Ages 9-13

J ALEXAND
Alexander, Lloyd. The Book of Three: Taran, Assistant Pig-Keeper to a famous oracular sow, sets
out on a hazardous mission to save Prydain from the forces of evil. (Book 1 of the Prydain
Chronicles)

J ALMOND
Almond, David. Skellig: Unhappy about his baby sister's illness and the chaos of moving into a
dilapidated old house, Michael retreats to the garage and finds a mysterious creature who is
something like a bird and something like an angel. This book is a realistic fantasy with fantasy and
realism blended.

J BARRY
Barry, Dave. Peter and the Star Catchers: Soon after Peter, an orphan, sets sail from England on
the ship Never Land, he befriends and assists Molly, a young Starcatcher, whose mission is to guard
a trunk of magical stardust from a greedy pirate and the native inhabitants of a remote island.

J BELL
Bell, Hilari, Shield of Stars: When the Justice he works for is condemned for treason, fourteen-year-
old and semi-reformed pickpocket Weasel sets out to find a notorious bandit who may be able to help
save his master's life

J BODE
Bode, N.E. The Anybodies: Although Fern’s biological parents were Anybodies--professional
shapeshifters, a hospital error left Fern to be raised by the "tragically dull" Drudgers. She embarks on
magical adventures with her real father and finally finds "a place that feels like home." (Sequels: The
Nobodies & The Somebodies)

J BODE
Bode, N.E. The Slippery Map: Oyster R. Motel, a lonely boy raised as a foundling in a Baltimore
nunnery, travels through a portal to the imaginary world of his parents, where he heroically confronts
the villainous Dark Mouth.
J CARMAN
Carman, Patrick. The Dark Hills Divide: Twelve-year-old Alexa has spent all of her life living in a
city behind walls. In fact, she can't imagine a life not surrounded by walls, and yet, every chance that
she gets, Alexa sneaks out and explores, hoping to find a way to see what magic the land of Elyon
holds. Then one day she discovers a dark plot to destroy everything that she knows and loves. (First
in The Land of Elyon series)

YA COLFER
Colfer, Eoin. Artemus Fowl: When a twelve-year-old evil genius tries to restore his family fortune by
capturing a fairy and demanding a ransom in gold, the fairies fight back with magic, technology, and a
particularly nasty troll.

J COLLINS
Collins, Suzanne. Gregor the Overlander: When eleven-year-old Gregor and his two-year-old
sister are pulled into a strange underground world, they trigger an epic battle involving men, bats,
rats, cockroaches, and spiders while on a quest foretold by ancient prophecy. (Series Underland
Chronicals)

J DAHL
Dahl, Roald. The Witches: A young boy and his Norwegian grandmother, who is an expert on
witches, together foil a witches' plot to destroy the world's children by turning them into mice.

J DICAMIL
DiCamillo, Kate. The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup,
and a Spool of Thread: The adventures of Desperaux Tilling, a small mouse of unusual talents, the
princess that he loves, the servant girl who longs to be a princess and a devious rat determined to
bring them all to ruin.

J DICAMIL
DiCamillo, Kate. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane: Edward Tulane, a cold-hearted and
proud toy rabbit, loves only himself until he is separated from the little girl who adores him and travels
across the country, acquiring new owners and listening to their hopes, dreams, and histories.

J DITERLI
Diterlizzi, Tony. The Field Guide: When the Grace children go to stay at their Great Aunt Lucinda's
worn Victorian house, they discover a field guide to fairies and other creatures and begin to have
some unusual experiences. (Spiderwick Chronicles Series)

J EAGER
Eager, Edward. Half Magic: Faced with a dull summer in the city, Jane, Mark, Katharine, and Martha
suddenly find themselves involved in a series of extraordinary adventures after Jane discovers an
ordinary-looking coin that seems to grant wishes. (Sequel: Magic by the Lake)

J FUNKE
Funke, Cornelia. Igraine the Brave: The daughter of two magicians, twelve-year-old Igraine wants
nothing more than to be a knight, and when their castle is attacked by a treacherous neighbor bent on
stealing their singing magic books, Igraine has an opportunity to demonstrate her bravery.
J FUNKE
Cornelia Funke. When Santa Fell to Earth: When Santa and his caravan come crashing down to
earth during a thunderstorm two weeks before Christmas, Santa is befriended by two children,
Charlotte and Ben, who try to help him save the holiday from the tricks and moneymaking schemes of
Gerold Geronimus Goblynch and to take off in time for his annual rounds.

J GARDNER
Gardner, Lyn. Into the Woods: Pursued by the sinister Dr. DeWilde and his ravenous wolves, three
sisters—Storm, the inheritor of a special musical pipe, the elder Aurora, and the baby Any—flee into
the woods and begin a treacherous journey filled with many dangers as they try to find a way to
defeat their pursuer and keep him from taking the pipe and control of the entire land.

J HAPTIE
Haptie, Charlotte. Haptie Otto and the Flying Twins: Young Otto comes to the rescue when he
discovers that his family and city are the last remnants of an ancient magical world now under threat
from the Normal Police. (Sequel: Otto and the Bird Charmers)

J HAYDON
Haydon, Elizabeth. The Floating Island: the Lost Journals of Ven Polypheme: Entries from the
long-lost journal of Ven, a Nain youth, relate his adventures as he faces pirates and is rescued by a
mermaid and a kindly sea captain who sends Ven to an inn, where he encounters fairies, ghosts, and
other strange boarders. (Series)

J IBBOTSON
Ibbotson, Eva. Not Just a Witch: Determined to be more than just an ordinary witch, Heckie, whose
specialty is changing people into animals, settles in a small town determined to use her powers for
good purposes.

J JACQUES
Jacques, Brian. Redwall: When the peaceful life of ancient Redwall Abbey is shattered by the
arrival of the evil rat Cluny and his villainous hordes, Matthias, a young mouse, determines to find the
legendary sword of Martin the Warrior which, he is convinced, will help Redwall’s inhabitants destroy
the enemy. (Series)

J JUSTER
Juster, Norton. The Phantom Tollbooth: There’s nothing quite like this story of a boy named Milo
who travels to strange lands such as Dictionopolis. Milo meets a dog with a clock in the middle of him,
a watchdog, and a Whether Man who cannot tell you what the weather will be, but whether there will
be weather.

J KERR
Kerr, P.B. The Akhenaten Adventure (Children of the Lamp Book 1): When twelve-year-old twins
Philippa and John discover that they are descended from a long line of djinn, their mother sends them
away to their Uncle Nimrod, who takes them to Cairo where he starts to teach them about their
extraordinary powers.

J KIROV
Kirov, Erica. The Eternal Hourglass (Magic Keepers Book 1): Living in Las Vegas with his
unsuccessful father, Nick Rostov learns on his thirteenth birthday that he is descended from a
powerful line of Russian Magickeepers on his dead mother's side, and that the equally powerful but
evil Shadowkeepers will stop at nothing to get an ancient relic that his grandfather gave him.
J KLADSTR
Kladstrup, Kristin. The Book of Story Beginnings: After moving with her parents to Iowa, twelve-
year-old Lucy discovers a mysterious notebook that can bring stories to life and which has a link to
the 1914 disappearance of her great uncle.

J KOLLER
Koller, Jackie. A Wizard named Nell (The Keepers Book 1): In the magical world of Eldearth,
where witches and wizards live side by side with humans. Princess Arenelle, a promising young
witch, decides to undertake the quest to become an Apprentice Keeper of the Light.

YA LANDY
Landy, Derek. Skulduggery Pleasant: When twelve-year-old Stephanie inherits her weird uncle's
estate, she must join forces with Skulduggery Pleasant, a skeleton mage, to save the world from the
Faceless Ones.

J LAYBOUR
Laybourn, Emma. Missing Magic: In a world where everyone has magical abilities, eleven-year-old
Ned has none, but when the world turns upside down his lack of powers turns out to be his best
asset.

J LOWRY
Lowry, Lois. Gossamer: While learning to bestow dreams, a young dream giver tries to save an
eight-year-old boy from the effects of both his abusive past and the nightmares inflicted on him by the
frightening Sinisteeds.

J MACNEIL
MacNeil, Stephen. Woolies and Worms: While sailing to the colonies with her father, eleven-year-
old Sarah is swept overboard during a pirate raid, washing up on a strange island where kidnapped
children called "Woolies" are forced to weave fantastical rugs by the evil Mr. Grim, and those who
anger him are cast out to live underground as "Worms."

J MALONEY
Moloney, James. The Book of Lies: On the night he was brought to an orphanage, Marcel's
memories were taken by a sorceror and replaced with new ones by his Book of Lies, but Bea, a girl
with the ability to make herself invisible, was watching and is determined to help him discover his true
identity.

J MCALLI
McAllister, Margaret. Urchin of the Rising Stars (Mismantle Chronicles): A group of animals, led
by an orphaned squirrel, learns about friendship and loyalty when they band together to defend their
island kingdom against evil forces. A group of animals, led by an orphaned squirrel, learns about
friendship and loyalty when they band together to defend their island kingdom against evil forces.

J MIYABE
Miyabe, Miyubi. Brave Story: With a determined plan to reunite his mother and father, eleven-year-
old, Wataru enters a fantasy world inhabited by a goddess who has the power to change destiny.
With the help of the Lizard Boy, the Cat Girl, and the Fire-breathing Dragon, Wataru faces a series of
tests on this once-in-a-lifetime adventure. One way or another, he must reach the Tower of Destiny
and bring his mother and father back together again.
J MURPHY
Murphy, Rita. Bird: Miranda, a small, delicate girl easily carried off by the wind, lands at Bourne
Manor on the coast of Lake Champlain and is raised by the dour Wysteria Barrows, but she begins to
believe rumors that the Manor is cursed and, aided by a new friend and kites secreted in an attic,
seeks to escape.

J NELSON
Nelson, D.A. DarkIsle: Helped to escape from her evil guardians and a life of drudgery by a dodo
and a rat, ten-year-old Morag joins her new companions on a dangerous and difficult mission
involving a stone dragon, the stolen Eye of Lornish that guards the magical land of Marnoch Mor, and
her own unfulfilled destiny and mysterious past.

J NIX
Nix, Garth. One Beastly Beast: (Two Aliens, Three Inventors, Four Fantastic Tales): A
collection of four fantasy tales in which a boy joins a strange navy in pursuit of video pirates, a
neglected princess seeks adventure, an orphaned inventor seeks the perfect parents, and a genius
girl faces a sea serpent.

J POPE
Pope, Elizabeth Marie. The Perilous Gard: In 1558 while imprisoned in a remote castle, a young
girl becomes involved in a series of events that leads to an underground labyrinth peopled by the last
practitioners of druidic magic.

J PRIMAVE
Primavera, Elise. The Secret Order of the Gumm Street Girls: In order to save the town of
Sherbet, four girls with very little in common become involved with some people and events that
seem to bear a resemblance to "The Wizard of Oz."

J PRINEAS
Prineas, Sarah. The Magic Thief: Book 1: A young thief is drawn into a life of magic and adventure
after picking the pocket of the powerful wizard Nevery Flinglas, who has returned from exile to
attempt to reverse the troubling decline of magic in Wellmet City. (Trilogy)

J PULLMAN
Pullman, Philip. The Scarecrow and His Servant: A scarecrow and his boy servant, Jack, set off
on a dangerous adventure as they try to outwit the crooked Buffaloni family and stake their claim to
valuable Spring Valley.

YA SAGE
Sage, Angie. Magyk: After learning that she is the Princess, Jenna is whisked from her home and
carried toward safety by the Extraordinary Wizard, those she always believed were her father and
brother, and a young guard known only as Boy 412--pursued by agents of those who killed her
mother ten years earlier. (Book 1 of Septimus Heap)

J SAUNDERS
Saunders, Kate. The Little Secret: When she is invited to her new friend's home for summer
vacation, eleven-year-old Jane is transported from her world to another dimension, an otherworldly
kingdom that is terrorized by her friend’s mom, an evil, dictatorial queen.
J SCHADE
Schade, Susan. Travels of Thelonious (Fog Mound Book 1): At a time when animals only know
myths about the talking humans who once dominated and nearly destroyed the world, a young
chipmunk escapes danger in the City of Ruins and, with new friends, finds the Fog Mound, where all
creatures live in peace and harmony.

J SENSEL
Sensel, Joni. The Farwalker’s Quest: Before the Namingfest that will determine their future trades,
Ariel and her friend Zeke find a mysterious artifact that sets them on a long and arduous journey that
changes the course of their lives and ultimately reveals to them their true identities.

J STEWART
Stewart, Paul. Beyond the Deepwoods (Edge Chronicles): Twig, a foundling child of of wood trolls
finds a new destiny when he strays off a marked path into the Deepwoods, where he must escape
tribble/piranha hybrids, vicious Bloodoaks, and, a cooing, preteen, makeover-happy Termagant Trog.

J STEWART
Stewart, Paul & Riddell Chris. Hugo Pepper: A boy, orphaned and raised in the Frozen North by
reindeer herders, boards his birth parents' sled and sets its special compass to "Home," where he
uncovers a plot that threatens his mermaid godmothers and other friends of his family.

J VANDE
Vande, Velde Vivian. Wizard at Work: A Novel in Stories: A young wizard, who runs a school to
teach wizards, looks forward to a quiet summer off but is drawn into adventures with princesses,
unicorns, and ghosts instead.

J WEATHERILL
Weatherill, Cat. Wild Magic: Mari and her brother Jakob join the other children of Hamelin as they
follow the Pied Piper into a world of wild magic, where they will remain until the fearsome Beast
identifies the child chosen to free him from a centuries-old curse.

More series:
Harry Potter (under J ROWLING or YA ROWLING)
Lemony Snicket (under J SNICKET)
Dripping Fang (under J GREENBU)
The Dark is Rising (under J COOPER)
Charlie Bone (under J NIMMO)
Chronicles of Narnia (under J LEWIS)