 | The House With a Clock In Its Walls (Lewis Barnavelt) by John Bellairs
Buy new: $5.99 / Used from: $0.01 Wonderful fantasy story about an orphaned boy who discovers he's a wizard.
|
 | Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $0.01 Beautiful and eerie time travel story. One of the best fantasy novels for children ever.
|
 | The Amulet of Samarkand (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 1) by Jonathan Stroud
Buy new: $12.21 / Used from: $0.01 Exciting, witty, and erudite fantasy. The first in the Bartimaeus trilogy - highly recommended. Much darker than the Harry Potter books, though - not for the youngest Harry Potter fans.
|
 | The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $0.01 One of my favorite children's books of all time. Not just a book about and for children, but also a book about childhood. Pure magic.
|
 | The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: 100th Anniversary Edition (Books of Wonder) by L. Frank Baum
Buy new: $17.99 / Used from: $8.49 One of the oldest and best fantasy stories.
|
 | Coraline by Neil Gaiman
Buy new: $9.35 / Used from: $2.00 Haunting, eerie, and completely captivating.
|
 | Magyk (Septimus Heap, Book 1) by Angie Sage
Buy new: $12.23 / Used from: $0.14 The first in the Septimus Heap series. Not as good as Harry Potter, but quite charming and whimsical. Good for younger Harry Potter fans.
|
 | Five Children and It (Puffin Classics) by E. Nesbit
Buy used from: $0.01 A wonderful older fantasy story. The language is quite sophisticated, but the story is not as frightening for younger children as the later Harry Potter books. This story (and its sequel, The Story of the Amulet), would be perfect books for gifted younger readers looking for a good fantasy novel.
|
 | Jennings Goes To School by Anthony Buckeridge
Buy new: $12.95 / Used from: $6.64 This is not a fantasy novel, but a delightful older British boarding school story. Very funny. The school is a bit like Hogwarts, except for the magic part.
|
 | Molesworth (Penguin Modern Classics) by Geoffrey Willans
Buy used from: $12.69 Another great British boarding school story. One of J. K. Rowling's favorites! No magic, but a lot of humor. And yes, there is a brief mention of "Hogwarts"!
|
 | A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Buy new: $6.99 / Used from: $1.20 One of the best fantasy/science fiction stories.
|
 | The Secret of Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson
Buy new: $6.99 / Used from: $0.01 Behind a platform at King's Cross station lies the entrance to a magical world... Sounds familar? This story is a few years older than Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. A perceptive reader will find quite a few similarities between the two books. The story is quite charming, and also suitable for slightly younger readers.
|
 | The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott
Buy new: $11.55 / Used from: $1.76 A breathtaking fantasy novel featuring Nicholas Flamel, 15 year old American twins, and a host of mythological characters. Non-stop action. Most suitable for older readers.
|
 | Time Cat: The Remarkable Journeys of Jason and Gareth by Lloyd Alexander
Buy new: $6.99 / Used from: $0.01 Wonderful time travel adventure.
|
 | The Last Dragon by Silvana de Mari
Buy new: $11.53 / Used from: $0.01 Great and original fantasy story about an elf and a dragon. A little too sad for the youngest readers, perhaps.
|
 | The Conch Bearer (Brotherhood of the Conch) by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Buy new: $5.99 / Used from: $0.01 Enchanting fantasy story set in India.
|
 | The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
Buy new: $14.94 / Used from: $7.00 A classic fantasy.
|
 | Half Magic by Edward Eager
Buy new: $6.99 / Used from: $0.01 Funny and charming story about magic that doesn't work quite the way it's supposed to. A timeless classic.
|
 | His Dark Materials Trilogy (The Golden Compass; The Subtle Knife; The Amber Spyglass) by Philip Pullman
Buy new: $15.30 / Used from: $8.63 A magnificent fantasy trilogy. One of my favorites. Warning: Not suitable for the youngest Harry Potter fans. Contains some frightening descriptions, religious and (mildly) sexual themes.
|
 | Midnight for Charlie Bone (The Children of the Red King, Book 1) by Jenny Nimmo
Buy new: $9.35 / Used from: $0.12 The first in a series. A good choice for the younger Harry Potter readers. Charming and quite exciting, although the plot seems to meander a little.
|
 | The Snow Spider (Magician Trilogy) by Jenny Nimmo
Buy new: $9.99 / Used from: $0.01 The first book in the Magician Trilogy. Good for younger fantasy fans. Quite well written. Draws heavily on Welsh mythology.
|
Listmania!
