This is a list of the books I have in my fiction bookcase. These books are so good that I want to read them again. Many are humorous fantasy because that is what I enjoy.
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place Series - 6 books
by Maryrose Wood
Ages 8-12++
I loved this series and think the 12 age is too limiting. Combines excitement, fantasy, mystery, creative plot twists, and lots of humor into an enthralling tale. A family is healed by love. Children raised by wolves, their governess, and family secrets make this six book series hard to put down.
The Chrestomanci Series - 7 books
by Diana Wynne Jones
Ages 8-12++
Hard to put down! An exciting mixture of spellbinding fantasy, humor, magic, and mystery. I loved it and other people over 12 would also enjoy it. Enter the world of wizards, witches, and other worlds.
Howl's Moving Castle
by Diana Wynne Jones
Ages 8-12 ++
Fun combination of fantasy, romance, and mystery.
Sequel
House of Many Ways
Companion volume (interesting but not as good)
Castle in the Air - 0k
Ella Enchanted
by Gail Carson Levine
ages 8-12 ++
Fairy bestows gift of total obedience on girl as an infant.
more of her stories about princesses
Ogre Enchanted
Fairest
The Two Princesses of Bamarre
The Lost Kingdom of Bamarre
The Fairy's Return and other Princess Tales
Tuesdays at the Castle Series - 5 books
by Jessica Day George
ages 8-12 ++
Adventure, fantasy, mystery, and magic make exciting tales.
Dragon Slippers Trilogy
by Jessica Day George
ages 8-12++
more by Jessica Day George - touch of romance in fantasy mystery
Princess of Glass - exciting retelling Cinderella
Princess of the Midnight Ball - Princess of the Silver Woods
retelling of popular fairy tales
A Dragon's Guide series - 3 books
by Laurence Yep and Joanne Ryder
ages 8-12
humor, magic; children and dragons solve mystery
Nanny Piggins Series - 9 Books but each can stand alone
by R.A. Spratt
ages 6-12
zany humor of a nanny who is a pig
Friday Barnes Mysteries
by R.A. Spratt
ages 8-12
Humorous tales of girl solving mysteries
The Blue Sword ( Newbery Honor book)
and The Hero and the Crown (Newbery award - pre sequel)
by Robin McKinley
ages 8-12++
Captivating middle east adventure. Conflict of good and evil and development of relationship of girl and king.
Also by Robin McKinley - all for teens
Spindle's End - retelling of Sleeping Beauty
Beauty - A retelling of the story of Beauty and the Beast
The Door in the Hedge - retelling of fairy tales
Tales of the Frog Princess Series - 9 books
by E.D. Baker
ages 8-12
Humor and twists in take off of Frog princess fairy tale
The Enchanted Forest Chronicles - 4 books
by Patricia C Wrede's
ages 8-12+
Fun Characters and humor. Misadventures as princess deals with dragons.
The Chronicles of Narnia - 7 Books
by C.S. Lewis
ages 8-12+
Children come to know the Savior through experiences in magical land of Narnia. Classic
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy - plus The Hobbit
by J.R.R. Tolkien
ages teen +
Classic fight between good and evil.
Aliens ate my Homework Series - 4 books
by Bruce Coville
ages 8-12
Rod Allbright and the Galactic Patrol save the universe. humor
The Dragonslayers
by Bruce coville
ages 8-12
Misfits save kingdom
Goblins in the Castle
by Bruce Coville
ages 8-12
Mystery is solved. humor
The Magic Shop Books - 5 books
by Bruce Coville
ages 8-12
Magic shop teaches children lessons.
Savvy Books
by Ingrid Law
ages 8-teen+
all books about children who receive a magical power on 13th birthday
Savvy - hard to put down
Scumble - good book
Switch - ok
The Gammage Cup (Newbery award ) and sequel - The Whisper of Glocken
by Carol Kendall
ages 8-12 +
Classic story how the minnipins become heros who save their land
A Wrinkle in Time (Newbery award)
by Madeleine L"Engle
ages 8-12+
Classic - one of my first favorite books and still is. A fascinating combination of science fiction and philosophy. Hard to put down. The first time I read this book when I was eleven, I didn't want to stop reading even for Thanksgiving dinner!
Vesper Holly books - 6 books (The Illyrian Adventure etc)
by Lloyd Alexander
ages 8-12+
Tongue-in-cheek retelling of adventures of the brilliant and capable Vesper Holly and her bubbling old guardian set in the late 1800's.
Time Cat
by Lloyd Alexander
ages 8-12+
Coming of age story about a boy's adventures in time with a magical cat.
The Gawgon and the Boy
by Lloyd Alexander
ages 8-12+
Coming of age story or a boy growing under the tutelage of his governess.
The first two lives of Lukas-Kasha
by Lloyd Alexander
ages 8-12+
Misadventures of boy who magically becomes king.
The Princess and the Goblin and sequel - The Princess and Curdie
by George MacDonald
ages 8-12+
Classic of how a princess and a mountain boy save the kingdom.
Which Witch
by Eva Ibbotson
ages 8-12+
The wizard must choose a bride from the witches. humor
The Ogre of Oglefort
by Eva Ibbotson
ages 8-12+
A quest to save a princess from an ogre takes a humorous turn.
The Complete Adventures of Lucky Starr
by Isaac Asimov writing as Paul French
for teens
The Wizard of Oz books - 14 books
by L. Frank Baum
ages 5 -8 (interest younger children but vocabulary advanced (6th grade); I've used it to help build younger children's vocabulary)
Humorous fantasy with fun characters
The Lemonade Trick books
by Scott Corbett
ages 6 to 9
a magic chemistry set gives boys adventures and problems to solve
Mr. Revere and I (Paul Revere by his horse)
and Ben and Me (Benjamin Franklin by his mouse, Amos)
by Robert Lawson
ages 8-12
Historical Fiction
Pollyanna and sequel - Pollyanna Grows Up
by Eleanor H. Porter
ages 8-12
classic of girl who plays the "glad game"
Rabbit Hill (Newbery award)
and The Tough Winter
by Robert Lawson
ages 8-12
life on rabbit hill from the rabbit's point of view
The Great Brain Books - 7 books
by John D. Fitzgerald
ages 8-12
exploits about his life growing up in a rural Utah town in the 1900's; humor; his "Great Brain" brother's schemes
Norby Books - 11 books
by Janet and Isaac Asimov (Isaac's wife)
ages 8-12
Loveable Norby robots adventures in the universe
(hard to find but fun)
Dinotopia books
take off on Gurney's Dinotopia books
ages 8-12
fun coming of age stories by various authors - most by Scott Ciencin
The Mysteries of Spider Kane
by Mary Pope Osborne
ages 8-12 (reading level grade 5)
Humorous mysteries solved by a spider detective.
The last of the Really Great Whangdoodles
by Julie Andrews Edwards
ages 8-12 (reading level 7.3)
By seeing things differently children hunt for the last Whangdoodle.
The Dragon Slayers' Academy books
by Kate McMullan
ages 8-12
Misadventures of boy in medieval dragon slayer academy. Humourous
The Worst Witch
by Jill Murphy
ages 8-12
Tales of worst witch student as the Academy for Witches.
Hank the Cowdog books
by John R. Erickson
ages 8-12
Life on a ranch from the humourous point of view of Hank the cowdog, or as he prefers, "the head of ranch security".
