. In other words, if it’s a book that has teen characters but is commonly read by middle-graders–Madeleine L’Engle comes to mind–even though it’s often shelved in YA I’m including it. Or if it’s a short chapter book that 7-year-olds might read, but that 9-year-olds enjoy just as much, it’s probably borderline, but I’m going to include it on the list at least at first.
Also, my criteria for "great" is dual-fold (tri-fold?): either great literary, Newbery-worthy writing, or popular with kids/bestselling, or both. Or really, who needs such high expectations? Just really great books for middle-grade kids that have magic, adventure, and a story that hooks kids from the beginning. I don’t want to leave out a good book simply because it’s deemed non-literary or because its sales weren’t high enough or something.
So, here’s my list so far. Feel free to comment on anything I’ve missed, because I fully admit that it’s highly likely I’ve forgotten something obvious! Also note that it’s in no particular order at this point, not even alphabetical.
Series are marked with an asterisk.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
* The Book of Three, The Black Cauldron, Lloyd Alexander
Charlotte’s Web, E.B. White
The Trumpet of the Swan, E.B. White
Stuart Little, E.B. White
Coraline, Neil Gaiman
* Redwall, Brian Jacques
The Witches, Roald Dahl
* Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling
* The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis
* Over Sea, Under Stone, Susan Cooper
Penderwicks (is this fantasy? I haven’t read it)
The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster
The Tale of Despereaux, Kate DiCamillo
* The Wee Free Men, Terry Pratchett
James & the Giant Peach, Roald Dahl (man, I loved this one in about 3rd or 4th grade)
* Whales on Stilts, M.T. Anderson
* Children of Green Knowe, L.M. Boston
Peter Pan & Wendy, J.M. Barrie
Of Mice and Magic, David Farland
*The Last Apprentice, Joseph Delaney
* Dragon’s Milk, Susan Fletcher
Half Magic, Edward Eager
* Red Dragon Codex, R.D. Henham
* Protector of the Small, Tamora Pierce
The Last Dragon, Silvana de Mari
May
Bird and the Ever After
The Magic Thief, Sarah Prineas
* Larklight, Philip Reeve
* The Mysterious Benedict Society, Trenton Lee Stewart
* Skulduggery Pleasant, Derek Landy
My Rotten Life: Nathan Abercrombie, Accidental Zombie, David Lubar (ARC, to be published this August)
* The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan
* Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians, Brandon Sanderson
* The Thief, Megan Whalen Turner (would this be YA or middle grade, really? I’m about to read it so will have a better feeling after, of course)
* The 13th Reality, James Dashner
Standard Hero Behavior, John David Anderson
* The Stink Files, Holm & Hamel
The Power of Three, Diana Wynne Jones
* The Chrestomanci Chronicles, Diana Wynne Jones
* Inkheart, Cornelia Funke
A Ring of Endless Light, Madeleine L’Engle
* A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L’Engle
* The Sisters Grimm, Michael Buckley (I LOVE this series)
Chasing Vermeer, Blue Balliet
* The Seeing Stone, Kevin Crossley-Holland
* Pendragon, D.J. MacHale
* Warriors, Erin Hunter
* Babymouse, Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm
* Dragon Keeper, Carole Wilkinson
* Hugo Pepper, Paul Stewart & Chris Riddel
* Fablehaven, Brandon Mull
* Into the Wild, Sarah Beth Durst
* Vampirates, Justin Somper
Princess Academy, Shannon Hale
Tom’s Midnight Garden, Phillippa Pearce
Many Waters, Madeleine L’Engle (part of the Wrinkle in Time series, technically, but far enough forward that I kind of count it separately)
Bedknob and Broomstick, Mary Norton
Ella Enchanted, Gail Carson Levine
Beauty, Robin McKinley
* The Princess Tales (Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep, etc.), Gail Carson Levine
* Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
* Little Sister, Kara Dalkey
The Princess Bride (kinda sorta–perhaps more YA?)
The Hoboken Chicken Emergency, Daniel Pinkwater
The Indian in the Cupboard, Lynne Reid Banks (though perhaps should be phased off any recommendation lists, due to cultural inaccuracies, but it is a title that grabs kids)
The Mouse and His Child, Russell Hoban
* The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum
The Perilous Gard, Elizabeth Pope (not technically fantasy, and perhaps YA? But oh so good!)
* Mister Monday/Keys to the Kingdom, Garth Nix
The Folk Keeper, Franny Billingsley
The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
Babe: The Gallant Pig, Dick King-Smith
* Mary Poppins, P.L. Travers
* The Borrowers, Mary Norton
* Five Children and It, E. Nesbit (and pretty much anything by E. Nesbit)
The Princess and the Goblin/The Princes
s and Curdie, George MacDonald
The Light Princess, George MacDonald
Well Wished, Franny Billingsley
* Howl’s Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones (well… more YA, really, but House of Many Ways is more middle grade, so…)
* Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
* The Spiderwick Chronicles, Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi (that’s one that’s on the young end, but still enjoyed by 9-10 year olds)
* The Story of the Treasure Seekers, E. Nesbit
* The Dalemark Quintet, Diana Wynne Jones
* Dragonsong, Anne McCaffrey
Children of the Lamp: The Akhenaten Adventure, P.B. Kerr
Recommendations from comments
I’ve got some reading to do!
Stoneflight, Georgess McHargue
* The Mad Scientists’ Club, Bertrand R. Brinley
* Danny Dunn books (?)
* Ranger’s Apprentice
The Name of This Book Is Secret, Pseudonymous Bosch
* Hall Family Chronicles, Jane Langton
Matilda, Roald Dahl
Darkside, Tom Becker
Savvy, Ingrid Law
Eva Ibbotson’s books (I’ve meant to read her stuff for years but haven’t ever gotten around to it)
The True Meaning of Smekday, Adam Rex
The Neverending Story, Michael Ende
A Gift of Magic, Lois Duncan
* What the Witch Left, The Wednesday Witch, The Secret Tree House, Ruth Chew
* Charlie Bone
Nightmare Acad
emy, Dean Lorey (I’ve got this ARC around here somewhere. This is the problem with not having my office finished–I’m not quite sure *where* it is. And not having read it yet, I’d thought it was YA, but hadn’t looked at it hard yet.)
Billy Bones, Christopher Lincoln
* The 39th Clue, Rick Riordan et al.
A Wolf at the Door, Terri Windling and Ellen Datlow (also in The Dark of the Woods)
Swan Sister, Terri Windling and Ellen Datlow
Dreamhunter/Dreamquake, Elizabeth Knox
The Last Unicorn
* The Gammage Cup