Well Writen Children's Fantasy/SciFi

[raptor_dad]

Perhaps I'm overly elitist, but I find alot of fantasy and especially children's fantasy to be badly written. I am looking for well written fantasy for DS7.

 

Among the classics he has read:

 

The OZ books: Fabulous... all ~13 cannonical Baum books were wonderful.

Narnia: I agree with the Inklings; A muddle but well written and popular.

Septimus Heap: Workmanlike: Book 1 was good but after that things dropped off. He read book 1.

Harry Potter: He has read thru book 3. Fabulous...but I would like to delay 4-7 due to darker themes.

Tolkien: He has heard The Hobbit twice as a read aloud and read it independently once.

Lots of Fables and Myths... I feel like this is covered.

 

Among lesser known works, he enjoyed Lissa Evans works. I thought Horten's Mysterious Mechanism and the second book in that universe were fabulous. They reminded me of Colin Meloy's Wildwood  series which he will read shortly(Somewhat Narnia-ish). Phillp Reeve's"Larklight" books are great and on my list. I feel like Pullman's Dark Materials can wait for a while(Philosophically I agree with Pullman, but I feel no need to immerse my child in that cynical world view at this age) . LOTR would be better in a couple of years for a variety of reasons. Mieville's "Un Lun Dun" is very good and also in consideration. I found Artemis Fowl to be workman like and too snarky... What am I missing? It seem like this genre is more prone to network effects than others... I don't care whats popular; I want whats good.

[maize]

Enchanted forest chronicles are excellent, Dealing with Dragons I think is the first.

[quark]

1. Lloyd Alexander's Prydain series? This Wikipedia link gives you the sequence of the 5 books
2. Asimov's Norby Chronicles - DS has read the first two only and enjoyed them
3. A Wrinkle in Time series?
4. The Spiderwick Chronicles (DS thought it was so-so, I didn't like it)
5. The Bartimaeus Trilogy (not super well written but we both thought it was entertaining, might be too dark for a sensitive kid...DS was okay with it at 7+-8yo)
6. If he likes The Hobbit, he might enjoy George MacDonald's work (some of which were inspiration for The Hobbit)

ETA:

We also enjoyed Jules Verne from ages 7-9+.

[WinsomeCreek]

For Oz lovers I would look at TH White first part Sword in the Stone, Barrie's Peter Pan, L'Engle, and some of Mark Twain's short stories. I can ask my oldest- he likes junk books but knows the difference and reads it all. We had the same stopping points at that age as you mention.

[Cosmos]

The Redwall series by Brian Jacques.

[Alice]

I haven't read all of these so I'm going more by what my son has loved than by what is necessarily "well-written". His favorite genre is fantasy/adventure and he reads a lot. I may be less elitist than you :) for non-school assigned books he can read what he wants (within reason). I'll also say he's 10 so some of these may not be appropriate for a 7 year old. I'd say he was at about the same reading stage at that point as your son, he read The Hobbit then. These have been read in the past 3 years. 

 

Peter and the Starcatchers series by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson (is a little scary, depending on your son it might be too much at 7)

The Unwanteds series by Lisa McMann (sort of a cross between Hunger Games and Harry Potter, less violent than the first, it's not the most wonderfully written series and it's a little derivative but it's a very fun read)

The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen (and others in the series)
Savvy by Ingrid Law (and the sequel Scumble)
Tuesdays in the Castle and the sequel Wednesdays in the Tower by Jessica Day George
Sidekicked by John David Anderson 
Joshua Dread (and the sequel) by Lee Bacon 
Gregor and the Overlander series by Suzanne Collins (yes the Hunger Games author but written before that series)
Jinx by Sage Blackwood 
What Came From the Stars by Gary Schmidt (really excellent and beautiful book)
The Vengekeep Prophecies by Brian Farrey 
The Mysterious Benedict Society series by Trenton Lee Stewart 

Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper (this is my own favorite from my childhood and is excellent)

The Rise and Fall of Mt. Majestic by Jennifer Trafton 



 

 

[raptor_dad]

 

1. Asimov's Norby Chronicles - DS has read the first two only and enjoyed them

 

Oooh... Great Suggestion!! I'd forgotten those. I have some of Heinlein's kids books on hold but had forgotten Asimov's.

[lewelma]

5 Children and It  by Nesbit and 3? sequels.

 

My kids enjoyed the Martian Chronicles by Burroughs at age 8. It think there are 8 of them.

[Chrysalis Academy]

Mine are loving Tom's Midnight Garden by Phillipa Pierce right now.    I agree that it's worth holding off on His Dark Materials for awhile, but Pullman has a bunch of other great book - my kids and I laughed our heads off at the audio version of The Scarecrow and His Servant.   Our previous read aloud was The Thirteen Clocks by James Thurber, and we loved it.  I think it qualifies as extremely well written!

 

They have also loved Swallows & Amazons, the Five Chldren series by E Nesbit, and Eager's Half Magic and sequels.

 

Queen Zixi of Ix is good - another by Baum.

[lizbusby]

Major upvotes to The Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper (may want to preview for scary content), Madeline L'Engle's Wrinkle in Time quartet, and Patricia C Wrede's Dealing with Dragons. I have to put in a plug for my favorite author, Brandon Sanderson: his Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians is a hilarious book with lots of wordplay games, similar to the Phantom Tollbooth, which is also a classic fantasy. Diana Wynn Jones's books are also fantastically written. Start with her most famous, the Chrestomanci series.

 

Also try the So You Want to Be a Wizard series by Diane Duane. The writing in this series gets better as it goes along (about a decade between the writing of the first book and the second, and the same between the next two, then they got more regular), and the topic of two gifted kids who develop magic which is very linguistic, scientific, and intellectual (and also extremely moral without being overly allegorical or religious) is absolutely worth it. Books 3-7 are the best. There's even one (A Wizard Alone) which is about an autistic boy who is becoming a wizard, which might be of special interest to some 2Es on this board.

[Julie Smith]

Enchanted forest chronicles are excellent, Dealing with Dragons I think is the first.

You are right, The first book is, "dealing with dragons".

 

I am not sure it is considered fantasy, but I recommend checking out the rangers apprentice series.

[ElizabethB]

Some good ideas.

 

Also, all of John Christopher's books, start with his most famous trilogy, first book "The White Mountains."

[SeaConquest]

Following because I'm on my phone and don't know how to find the follow button in the mobile version. ETA: Great thread!

[Dmmetler]

Diane Duane also has a series which parallels the young wizards one where the wizards are cats. The second book, especially, dives into British history. I will say that Duane's books get dark at times. I haven't given them to my 9 yr old yet for that reason.

 

Diana Wynne Jones is good, but be aware that one of her books "A Sudden Wild Magic" gets into some rather adult content.

 

On the Sci-fi side,

Almost any Sci-fi written in the 40s-50's golden age is safe. Asimov, Clarke, and Williamson are good authors. Asimov wrote some juvenile-specific books. The 2nd book of the Foundation series has a teen girl protagonist who is definitely gifted. The Robot chronicles are also really good ones for advanced, young readers.

 

Heinlein deserves mention because his books span such a range of appropriateness. In the 1940s-50's, he wrote a lot of really nice books, many of which were serialized in Boys' Life and have teen protagonists that are GREAT for gifted kids (since that's what pretty much every main character is). Then, he wrote Stranger in a Strange Land, and with Stranger and pretty much everything after that point, dived into social constructs including a lot of discussion of sex. It really is almost like he's two authors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Emerald Stoker]

What about the Earthsea books by Ursula LeGuin?  (Hold off on the fourth one 'til he's older.)

The Edward Eager series is very good.

LM Boston's Green Knowe books are excellent.

Mieville's other YA book is terrific, too (Railsea).

JBS Haldane's My Friend Mr. Leakey is a short-story collection; lots of fun.

Michael Ende's The Neverending Story is well-translated (so German friends tell me) and a good story.

Andre Maurois's Fattypuffs and Thinifers is sort of fantasy?  Certainly allegorical.

Penelope Lively's Voyage of QV66 is great.

Maile Meloy's The Apothecary was enjoyed here.

Sally Gardner's I,Coriander was excellent. She has a book for younger ones called Three Pickled Herrings which we enjoyed, too. (There may also be a sequel.)

Not a fantasy, but if you like A Wrinkle in Time, you might enjoy Rebecca Stead's When You Reach Me.

Not much loved by me (protagonist has too much attitude!), but a very interesting concept: Bookweird and Bookweirder by Paul Glennon.

David Almond's Skellig is the best book in the world.  Several of his others have fantastical elements, too--but some might be better saved for later.

 

ETA:  Rosemary Manning's Green Smoke and sequels.

Alison Uttley's A Traveller in Time.

JP Martin, Uncle and sequel.

TH White, Mistress Masham's Repose.

Norman Lindsay, The Magic Pudding.

Iain Lawrence's The Giant Slayer is a story within a story; the "frame" is realistic, but the interior story is fantasy.

Thomas Keneally, Ned Kelly and the City of Bees.

William Goldman, The Princess Bride?

I loved Margery Sharp's books as a child (the Rescuers series), but find them insufferably twee now; maybe still worth a look if he likes talking animals?

Alan Snow's Ratbridge Chronicles are fun (there are six of them).

More adventure than fantasy (though there are pterodactyls and a child with unbreakable bones!)--Howard Whitehouse's trilogy is lots of fun (Strictest School in the World, Faceless Fiend, Island of the Mad Scientists).

Noel Langley, Land of Green Ginger.

Barbara Sleigh, Carbonel series.

Polly Horvath, Mr and Mrs Bunny, Detectives Extraordinaire.

Kenneth Grahame, Dream Days (short stories; some are fantasy).

Jonathan Auxier, Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes.

 

 

[basketcase]

Love the previous comments! So many good books, and quite a few we haven't read. Particular favorites that have already been mentioned are Half Magic and E. Nesbit's books. 

 

A couple of more recent series - Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett and Dragon and Thief by Timothy Zahn. 

[lizbusby]

What about the Earthsea books by Ursula LeGuin?  (Hold off on the fourth one 'til he's older.)

I've never seen what anyone sees in these books. I read the first one twice: once as a teen and again as an adult. Hated it both times. She breaks every rule of good storytelling. You never get to know any of the characters because all the action takes place off screen: she just tells you they are friends. Blech. Too much story for one book. If she had slowed it down, it could have been awesome.

[zenjenn]

I'll share some recommendations from my 11 and 8 yr old daughters. I haven't read all these, by the way. She is a voracious reader, as is her sister, and I can no longer hope to keep up with evaluating everything they read for pleasure.

 

I am an avid reader of fantasy and sci-fi, and I find some disconnect from what I liked as a child and what she does. I think some of what I liked (such as Madeline L'Engle books) are a bit *dated* in her perspective. Some of these selections are undoubtedly fluff but she is critical of many fantasy series, and has used criticisms such as "poorly-written", "predictable", "Harry Potter rip-off", etc. So whether "well-written" or not, they were well-received by children who are often critical of fantasy books. You may dismiss them as poorly written? I have to say, by today's measures I have all kinds of problems with Tolkein's writing, so to some extent it's a matter of picking your poison IMO. :)

 

The Search for Wond-La (probably wait for a bit.. the 8 yr old *just* got into this, and she's an avid reader too. Older one claims this and its sequel are "Better than Harry Potter" and she's a huge HP fan)

Avalon: Web of Magic series (the 11 yr old now calls these "a bit environmentalist preachy" but she LOVED them around age 8/9. Possibly girly)

Guardians of Ga'Hoole (younger dd was a FANATIC about these books at age 7. Light fantasy plots with owl society)

Warriors (the 8 yr old is also a FANATIC about these books, though I think they are intended for an older audience. Not necessarily well-written but kept her stocked with reading material for quite a while)

The Familiars series (again, huge hit with the 8 yr old when she was 7 yrs old. About familiars, as in magical animals)

Dragon Keepers series (Dragon in the Sock Drawer and its sequels, both kids loved around that age. While they've outgrown them, they'll still blow throw series additions if they spot them in the library, just to see how things progressed.)

 

To throw in a sci-fi pick, older daughter loves The City of Ember - but it may still be too old for the 7 yr old.

 

No one has mentioned I don't think The Invention of Hugo Cabret, which is appropriate for age 7 and very, very light sci-fi-ish.

 

 

[Laura Corin]

John Christopher (The Tripod Trilogy); Ursula le Guin; Susan Cooper (The Dark is Rising); Diana Wynne Jones.

 

L

[Staceyshoe]

Madeleine L'Engle might be a nice option.

 

[KarenNC]

The Great Good Thing by Roderick Townley is an excellent fantasy.

[MBM]

A few others to consider:

 

Feed by M.T. Anderson. It's about mindless consumerism and the importance of language. One of the protagonists is a home schooled girl named Violet, IIRC.

 

Skellig by David Almond. Has religious concepts in it but I think it's more about the mysteries in life. The character Mina is home schooled.

 

T.A. Barron's Merlin series. My son liked these more than Harry Potter -- and he loved Harry Potter.

 

 

[tmstranger]

my 10 year old is currently reading The Books of Elsewhere series by Jacqueline West.  We did book 1 as a read-aloud with him and my 6 year old and they both loved it. 

 

He also loved Gregor The Overlander as suggested by someone else.  He has read and reread that series several times now!

[nmoira]

Diane Duane has updated her Young Wizards series, but they are only available in e-book format. DD the Elder has both series, old and the first four volumes of the new, but hasn't expressed a preference.

 

http://ebooksdirect.dianeduane.com/pages/coming-soon-young-wizards-new-millennium-revised-editions

[nmoira]

Feed by M.T. Anderson. It's about mindless consumerism and the importance of language. One of the protagonists is a home schooled girl named Violet, IIRC.

 

Best to wait on Feed though as the OP is holding back the fourth Harry Potter. However, M.T. Anderson is one of my favourite children's authors, and it's worth checking out his Pals in Peril series aka M.T. Anderson's Thrilling Tales (Whales on Stilts is the first) and A Game of Sunken Places quartet (these are somewhat challenging middle grade fare... Anderson uses every trick in the book to keep the reader as disoriented as the protagonists).

 

ETA: When he's ready for adult level SF, the Pip & Flinx novels by Alan Dean Foster are great fun, rollicking adventures. My (then) 11yo ate them up.

[serendipitous journey]

A. enjoyed the Benedict Society books, which I think were perfectly nice children's literature choices. 

 

At the moment it's "The Name of This Book is Secret" which is on the silly end of things. 

[stayathomelibrarian]

*following*  and I wanted to ditto the Edgar Edgar suggestion.  My 7 year old LOVES Half Magic.  She's reading 5 Children and It, and The Hobbit right now.  This thread will be very useful to me. 

[raptor_dad]

Since the original thread, DS7 read the Diana Wynne Jones "Howl" books and a couple of Eva Ibbotson books which he liked but didn't love. He also read 2 or 3 Norby books... the 1st was novel and exciting and then his interest faded. Then he took a break from the genre.

 

Now, he is back reading Lloyd Alexander's Prydain books. Wow! Thanks Quark. This is what I was looking for. He is enthralled. It is magical. At church the older preschoolers, K, and 1st graders are grouped in a montessori bible study. During free play each week one kid gets to play with the desert box and the story props. This week was DS's turn and he was using the props to make a scale model of Prydain. DW was clueless but the somewhat geeky lead teacher was completely thrilled.

 

After he finishes the series, we will either pivot to another genre or he may reread some of the Oz books, which we are starting as read-alouds for DS5 and DS7 at bedtime. I want to allow him some time to explore his imaginative interpretations and reactions to Prydain. After that I'm going to suggest Nancy Farmer's "Sea of Trolls". At previous points he has been into both Norse mythology and Vikings. So, I expect that to go like a house on fire.

 

PS: DS7 had already read 4 Edward Eager books before I posted this thread. He quite enjoyed them, but after the 4th he didn't feel the need to read more. They are great books... but somewhat like the Eva Ibbotson books I mentioned above... after a few they all start feeling very similar. Reading Norton's "Borrowers" series followed a similar arc.

[SierraNevada]

Don't forget all the other Oz books. The series continued on after Baum and they are equally as good, if not better. Ruth Plumly Thompson is one of the authors as well as Jack Snow, I think. There are also a lot of other Baum books outside the Oz series that are equally as good-- Queen Zixi of Ix, Sea Faries, Sky Island, Life of Santa Claus. We love them all!

[jenn&charles]

John Christopher (The Tripod Trilogy); Ursula le Guin; Susan Cooper (The Dark is Rising); Diana Wynne Jones.

 

L

 

I second the tripod series!!!

 

[k8c]

This thread is awesome! My DD5 (6 in a few weeks) loves sci-fi/fantasy and it has never really been my thing.  I wanted to add some of Neil Gaiman's books to the list, like Coraline, The Graveyard Book, his new one Fortunately, the Milk.

 

She has also read a bunch of graphic novels, as at 5 she still is really interested in the pictures, and has a hard time getting interested in a book that doesn't have any/many (even though she *can* read them).  She has gotten into the children's graphic novels by Kazu Kibishi, Doug TenNapel (her favorite book right now is Cardboard).  She has also read the first Oz on her own, and the graphic novel (Marvel) for it, as well as the next two.  

 

We have also done a bunch of those other posters have listed as read-alouds/audiobook, so that if the content is a little intense, we can discuss it.  However, she is eerily not bothered by most of it, and has a very adult understanding of things like death.  It also helps with the no-picture issue, for some reason.  Also, most of our audiobooks are listened in the car on the hour-long trip to the science museum, so maybe it is because she is literally a captive audience!