John D. Verdery Library

Fantasy Adventures for all who enjoyed

Baron, T. A. The Lost Years of Merlin. A young boy washes ashore with no memory of who he is. Through a series of adventures he discovers his true identity. Sequel: The Seven Songs of Merlin. Gr. 5-8

Cameron, Eleanor. The Mushroom Planet series. A mystery man inspires two boys to build a space ship which takes them to the planet of Basidium to help the Mushroom people. Gr. 3-6.

Charnas, Suzy McKee. The Bronze King. When Valentine starts noticing odd things are vanishing from NYC, she unknowingly summons a wizard from Sorcery Hall. He enlists her help in fighting against the dreaded Monster of Darkness. Gr. 5-8.

Cooper, Susan. The Dark is Rising series. Three children set out to find King Arthur's grail, touching off a struggle between the forces of good and evil, the Light and the Dark. Gr. 5-8

Coville, Bruce. The Dragonslayers. A brave squire, an earnest page and a strong-willed princess set out to slay the dragon. Gr. 4-6.

Dahl, Roald. Matilda. Brilliant first-grader Matilda triumphs over her book-hating parents and Miss Trunchbull, the odious school principal. Gr. 3-7

________. The Witches. A boy and his grandmother thwart the plans of England's witches to turn all children into mice. Gr. 4-6.

Doyle, Debra. Knight's Wyrd. Will sets out on a dangerous adventure after a wizard predicts that he will meet his death before a year has passed. Gr. 6-9.

Duane, Diane. So You Want to be a Wizard. Nita finds the help she needs in a library book on wizardry and is guided into another dimension where she earns her degree in wizardry. Gr. 5-8. Sequels: Deep Wizardry, High Wizardry, A Wizard Abroad.

Eager, Edward. Half Magic. Jane, Mark, Katharine and Martha find a coin that grants half of every wish they make. Gr. 3-6.

________. Knight's Castle. Four children find their way into a mixed-up medieval world where they become knights and battle giants. Gr. 4-6.

________. Magic by the Lake. Siblings find a lake full of magic which they must tame and learn how to handle in order to find a treasure. Gr. 3-6.

________. Magic or Not? Did the four friends' wishes come true because of magic, or was it only coincidence? Gr. 4-6. Sequel: The Well Wishers.

________. Seven Day Magic. The main characters in Susan's library book turn out to be Susan, herself, and the friends who share her magic adventures. Gr. 4-6.

________. The Time Garden. Four cousins discover a magic thyme garden from which they embark on a number of adventures in time. Gr. 4-6.

Ende, Michael. The Neverending Story. Bastian travels through the aptly-named realm of Fantastica to complete a noble quest. Gr. 5-8.

Ibbotson, Eva. The Secret of Platform 13. Odge, a young hag, accompanies an old wizard, a gentle fey, and a giant ogre on their mission through a magical tunnel to rescue their King's son. Gr. 4-7.

Jones, Diana Wynne. Archer's Goon. Howard and his sister are determined to find how their father's writings have kept the mysterious and powerful Archer from leaving their town to rule the world. Gr. 5-9.

________. Castle in the Air. A merchant's daydreams about a princess, a genie, and a villain become reality after he flies off on a shabby magic carpet. Gr. 5-9.

________. Charmed Life. After the young Chants are adopted by the mysterious Chrestomanci, one of them uses witchcraft to change places with a twentieth-century girl. Gr. 5-9.

________. Howl's Moving Castle. In the land of Ingary, such things as spells, invisible cloaks, and seven league boots are everyday things. Nothing is quite what it seems to be. Gr. 5-9

________. The Lives of Christopher Chant. Christopher discovers that his dreams are so realistic that he can visit other worlds & bring things back from them for his beloved, yet mysterious, uncle. Gr. 5-9.

________. The Ogre Downstairs. Amazing things happen when two boys use the chemistry sets given to them by the "Ogre", their new stepfather. Gr. 5-7.

________. A Tale of Time City. Eleven year old Vivian is kidnapped by time travelers who mistake her for the Time Lady - sweeping her from 1939 London to Time City. Gr. 5-9.

________. Witch Week. Magical chaos fills class 6B when a group of witch orphans begin playing magic tricks. Gr. 5-7

LeGuin, Ursula K. A Wizard of Earthsea. A boy grows to manhood while attempting to subdue the evil he unleashed on the world as an apprentice to the Master Wizard. Gr. 5 and up

Levine, Gail. Ella Enchanted. In this unique version of the Cinderella story, Ella struggles against the childhood curse that forces her to obey any order given her. Gr. 4-6.

McKillip, Patricia. The Forgotten Beasts of Eld. A sorceress raises an abandoned baby, only to discover that his real father is the greatest enemy of the man she loves. Gr. 6-9.

McKinley, Robin. The Blue Sword. Harry is kidnapped by the King of the Damarians, and comes reluctantly to realize that they possess the same mysterious powers. Gr. 6-12.

________. The Hero and the Crown. Aerlin, with the help of the wizard Luth and a magic blue sword, wins the birthright due her as the daughter of a King and a witch. Gr. 6-12.

Nesbit, E. Five Children and It. While digging in a sandpit, the children discover a Psammead - a creature with mysterious powers who leads the children into adventure and excitement. Gr. 4-7. Sequels: The Phoenix and the Carpet, The Story of the Amulet.

O'Shea, Pat. The Hounds of the Morrigan. The ancient book Pidge found brings the evil Queen

Morrigan and her two witchlike assistants to his door, threatening the future of the world. Gr. 6-9.

Pierce, Tamora. The Circle of Magic series. Four young outcasts discover their magic powers. While still learning how to control them they must battle deadly threats. Gr. 5-9.

________. The Immortals series. Dain accepts her gift of wild magic and learns how valuable her powers will be to the kingdom's future. Gr. 6-10.

________. The Lioness series. Alanna decides to ignore her magical powers and disguises herself as a boy in order to train as a knight. Gr. 6-10.

Pullman, Philip. The Golden Compass. Accompanied by her animal-like daemon, Lyra tries to prevent her best friend and other kidnapped children from being the subject of experiments. Gr. 5-10.

________. The Subtle Knife. As the boundaries between the worlds begins to dissolve, Lyra helps Will search for his father and for a powerful, magical knife. Gr. 5-10.

Winthrop, Elizabeth. The Castle in the Attic. William is given a toy medieval castle as a gift, and is magically transported to another world of wizards and dragons. Here he must fight a battle between good and evil. Gr. 4-6.

Wrede, Patricia. The Enchanted Forest series. Princess Cimorene would rather be eaten by a dragon than marry a dull prince like a proper princess - so she volunteers to be captured by the powerful dragon Kazul. Gr. 5-9.

Yolen, Jane. Wizard's Hall. A young apprentice wizard saves the wizard's training hall by trusting and believing in himself. Gr. 4-6.