Tag Archives: youth fantasy

The Luck Uglies

This is a fun, traditional fantasy with invading monsters, an evil earl, and mysterious cloaked people. The Luck Uglies by Paul Durham. Harper Collins Children’s, 2014. 11-year-old Rye O’Chanter’s life has been pretty much the same for as long as … Continue reading

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Boys of Blur

Here is an intoxicating blend of Beowulf with the Everglades and football, three things that sounded incongruous but came together beautifully. Boys of Blur by N.D. Wilson. Random House, 2014. Charlie has just moved to swampy Taper, Florida (pop. 6000) … Continue reading

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Hook’s Revenge

While I loved Peter and Wendy as a child, the book seems so dated when I went back to it as an adult. Here’s a fresh take on the idea. Hook’s Revenge by Heidi Schultz. Disney-Hyperion, 2014. Jocelyn Hook, daughter … Continue reading

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Odin’s Ravens

Yesterday’s post was all about gentle reads. This is just the opposite, a fast-moving book full of violence against monsters that’s sure to grab action-loving kids. Odin’s Ravens. Blackwell Pages Book 2 by K.L. Armstrong & M.A. Marr. Little, Brown … Continue reading

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Three Gentle Fantasies

Apologies for the silence, friends. My daughter just spent the week in the hospital – something that goes along with being a transplant recipient. Fortunately, her liver was not affected and the doctors think she’s on the mend. Also, a … Continue reading

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The Whispering Skull

Happy Halloween! I needle-felted radish earrings for myself last night, so I can be Luna Lovegood instead of a random Ravenclaw student. And for more Halloween book geekery, I did my very best to carve the banner of Gondor into … Continue reading

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Read Scary: The Night Gardener

Here’s a spooky read perfect for Halloween, written by the author of Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes. Also, check out Jennifer Wharton’s Read Scary post, with lists and links to scary books for toddlers to teens at the Jean … Continue reading

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The Glass Sentence

The Glass Sentence by S.E. Grove. Viking, 2014 In 1799, the world came apart and then back together quite differently. Since the Great Disruption, times as well as countries are different. Mapmakers who can figure out where things are and … Continue reading

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The Magic Thief

This is a series that hadn’t really been on my radar until last year, when I Winterling, also by Prineas. This spring, Charlotte wrote a Waiting on Wednesday post about how, while she liked Fer and Rook just fine, she … Continue reading

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Ninja Librarians and the Hero’s Guide to Being an Outlaw

The Accidental Keyhand. Ninja Librarians Book 1. by Jen Swann Downey. Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 2014. Dorrie and Marcus, two stage sword-fighting siblings from Passaic, New Jersey, are chasing their friend’s pet mongoose through the local public library when they find themselves … Continue reading

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