Tuesday, April 10, 2018

Middle Grade - Magical Fantasy

Lose yourself in excellent world-building.  Meet a handful of the best fantasy worlds. 

Cross-posted from Kiss the Book reviewer's personal blog

Beneath London there’s an underworld called Lundinor. Three times a year the Uncommoners come to the under market to trade their magical uncommon objects; lemon squeezer lights, talking bells, instant transport suitcases, invisibility candles. Ivy and her brother enter Lundinor through the suitcase portal, and soon learn that an old evil is trying to resurface and they must stop it before it’s too late. Has key elements similar to the Harry Potter books.

Claire and Sophie have just moved into their deceased great aunt’s house and strangely there’s a ladder in the fireplace. When Claire climbs the ladder in search of Sophie, she finds herself in a magical world called Arden. But things aren’t right. Sophie has vanished. A unicorn harp has been stolen. And the four territories aren’t getting along. If they can bring back the unicorns, there may be a chance of restoring peace.

An evil wizard is making the girls of Bryre sick. Kymera is a Frankenstein-like monster created by her “father” to rescue the girls. Kymera isn’t supposed to speak to humans when she visits Bryre, but inevitably she forms a friendship with a boy named Ren. Once she learns the truth about her father, her kind-hearted nature forces her to take action to help Bryre overcome the evil.

When the Heap family realize that their adopted daughter is actually the daughter of the murdered queen, they escape to the swamps to hide out with Aunt Zelda, where magic and adventure are a daily occurrence. Marcia, the Extraordinary wizard, takes it upon herself to protect the Queenling from the usurpers who want her dead in order to claim the throne.

Tinkerbell this book is not. Who knew that fairies can turn into imps? Or that water fairies harbor a secret desire to drown you? This is not your sweet, cute, wish-granting fairy story. While visiting their grandfather, Seth and Kendra begin to find weird things going on. Highly curious, Seth disregards every warning his grandfather tells him and consequently havoc breaks loose on the property known as Fablehaven.

Bethany has an extraordinary talent. She can hop in and out of stories since her father was a fictional character who managed to exit a book and meet her mother. Her classmate, Owen, has figured out her ability and convinced her to take him into his favorite book. She agrees, but quickly regrets it when Owen starts changing the story.

Beautifully written book about a boy, his beloved grandfather, his cranky great-aunt, and the magical circus his grandfather visited as a boy. According to his grandfather, a magician, he calls Lightbender, promised to fulfill a wish when he was a boy. Now his grandfather is ready to cash in, but the Lightbender refuses. Micah believes the Lightbender can save his grandfather’s life so he sets out to find the circus.


Conditions at Miss Carbunkle’s Orphanage for Wayward and Misbegotten Creatures are dismal for Arthur. He is bullied by the other animals and abused by the staff. When a new orphan arrives, she helps Arthur escape to Lumentown. Lacking skills to survive in a city, Arthur joins up with Quintus and his gang. From there he encounters plenty of mishaps and eventually ends up banished to the sewers below Lumentown.

by Valerie McEnroe, The Chattering Librarian

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