Fantasy Literature for Children ages 9-12.
The Burning Bridge by John Flanagan
This review will contain minor spoilers for the previous book, The Ruins of Gorlan.
The Burning Bridge is the second book in John Flanagan’s RANGER’S APPRENTICE series for middle grade readers. In the first book, The Ruins of Gorlan, we met Will, an orphaned boy who grew up as a ward of a baron in the country of Araluen. Thinking that his dead father was a warrior,
July 10th, 2015. Kat Hooper´s rating: 4 | John Flanagan | Audio, Children | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George
Though I enjoy some young adult fiction, I don’t read many middle grade books at this point in my life unless my 12 year old really twists my arm. But the idea behind Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George (2011) just sounded so fun that I couldn’t resist when I saw it on the library shelf. Its pages were waving to me, I swear!
Eleven year old Princess Celie and her royal family live in Castle Glower,
July 9th, 2015. Tadiana Jones´s rating: 4 | Jessica Day George | Children | SFF Reviews | 6 comments |
Igraine the Brave by Cornelia Funke
After finishing The Thief Lord, my daughter and I wanted to read more Cornelia Funke (pronounced “FOONK-ah”) so we picked up Igraine the Brave, a short novel that we listened to in audio format.
Igraine is a 12 year old girl who lives in a castle complete with a moat, drawbridge, stone lions and gargoyles, and lots of spiders (Igraine hates spiders). Her parents are famous magicians and her older brother is training with them.
July 7th, 2015. Kat Hooper´s rating: 3.5 | Cornelia Funke | Audio, Children | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Serafina and the Black Cloak by Robert Beatty
Serafina and the Black Cloak, a Middle Grade book by Robert Beatty, has its moments, but a thin plot, a meandering middle segment, and several gaps of logic/plausibility come close to outweighing its positives, and probably will outweigh them for any readers older than middle grade.
Set at the opulent Biltmore Estate in 1899 (and having been there, oh my, is it opulent), the story is centered on a sudden rash of disappearances amongst the children at the Estate.
July 3rd, 2015. Bill Capossere´s rating: 2 | Robert Beatty | Children | SFF Reviews | 10 comments |
Red Planet by Robert A. Heinlein
I’ve mentioned several times how much I loved Robert A. Heinlein’s “Juveniles” when I was a kid. I found them on my dad’s bookshelves (I don’t think he’s ever gotten rid of a book) and I read some of them several times. If you had asked me last week which was my favorite, I would have said “Red Planet.” I remember loving this book, though all I could recall about it was a cute fuzzy round alien named Willis who bounces around like a basketball,
July 3rd, 2015. Kat Hooper´s rating: 3 | Robert A. Heinlein | Audio, Children | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke
One thing I love about summer vacation is that my 12 year old daughter Tali and I have time to read together. Our first book for the summer was Cornelia Funke’s The Thief Lord which, as Tali was thrilled to learn, takes place in Venice, a city she visited a couple of summers ago with my parents.
The story is about Boniface (Bo) and his big brother Prosper(o). Their parents are dead and their aunt wants to adopt only Bo because he’s cute and sweet.
June 25th, 2015. Kat Hooper and Jason Golomb´s rating: 4 | Cornelia Funke | Audio, Children, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
The Arctic Code by Matthew Kirby
Matthew Kirby’s newest release, The Arctic Code, is the first book in a new MG/YA science fiction series entitled THE DARK GRAVITY SEQUENCE. Unlike some of his prior books, like The Clockwork Three and Icefall (two of my favorite reads those respective years), this one is more fully an MG work, in that it lacks that adult crossover appeal and even older, more sophisticated younger readers will find themselves questioning some of the logic of events or wishing for some more depth of character.
June 8th, 2015. Bill Capossere´s rating: 3.5 | Matthew Kirby | Children | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
The Monster’s Ring by Bruce Coville
Note: This book is titled Russell Troy, Monster Boy in some markets.
For kids that are too young for the complexity of the HARRY POTTER series, and yet still interested in fantasy stories, Bruce Coville‘s MAGIC SHOP books might be the thing to hook them up with. Five in total, each one revolves around a simple premise: a young child with the usual kid problems (home trouble, bullies, crushes, angry teachers,
May 29th, 2015. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 3.5 | Bruce Coville | Children | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
Philippa Fisher and the Fairy’s Promise by Liz Kessler
In this sweet conclusion to the PHILIPPA FISHER trilogy from Liz Kessler, Philippa is once again visiting her new friend Robyn, who we met in the previous book, Philippa Fisher and the Dream-Maker’s Daughter. While the girls are investigating some standing stones, Philippa is magically transported to the fairy godmother agency where her best friend and fairy godsister Daisy works. While Philippa’s parents are frantically searching for her, Philippa has learned that her mother is in grave danger.
May 26th, 2015. Kat Hooper´s rating: 3 | Liz Kessler | Audio, Children | SFF Reviews | no comments |
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
Perhaps I should confess right up front that this review of what is popularly regarded solely as a children’s book is being written by a 50+-year-old male “adult” who hadn’t read a kids’ book in many years. For me, Welsh author Roald Dahl had long been the guy who scripted one of my favorite James Bond movies, 1967’s You Only Live Twice, and who was married for 30 years to the great actress Patricia Neal. Recently, though, in need of some “mental palate cleansing”
May 21st, 2015. Sandy Ferber´s rating: 4 | Roald Dahl | Children | SFF Reviews | no comments |
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Always my pleasure, Marion! And Part 2 of this review should be appearing soon....