Children's fantasy that isn't British: 04/14/18

Back in January 2016, the Atlantic published an article bemoaning the state of American children's fantasy, using only examples of moralistic realistic fiction in comparison to more modern British children's fantasy. Yesterday the article resurfaced on Twitter leading off a round of discussions. I did my own paragraph by paragraph breakdown of what was wrong with the article's assumptions (including the absurdity of comparing The Adventures Huckleberry Finn to the Harry Potter series.

Below are children's fantasy stories I've reviewed broken up into categories. I'm still compiling the list, so check back later to see more recommendations. The list is primarily American fantasy but there are some other countries represented as well.

Quests:

• Adventures of a Cat-Whiskered Girl by Daniel Pinkwater
• Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce
• Beast & Crown by Joel Ross
• Dandelion Fire by ND Wilson
• Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly
• Doll Bones is by Holly Black
• Dragons Beware! by Jorge Aguirre
• Drift House by Dale Peck
• Dust Girl by Sarah Zettel
• Castle of Shadows by Ellen Renner
• Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
• Floors by Patrick Carman
• Giant Trouble by Ursula Vernon
• Golden Girl by Sarah Zettel

Magic:

• Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor
• The Alchemyst by Michael Scott
• Bigger Than a Bread Box by Laurel Snyder
• A Dash of Trouble by Anna Meriano
• The Eternal Hourglass by Erica Kirov
• Fairest by Gail Carson Levine
• Fridays with the Wizards by Jessica Day George
• Half Magic by Edward Eager

Gods and Monsters:

• Amulet Keepers by Michael Northrop
• The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan
• Book of the Dead by Michael Northrop
• Bull by David Elliott
• The Final Kingdom by Michael Northrop
• The House of Hades by Rick Riordan

Curses:

• The Aviary by Kathleen O'Dell
• Blue Moon by James Ponti
• Dark Days by James Ponti
• Dead City by James Ponti
• Dragon's Breath by E.D. Baker
• The Cats of Tanglewood Forest by Charles de Lint
• The Frog Princess by E.D Baker
• Hamster Princess: Harriet the Invincible by Ursula Vernon
• Of Mice and Magic by Ursula Vernon
• Hamster Princess: Whiskerella by Ursula Vernon

Celtic inspired:

• Bad Luck Girl by Sarah Zettel
• Curses! Foiled Again by Jane Yolen

Unexpected hero:

• Bera the One-Headed Troll by Eric Orchard
• Bloom by Doreen Cronin
• A
• Curious Tale of the In-Between by Lauren DeStefano
• The Hotel Under the Sand by Kage Baker
• Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword by Barry Deutsch
• Hereville: How Mirka Met a Meteorite by Barry Deutsch

Magical Schools:

• The Birthday Ball by Lois Lowry
• Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
• Born to Rule by Kathryn Lasky
• The Circle of Lies by Crystal Velasquez
• The Dastardly Deed by Holly Grant
• Dragon Overnight by Sarah Mlynowski, Lauren Myracle, and, Emily Jenkins
• Hunters of Chaos by Crystal Velasquez

Crossroads:

• Bone Gap by Laura Ruby
• The Boneshaker by Kate Milford
• The Broken Lands by Kate Milford
• Ghosts of Greenglass House by Kate Milford

Magical Creatures:

• The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat
• Clover's Luck by Kallie George
• Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate
• A Dance for Emilia by Peter S. Beagle
• Dragon Girl: The Secret Valley by Jeff Weigel
• The Dragons of Spratt, Ohio by Linda Zinnen
• Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
• The Fairy Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley
• Fairy's Return by Gail Carson Levine
• Fish Girl by Donna Jo Napoli and David Wiesner
• For Biddle's Sake by Gail Carson Levine
• Gabriel Finley and the Raven's Riddle by George Hagen
• Grip of the Shadow Plague by Brandon Mull

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