Do you enjoy adventure, magic, paranormal or inventive worlds that are nothing like Earth? Then jump into this list of some of our favorite fantasy stories for school-age children.
Compiled by:
Children's Services Staff
Younger Elementary
(Juvenile Graphic Novels - J-GN Dragon Kingdom of Wrenly v. 1)
Series: The Dragon Kingdom of Wrenly
Ruskin, the pet dragon of the Prince of Wrenly, is used to a pampered royal lifestyle. But when another young dragon comes to the palace asking for help breaking an ice curse that has befallen Crestwood, and that could spread to all of Wrenly, he leaves the palace to help.
(Juvenile First Chapter Books - J-FC Citro)
Series: Zoey and Sassafras
While her mother, a vet for magical creatures, is away at a conference, Zoey has an important task: care for any creatures that show up needing help. When a sick baby dragon appears, Zoey and her cat, Sassafras, work together to help the dragon get better.
(Juvenile First Chapter Books - J-FC Walker)
Series: Dungeon Academy
As the only human at the prestigious Dungeon Academy, Zelli, who is disguised as a minotaur, tries her best to blend in with the other monsters and creatures at the school, but when she notices a smaller student being bullied by a few of the meanest and scariest, she finds herself in more trouble than she asked for.
(Juvenile First Chapter Books - J-FC Krulik)
Series: Princess Pulverizer
Princess Serena (a.k.a. "Princess Pulverizer") wants to be a knight, but her father says she first must complete a Quest of Kindness and perform eight good deeds to prove she's worthy of Knight School. With help from a friendly dragon named Dribble and a perpetually terrified knight-in-training named Lucas, can she complete her quest and discover what it really takes to be a hero?
(Juvenile First Chapter Books - J-FC Auxier)
Series: The Fabled Stables
8 year old Auggie Pound is a caretaker of mysterious and magical creatures at the Fabled Stables. One day, the stables magically add a new stall for a new creature. But there's a problem: the new creature must be rescued before it can move in, and Auggie must venture into the swamp to find it.
Picture Books and Younger Elementary
(Juvenile Fiction - J Scieszk)
Series: Time Warp Trio; 1
*This item also available on Cloud Library (audiobook). Joe receives a magic book for his birthday present from his uncle. Joe, Fred, and Sam are transported to a time when evil knights, fire-breathing dragons, and vile-smelling giants roamed the land. Recommended for ages 6-9.
(Juvenile First Chapter Books - J Quinn)
Series: Kingdom of Wrenly; 1
Eight-year-old Lucas, Prince of Wrenly, is eager to explore and Clara, daughter of the queen's seamstress, knows the kingdom well, so they team up to find a lost jewel and visit all of the land's main attractions as they search. Recommended for ages 6-9.
(Juvenile First Chapter Books - J Hale)
Series: Princess in black ; 1
*This item also available on Libby and Cloud Library. Who says princesses don't wear black? When trouble raises its blue monster head, Princess Magnolia ditches her flouncy dresses and becomes the Princess in Black! Recommended for ages 6-9.
(Juvenile First Chapter Books - J West)
Series: Dragon Masters; 1
*This item also available on Libby and Hoopla (audiobook). Eight-year-old Drake is snatched up by the King's soldiers and taken to the castle where he is told by the wizard Griffith that he has been chosen to be a Dragon Master like Ana, Rori, and Bo--and his first task will be to discover whether his dragon, Worm, has any special powers. Recommended for ages 6-9.
(Juvenile First Chapter Books - J Holub)
Series: Heroes in Training; 1
*This item also available on Libby. When ten-year-old Zeus is kidnapped, he discovers he can defend himself with a magical thunderbolt. Recommended for ages 6-9.
Older Elementary
(Juvenile Fiction - J Clark)
Series: Adventurers Guild; 1
(Juvenile Fiction – J Stroud)
Series: Bartimaeus trilogy; 1
*This item also available on Libby. Nathaniel, a magician's apprentice, summons up the djinni Bartimaeus and instructs him to steal the Amulet of Samarkand from the powerful magician Simon Lovelace. Recommended for ages 9-12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Colfer)
Series: Artemis Fowl; 1
*This item also available on Libby and Cloud Library. When a twelve-year-old evil genius tries to restore his family fortune by capturing a fairy and demanding a ransom in gold, the fairies fight back with magic, technology, and a particularly nasty troll. Recommended for ages 9-12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Anderso)
*This item also available on Hoopla (audiobook). Uptight elfin historian Brangwain Spurge is on a mission: survive being catapulted across the mountains into goblin territory, deliver a priceless peace offering to their mysterious dark lord, and spy on the goblin kingdom — from which no elf has returned alive in more than a hundred years. Recommended for ages 9-12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Mass)
*This item also available on Libby. Returning to her grandmother's home in Australia years after visiting as a younger child, Livy slowly remembers a magical, mysterious green being in a chicken suit who she befriended years earlier and who has been eagerly awaiting her return so that she can keep her promise to him. Recommended for ages 9-12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Sutherl)
Series: Wings of Fire; 1
*This item also available on Libby and Hoopla (audiobook). Determined to end a generations-long war among the seven dragon tribes, a secret movement called the Talons of Peace draws on a prophecy that calls for a great sacrifice, compelling five appointed dragonets to fulfill a painful destiny against their will. Recommended for ages 9-12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Barnhil)
*This item also available on Libby, Cloud Library, and Hoopla. Luna, whose magical abilities are emerging, was raised in the forest by a witch, a swamp monster, and a dragon, but when a young man from the Protectorate is determined to kill the witch, Luna must use her magic to protect her family. Recommended for ages 9-12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Jones)
Series: Howl's Moving Castle; 1
*This item also available on Libby. Sophie is resigned to a dull life - until she becomes a wizard's cleaning lady. Recommended for ages 9-12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Black)
Series: Magisterium; 1
*This item also available on Libby. Warned away from magic all of his life, Callum endeavors to fail the trials that would admit him to the Magisterium only to be drawn into its ranks against his will and forced to confront dark elements from his past. Recommended for ages 9-12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Colfer)
Series: Land of Stories; 1
*This item also available on Libby and Cloud Library. Through the mysterious powers of a cherished book of stories, twins Alex and Conner leave their world behind and find themselves in a foreign land full of wonder and magic where they meet the fairy tale characters they grew up reading about. Recommended for ages 9-12.
(Juvenile Graphic Novels – J Whitley)
Series: Princeless
*This item also available on Cloud Library. Princess Adrienne is tired of being locked in a tower, waiting around to be rescued by a prince. She escapes from the tower with the help of her guardian dragon, Sparky, and with her plucky sidekick Bedelia, Adrienne sets off on a quest to rescue her sisters who are suffering the same fate. Recommended for ages 9-12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Law)
Series: Savvy; 1
*This item also available on Libby. Recounts the adventures of Mibs Beaumont, whose thirteenth birthday has revealed her "savvy"--a magical power unique to each member of her family--just as her father is injured in a terrible accident. Recommended for ages 9-12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J West)
Series: Books of Elsewhere ; 1
*This item also available on Libby. When eleven-year-old Olive and her distracted parents move into an old Victorian mansion, Olive finds herself ensnared in a dark plan involving some mysterious paintings, a trapped and angry nine-year-old boy, and three talking cats. Recommended for ages 9-12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Symessm)
Trapped in a rigid hierarchy where girls learn magic and boys train as knights, twelve-year-old nonbinary Callie, who dreams of becoming a knight, and their new friends find themselves embedded in an ancient war, but in order to defeat the threats outside the kingdom they must first defeat the bigotry within.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Townsen)
Series: Nevermoor; 1
*This item also available on Libby (audiobook). A cursed child destined to die on her eleventh birthday is rescued and whisked away to a secret realm called Nevermoor and given the chance to compete for a place in a prestigious organization called the Wundrous Society. Recommended for ages 9-12.
(Juvenile Fiction - J Lin)
*This item also available on Libby and Cloud Library. Minli, an adventurous girl from a poor village, buys a magical goldfish, and then joins a dragon who cannot fly on a quest to find the Old Man of the Moon in hopes of bringing life to Fruitless Mountain and freshness to Jade River. Recommended for ages 9-12.