Fantasy Literature for Children ages 9-12.
My nine-year-old son recently read Darkwing, an older book by Kenneth Oppel, and has been after me to read it myself because he thought I’d enjoy it and because he wanted to share the experience and talk about it. I’m glad he kept on me, because Darkwing was one of the best middle grade books I’ve read this past year. My son clearly thought so as well, since he had me read it aloud to him (including a two-hours-straight stretch) from the halfway point on,
May 19th, 2011. Bill Capossere´s rating: 5 | Kenneth Oppel | Children | SFF Reviews | 5 comments |
Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman
Odd’s childhood has not been easy. His father has died, his leg is crippled, his new stepfather is unpleasant, and the winter just won’t end. So, Odd decides to go off to stay in his father’s old hut in the woods. Soon he’s befriended by a bear, a fox, and an eagle. But these aren’t your normal bear, fox, and eagle — these animals can talk, and they tell Odd that they are the gods Loki, Thor, and Odin. They’ve temporarily lost their powers and their home to the Frost Giants.
May 8th, 2011. Kat Hooper and Marion Deeds´s rating: 3 | Neil Gaiman | Audio, Children | SFF Reviews | 5 comments |
The Dangerous Alphabet by Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman has paired up with illustrator Gris Grimly to create The Dangerous Alphabet. This is not an alphabet book for young readers, unless you like staying up with them all night as they stare at shadows in the corner. Rather, Gaiman wrote a ghostly piratical poem in 26 lines, each starting with a letter of the alphabet, and then gave it to Gris Grimly to illustrate.
Grimly’s style is dark and grim — with a name like Gris Grimly,
May 3rd, 2011. Ruth Arnell´s rating: 4 | Neil Gaiman | Children | SFF Reviews | no comments |
Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess have paired up again to produce the breathtaking Blueberry Girl, a fantastical blessing poem or lullaby that Gaiman wrote for his two daughters.
Invoking “Ladies of light and ladies of darkness and ladies of never-you-mind,” Gaiman prays for blessings to be bestowed on his blueberry girl. Reminiscent of fairy godmothers — Gaiman’s prayer for protection and spindles makes that allusion even stronger — the author lists off his wishes for his daughters to be bestowed by the ladies who take different forms throughout the story in Vess’s enchanting drawings.
April 23rd, 2011. Ruth Arnell´s rating: 5 | Neil Gaiman | Children, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | no comments |
King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table by Roger Lancelyn Green
If you’re in search of a King Arthur retelling for young readers that stretches from his birth to his death and includes everything that happens in between, I would personally recommend Rosemary Sutcliff’s Legends of King Arthur trilogy. To me, it is the quintessential compendium of Arthurian lore, taken from a variety of sources, and retold in Sutcliff’s beautiful poetic-prose. Variations of the legend are a dime a dozen these days, but to me,
April 23rd, 2011. Rebecca Fisher´s rating: 4.5 | Roger Lancelyn Green | Children, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
As one might expect from Neil Gaiman, Instructions is an unusual little book, and despite technically being a picture book, isn’t necessarily something you would give to a child. Not that the content is objectionable — just a tad incomprehensible to anyone who isn’t well versed in the rules and patterns of fairytales. With that in mind, a child might be the perfect audience! I think what I’m trying to say is thatInstructions is a story for those who love stories,
April 13th, 2011. Rebecca Fisher and Ruth Arnell´s rating: 5 | Neil Gaiman | Children, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 5 comments |
The Midnight Tunnel by Angie Frazier
Suzanna Snow’s parents own a luxury hotel, the Rosemount, and are training Zanna in the family business. But Zanna wants to emulate her uncle, a celebrated detective, instead. When a little girl goes missing from the Rosemount, with Zanna the only witness to the kidnapping, her interest in sleuthing becomes more than theoretical. Trouble is, no one believes an eleven-year-old, not even her famous uncle…
The Midnight Tunnel is an engaging whodunit for middle-grade readers, starring a brave and resourceful heroine.
March 25th, 2011. Kelly Lasiter´s rating: 3.5 | Angie Frazier | Children | SFF Reviews | 3 comments |
Troll’s Eye View: A Book of Villainous Tales edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling
Fairy tales were my first love when I was a child. My mother introduced me to the joys of stories with The Golden Book of Fairy Tales long before I learned how to read. My early reading included the first three volumes of The Junior Classics and Andrew Lang’s colorful fairy tale books. When Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling started editing anthologies of new takes on the old tales for adults with Snow White,
March 20th, 2011. Terry Weyna´s rating: 4 | Catherynne M. Valente, Delia Sherman, Ellen Datlow, Garth Nix, Holly Black, Jane Yolen, Kelly Link, Midori Snyder, Nancy Farmer, Neil Gaiman, Peter S. Beagle, Terri Windling | Children, Short Fiction | SFF Reviews | no comments |
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
As the oldest child of the King and Queen, Crown Princess Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee (Ani) is being groomed for the throne of Kildenree. Much to her mother’s disappointment, though, Ani doesn’t seem to be leadership material. She doesn’t have the ability to persuade and motivate people like her mother does and, oddly, she seems to communicate better with animals than people.
Nonetheless, Ani is shocked when her mother declares her little brother to be heir and sends Ani off as a bride to the prince of Bayern,
February 16th, 2011. Kat Hooper and Tadiana Jones´s rating: 4.5 | Shannon Hale | Audio, Children | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
No Flying in the House by Betty Brock
Annabel Tippins is not like other girls. First, she has no parents. Second, she is cared for by a tiny white dog named Gloria. Third, Gloria can talk. When Annabel starts to discover the truth about her past, she’ll have to make a choice between the parents she has always wanted, and the best friend she has ever had.
No Flying in the House by Betty Brock is an engaging tale of a young girl trying to find her way in the world with only a little dog for guidance.
February 6th, 2011. Ruth Arnell´s rating: 4.5 | Betty Brock | Children, Stand-Alone | SFF Reviews | 1 comment |
What a fascinating exploration of Edwige Fenech's contributions to the giallo genre! I love how the post highlights her unique…
Pretty challenging book. Cut by half, speed up the cadence. Trying to figure out the plot, the main point of…
Thanks for the kind words, Marion! Coming as they are from a professional writer, they are much appreciated!
Wonderful review, Sandy.
The "body count" bothered me a bit less because being dead seemed more like an inconvenience than anything else... unlike…