Fantasy Reading for Teens
The following books are available for checkout through the Sacramento Public Library. They were selected by the Sacramento Public Library's youth services librarians. For more fascinating fantasy reads, ask your librarian. (Links to Sacramento Public Library Catalog open in a new window).
A
Spell for Chameleon by Piers Anthony
(fic s Anthony)
Bink is without magical powers in a world ruled entirely by magic. If
he doesn't discover his own magical talent soon, he will be forever banished.
First in a series.
Lost
Years of Merlin, by T.A. Barron
(YA fic Barron)
A young boy, who has no identity or memory of his past, washes ashore
on the coast of Wales and finds his true name after a series of fantastic
adventures. First in a series.
Beast,
by Donna Jo Napoli
(YA fic Napoli)
This version of the classic tale, Beauty and the Beast, is set in Persia
and told from the point of view of the Beast.
The
Sword of Shannara, by Terry Brooks
(fic s Brooks)
Living in Shady Vale, Shea Ohmsford knew little of the troubles that plagued
the rest of the world. Then the giant and forbidding Allanon revealed
the supposedly dead Warlock Lord was plotting to destroy the world. This
classic fantasy novel is one of the original epic fantasies. First in
a series.
Ropemaker,
by Peter Dickinson
(YA fic Dickinson)
When the magic that protects their valley starts to fail, Tilja and her
companions journey into the evil empire to find the ancient magician,
Faheel, who originally cast those spells.
Pawn
of Prophecy, by David Eddings
(fic s Eddings)
Garion, a farm boy, is skeptical in matters of magic; until, through a
twist of fate, he must set out on a quest of unparalleled magic and danger
to help recover a magical orb. First in a series.
Stardust,
by Neil Gaiman
(fic s Gaiman)
Tristan promises his beloved he will retrieve a fallen star for her from
beyond the wall that stands between their rural English town and the faerie
realm. When he finds the star, however, things take a rather unusual turn.
The
Princess Bride, by William Goldman
(fic Goldman)
This classic fantasy is a timeless tale of true love that pits country
against country, good against evil, and love against hate. You might think
you know how the story goes, but you won't.
Dark
Lord of Derkholm, by Diana Wynn Jones
(YA fic Jones)
Derk, an unconventional wizard, and his magical family become involved
in a plan to stop the devastating tours of their world arranged by the
tyrannical Mr. Chesney.
The
Blue Sword, by Robin McKinley
(YA fic McKinley)
Harry, bored with her sheltered life in the remote orange-growing colony
of Daria, discovers magic in her when a native king with mysterious powers
kidnaps her.
Wind
Singer, by William Nicholson
(YA fic Nicholson)
Kestrel Hath rebels against the stifling rules of Amaranth society and
is forced to flee. She, along with her twin brother and a tagalong classmate,
follow an ancient map in quest of the legendary silver voice of the wind
singer in an attempt to heal Amaranth and its people. First in a series.
Sabriel,
by Garth Nix
(YA fic Nix)
Sabriel, daughter of the necromancer Abhorsen, must journey into the mysterious
and magical Old Kingdom to rescue her father from the Land of the Dead.
First in a series.
Treasure
at the Heart of the Tanglewood, by Meredith
Ann Pierce
(YA fic Pierce)
Brown Hannah, who has been forced to serve the evil sorcerer of the Tanglewood
for as long as she can remember, finds the courage to stand up to him
and discovers her own mysterious identity.
Magic
Steps, by Tamora Pierce
(YA fic Pierce)
When drawn into the investigation of murders perpetrated on a powerful
family in Summersea, Sandy and her student Pasco undertake the dangerous
mission of entrapping the invisible killers. First in a series.
Amazing
Maurice and his Educated Rodents, by Terry
Pratchett
(YA fic Pratchett)
A talking cat, intelligent rats, and a strange boy cooperate in a Pied
Piper scam until they try to con the wrong town and are confronted by
a deadly evil rat king. Part of the Discworld series.
The
Golden Compass, by Philip Pullman
(YA fic Pullman)
Accompanied by her daemon, Lyra Belacqua sets out to prevent her best
friend and other kidnapped children from becoming the subject of gruesome
experiments in the Far North. First in a series.
Crown
Duel, by Sherwood Smith
(YA fic Smith)
To fulfill their father's dying wish, teenage Countess Meliara and her
brother Branaric organize a revolution against a greedy king. First in
a series.
Elske,
by Cynthia Voight
(YA fic Voight)
Thirteen-year-old Elske escapes certain death at the hands of the leaders
of her barbaric society and later becomes handmaiden to a rebellious noblewoman
whose rightful throne they reclaim together.