Top Fantasy & Adventure Books for Kids

With so many books out there what are some good choices for kids to read? There are many different genres to choose from, and many different books within that. If you want to stretch child’s imagination then the Fantasy and Adventure genres are a good choice.

Fantasy:

Generated from many ancient myths and legends they take palce in magical or supernatual worlds which can include magical and mythical creatures.

Adventure:

This is typically works in which the protagonist or other major characters are placed in dangerous situations where they must live by their wits and skills.

If your child is into Fantasy/Adventure then these are some top books, in alphabetical order by author, for them to read:

1. Artemis Fowl

By Eoin Colfer

Artemis Fowl is a new kind of thriller fairy tale. Artemis is a Criminal Mastermind of a different sort. He is a twelve years old, genius millionaire. In this magical adventure, the struggle between the magic realm of fairies and humans is explained. Eoin Colfer brilliantly melds magic with technology and real life with fantasy life. After conning a fairy to reveal her secret fairy book, Artemis unravels the secret language and uses it to his advantage to capture a fairy to hold her ransom for gold.

2. The Lightning Thief

Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan

Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson’s life has been far from normal. Moving from one boarding school to another, he finds himself kicked out of another one. However, his life is about to get interesting. When on summer break, his mother takes him on a short trip to Montauk. That night, when a huge thunderstorm rolls in, monsters chase them, and Percy finds himself fighting a giant Minotaur. Defeating the Minotaur, but losing his mother, Percy finds himself at CampHalf-Blood and learns that his father is Poseidon, one of the Greek Gods. There he makes new friends and finds new enemies. After talking with the Oracle, he is sent on a quest to retrieve Zeus’s missing thunderbolt, which he is accused of stealing. Percy Jackson’s quest to the underworld and MountOlympus is full of Greek mythology and brilliantly mixed with the modern day adventure. School Library Journal calls it, “An adventure quest with a hip edge.”

3. Gregor the Overlander

The Underland Chronicles By Suzanne Collins

In this first book, Gregor follows his sister Boots down the vent in the laundry room of his apartment building. As he falls, he transports to a mysterious Underland filled with strange creatures, bugs, rats, bats and an unusual underground civilization. Gregor accepts his destiny and with new information of the possibility of his father being alive, he sets out to fight against the rat king and locate his father

4. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Book Two of the Chronicles of Narnia By C. S. Lewis

This great tale expands the magical wonder of Narnia when Lucy finds the secret to the wardrobe in the professor’s old house. The adventure begins when Lucy, Edmund, Peter and Susan open the door and enter a magical world through the wardrobe where they find strange creatures like fauns, talking beavers, Niads, Driads, centaurs, unicorns and the great Lion Aslan. In Narnia they meet talking beavers. They learn that the evil witch Jadis is waiting form them to come to kill them. Jadis is half Jinn and half giant and wants to prevent the prophecy of the two sons of Adam and the two daughters of Eve from taking their seat on the four thrones as Cair Paravel. An epic battle ensues and good vanquishes evil at the end of the story.

5. Midnight for Charlie Bone

Book One of the Charlie Bone Series By Jenny Nimmo

Charlie Bone is a descendant of the Red King but does not know it yet. Then one day, he learns that he has a special gift; he can hear the thoughts of people in photographs. His boring and mundane life, is transformed when his three Aunts (Yolanda, Eustacia and Venetia) send him away to Bloor’s Academy for gifted children. At the academy, he makes some new friends and some new enemies. Lurking around every corner are secrets of the academy and Charlie’s life becomes a great adventure. However, the Yewbeams want to use his powers for their evil ways. Will Charlie fall into to their wicked schemes or will he fight back?

6. Eragon

By Christopher Paolini

Eragon is just a poor farm boy who finds a mysterious blue rock in the forest. After taking the rock home he finds out it is not a rock at all when a dragon hatches from the blue shell and changes his life, forever. Unknown to him, his father is really his uncle. Eragon’s life changes drastically, when the Ra’zac, who was searching for Eragon, kills his father/uncle. Taking his dragon, Eragon decides to hunt down the Ra’zac and kill them in revenge but before he leaves, he fatefully bumps into Brom, an old storyteller from the village who turns out to be more than a storyteller. Brom mentors him in the ways of a Dragon Rider. Eragon, thrust into a world of revenge and destiny has to figure out who he is and ultimately becomes the hero.

7. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Harry Potter Series By J. K. Rowling

We all know J. K. Rowling has created the most well known wizard of the twenty first century. Harry is the son of magic parents. The evil Warlock Voldemort killed his parents and attempted to kill him as well. However, Harry escapes his own death and then is left on the doorstep of his aunt and uncle who are Muggles (humans with no magical powers.) His life takes an unexpected turn when he gets an invitation to attend Hogwarts, a school of magic. There Harry moves towards his destiny as he learns magic and uncovers a mysterious plot. In this story, we identify with the miserable life Harry Potter has with the Dursleys.

8. The Amulet of Samarkand

Book One of The Barimaeus Trilogy By Jonathan Stroud

This book is for the more advanced reader. Brilliantly mastered, Jonathan Stroud successfully pulls off a book that alternates between the viewpoints of characters. In one chapter, he tells the story from Nathaniel, a young magician apprentice who is learning the traditional arts of magic from Mr. Underwood. When his master fails to protect him, he sets out on a mission of revenge for the humiliation he had endured. As his magic education progresses Nathaniel conjures a five-thousand-year-old Djinni, Bartimaeus to help him with his plan of revenge. He orders Bartimaeus to steal the Amulet of Samarkand. In alternate chapters, Bartimaeus tells the story from his vantage point, his being conjured from the other realm to the human world and the bidding he has to do for his masters. Chalk full of magical history, intrigue, espionage, and rebellion Booklist (starred review) calls it “One of the liveliest and most inventive fantasies of recent years.”

Clearly, there are many more great books for kids out there. These are some of my favorites and are good reads for kids. You may want to read them as well.

If you would like to read another YA Fantasy / Adventure before it hits the shelves check it out at:

www.BaconFinnegan.com