Fantasy Literature 7th grade

[Peaceseeker]

I am trying to create a list of fantasy literature for my 7th grader this years. 

 

Things he has recently enjoyed:

Rangers Apprentice series

Lots of Dragon Ball z books

 

In the past he has enjoyed:

Percy Jackson books

Dealing with Dragons series 

The Hobbit

 

We may attempt the Lord of the Ring trilogy this year, but I would like some other titles to try out as well.

Thanks!

[Lori D.]

Do you want this to start moving into beginning/gentle formal literature study? Or do you want works for reading on his own for personal enjoyment?

I ask, as if you are thinking of doing fantasy literature as a beginning literature study, Literary Lessons from the Lord of the Rings is a terrific 1-year gentle intro program that covers each chapter of the trilogy with great notes and explanations, and has 12 units of material on related topics. It is geared for gr. 7-12, but (IMO) is best for solid readers and those who haven't already had a lot of literary analysis and formal lit. study yet.

There is also Further Up and Further In, a year-long unit study on the 7 books of the Chronicles of Narnia (grades 4-8). And if interested in the Harry Potter series, there is Hogwarts Academy (science tie-ins).

Edited August 24, 2018 by Lori D.

[Lori D.]

"Popcorn" just for fun fantasy:

series
Chronicles of Prydain (Alexander) -- starts with Book of Three
Dragon Keepers Chronicles (Paul) -- starts with DragonSpell
The Pit Dragon Chronicles (Yolen) -- starts with Dragon's Blood
Artemis Fowl series (Colfer)
Sea of Trolls trilogy (Farmer)
Tiger trilogy: Tiger Apprentice; Tiger's Blood; Tiger Magic (Yep)
Outlaws of Time series (Wilson)

individual books
Nick of Time (Bell)
100 Cupboards (Wilson)
The Secret of Platform 13 (Ibbotson)
The Great Good Thing (Townley)
Dragon Magic (Norton) -- part of her series of stand-along magic books
_____________________

fantasy for fun or study
The Phantom Tollbooth (Juster)
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH (O'Brien)
Watership Down (Adams)
The Never Ending Story (Ende)
The Chronicles of Narnia (Lewis)
Redwall series (Jacques)
Earthsea trilogy: Wizard of Earthsea; Tombs of Atuan; Farthest Shore (LeGuin)

[SanDiegoMom]

Definitely consider the Dark is Rising Series! Wonderful books. 

Eragon and the sequels were a big hit here. 

 

[Tanaqui]

Do you have any topics you particularly want to avoid?

[Peaceseeker]

15 hours ago, Lori D. said:

Do you want this to start moving into beginning/gentle formal literature study? Or do you want works for reading on his own for personal enjoyment?

I ask, as if you are thinking of doing fantasy literature as a beginning literature study, Literary Lessons from the Lord of the Rings is a terrific 1-year gentle intro program that covers each chapter of the trilogy with great notes and explanations, and has 12 units of material on related topics. It is geared for gr. 7-12, but (IMO) is best for solid readers and those who haven't already had a lot of literary analysis and formal lit. study yet.

There is also Further Up and Further In, a year-long unit study on the 7 books of the Chronicles of Narnia (grades 4-8). And if interested in the Harry Potter series, there is Hogwarts Academy (science tie-ins).

I think I am looking for a combination of some pleasure reads and some that are a little more challenging for school. I considered LLLOTR but he has actually already read a good bit of the supplementary literature in that program from our medieval history program last year.

[Peaceseeker]

7 hours ago, Tanaqui said:

Do you have any topics you particularly want to avoid?

Well I would prefer not too much sexuality at this age.  Still trying to keep it fairly PG!

 

[SporkUK]

Another I would recommend is the Blackwell Pages trilogy particularly since he liked Percy Jackson. They're good generally but also if he also has an interest in mythology (it's specially Norse based) -- or werewolves, werewolves is how I sold them to one of mine though I think the books just call them shifters. About as PG as a teen-angst apocalypse can be. 

[Lori D.]

9 hours ago, CaliforniaDreamin said:

...I considered LLLOTR but he has actually already read a good bit of the supplementary literature in that program from our medieval history program last year.

Once nice thing is LLftLotR really is all about the trilogy, and you don't have to read any of the supplemental literature (i.e., Beowulf, Sir Gawain, either the Odyssey or the Iliad), as, other than Beowulf, LLftLotR does not really cover those in depth. Of the 12 units of material, 2 units discuss/study excerpts of Beowulf -- but also cover how Beowulf influenced Tolkien's writing and how it "shows up" in LotR. Sir Gawain is only mentioned as one of a number of King Arthur works in another unit which is about Arthurian myths and how that influenced Tolkien. And the unit on epics is mostly about the conventions of an epic, and briefly discusses The Iliad and Odyssey.

The other units cover: background on Tolkien; linguistics; the world of Middle Earth; maps; fantasy genre; poetry; final research project; unifying themes in the work.

LLftLotR can also be done mostly solo, and can be done in less than a year if you don't need all of the units. See table of contents and samples (a complete chapter sample, and short excerpts from 2 of the units). 

If LLftLotR is not a fit for your family, but you'd still like to do LotR and go deeper with study here by using a few guides:
- Houghton-Mifflin (secular) -- free teacher guide and lesson plans
- Progeny Press (Christian) -- The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King

 

9 hours ago, CaliforniaDreamin said:

I think I am looking for a combination of some pleasure reads and some that are a little more challenging for school...

If you were doing Medieval Lit. in 6th grade last year to go with your History, then it sounds like your DS is at a higher reading level than a number of the works I listed in my post above...

However, just my opinion, something to consider when just starting out with beginning literary analysis and formal literature studies is that doing a work that is at or a little below *reading* level (but which has *depth* or "meat" for discussion and beginning analysis) can yield more results as far as the learning how to "dig deeper" in a more enjoyable way, as the student is not simultaneously having to struggle through elevated language and deep themes while also learning how to read deeper than for "just plot".

Easier reads but with depth for digging into, but NOT traditional fantasy:
Tuck Everlasting (Babbitt) -- speculative fiction -- Glencoe Lit. Library free guide
A Wrinkle in Time (L'Engle) -- sci-fi -- Glencoe Lit. Library free guide
The Graveyard Book -- gothic/fantastical -- Discovering Lit. Challenger Level guide
The Giver -- futuristic/dystopia -- Discovering Lit Challenger Level guide

Possible works for study + guide ideas:
- Watership Down - Novel Units student packet & teacher guide, or, Novel Ties guide
- Redwall -- Discovering Lit. Challenger Level guide
- The Perilous Gard (Pope) -- Book Rags guide
- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland + Through the Looking Glass (Carroll)
   * explore by reading all of the notes in the Martin Gardner annotated version
   * or possibly the light Prestwick House guide

Works for fun or for possible study (no guides that I can find):
- Earthsea trilogy (LeGuin)
- Dalemark quartet (Jones)
- The Dark is Rising quintet (Cooper)
- The Thief quintet (Turner) -- more realistic/less fantasy based; ancient Greek myth/epic type of world
- Auralia's Colors quartet (Overstreet)
- The Belegariad quintet (Eddings) -- probably just for fun; mostly about plot and the world, no depth of character or theme
- Greensky trilogy (Snyder) -- Below The Root, And All Between, Until the Celebration (can read 1st book as a stand-alone, or books 1-2 together; book 3 is very weak in writing and takes a very unexpected turn right at the end that doesn't really fit with the "world" set up in the first 2 books)

Past threads for more pleasure reading ideas:
"Fairy and Fantasy Literature for 7th grade"
"Fantasy genre books set in England for a 12yo"
"What is your 12yo Sci-Fi/Fantasy lover reading?"

Edited August 25, 2018 by Lori D.

[mlktwins]

On 8/24/2018 at 12:41 PM, Lori D. said:

Do you want this to start moving into beginning/gentle formal literature study? Or do you want works for reading on his own for personal enjoyment?

I ask, as if you are thinking of doing fantasy literature as a beginning literature study, Literary Lessons from the Lord of the Rings is a terrific 1-year gentle intro program that covers each chapter of the trilogy with great notes and explanations, and has 12 units of material on related topics. It is geared for gr. 7-12, but (IMO) is best for solid readers and those who haven't already had a lot of literary analysis and formal lit. study yet.

There is also Further Up and Further In, a year-long unit study on the 7 books of the Chronicles of Narnia (grades 4-8). And if interested in the Harry Potter series, there is Hogwarts Academy (science tie-ins).

Lori D., I looked at Literary Lessons from the Lord of the Rings website and it looks so good.  The website says it would count for a high school credit.  Do you agree?  My boys (twins) are in 8th this year so I would wait at least another year to start this so it would count as a credit..  They loved the Hobbit and they have done some literature study (a class, andt a few lit guides at home), but not at that level.  I am doing Figuratively Speaking this year with the list of short stories and poems you posted on the logic board last year :-).  Any thoughts?

[Tanaqui]

Okay, I have some things to do today, but I'll pop back later with my list.

To riff off of Lori's list, I Have a Few Thoughts:

Definitely recommend:

Earthsea

Pit Dragon Chronicles (but skip book 4)

Dalemark

The Thief (the first is the weakest, imo, but necessary)

Otherwise recommend as classics:

The Dark is Rising

Prydain

Do not like:

The Giver. Sorry, this is just overrated, and Lois Lowry cannot do math. And then the sequels turn massively message-Jesusy. The Green Sky Trilogy covers many of the same themes better - though, as Lori notes, the third is weak and has a weak ending. The author realized later it didn't have to end that way, and so I choose to pretend that it ended the way she fixed it later.

I will note that the list is overwhelmingly white and male and Euro-centric. LotR, in particular, is wall-to-wall guys doing guy stuff and being guys. There's hardly a woman in the entire doorstopper. So when I pop back, you can expect my list will look a little different.

[Lori D.]

15 minutes ago, mlktwins said:

Lori D., I looked at Literary Lessons from the Lord of the Rings website and it looks so good.  The website says it would count for a high school credit.  Do you agree?  My boys (twins) are in 8th this year so I would wait at least another year to start this so it would count as a credit..  They loved the Hobbit and they have done some literature study (a class, andt a few lit guides at home), but not at that level.  I am doing Figuratively Speaking this year with the list of short stories and poems you posted on the logic board last year :-).  Any thoughts?

JMO, but no. Doing *only* LLftLotR, no, I don't think it's enough. A high school English credit is typically 1/2 Writing & 1/2 Literature. There is no writing instruction or rubrics in LLftLotR; only some suggested writing assignments (most of which were not really a good fit for us), so LLftLotR will not cover what you need for the Writing portion of an English credit. However it would be easy to add an online class or a writing program and then from time to time, add in or substitute one of the writing assignments from LLftLotR as interested. Also, I don't think doing just the 3 volumes of the trilogy is enough Literature for the Literature portion of a high school English credit.

I think as long as you did some additional literature (either some of the works discussed or mentioned in LLftLotR, or other works of interest to your family), AND did something for the Writing portion of your credit (online class, a writing program, or DIY writing), then yes, LLftLotR could count as a large portion of your 9th grade English credit. That is what we did, anyways.

Ideas for additional Lit:

Works discussed or mentioned in LLftLotR:
- study of excerpts: Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
- detailed summaries: Ancient Greek myths of The Iliad and The Odyssey; Tennyson's poem "Idylls of the King"
- works mentioned in passing: Shakespeare plays of Macbeth, Midsummer Night's Dream; The Once and Future King (White)

Other works by Tolkien, or works that influenced Tolkien
- short stories: Farmer Giles of Ham; Smith of Wooton Major; Leaf by Niggle
- Children of Hurin (tragic epic novel set in 1st Age of Middle Earth; like a cross between an Ancient Greek tragedy and Beowulf)
- The Silmarillion (creation myths and fragmentary tales of Middle Earth)
- "On Fairy Stories (non-fiction essay on the power and value of fairy tales)
- Norse myths and sagas that influenced Tolkien
- "Any serious Tolkien fans" -- a long, rich past thread to mine for extension ideas and additional Lit ideas

Other ideas:
- other works of Fantasy
- other epic/quest/adventure classics
- classics that fit in with your History time period
- any must-read 9th grade works you want to cover next year
- an additional 1-semester Lit. program spread out over the year (ex: Windows to the World, Art of Poetry, etc.)

[mlktwins]

11 minutes ago, Lori D. said:

JMO, but no. Doing *only* LLftLotR, no, I don't think it's enough. A high school English credit is typically 1/2 Writing & 1/2 Literature. There is no writing instruction or rubrics in LLftLotR; only some suggested writing assignments (most of which were not really a good fit for us), so LLftLotR will not cover what you need for the Writing portion of an English credit. However it would be easy to add an online class or a writing program and then from time to time, add in or substitute one of the writing assignments from LLftLotR as interested. Also, I don't think doing just the 3 volumes of the trilogy is enough Literature for the Literature portion of a high school English credit.

I think as long as you did some additional literature (either some of the works discussed or mentioned in LLftLotR, or other works of interest to your family), AND did something for the Writing portion of your credit (online class, a writing program, or DIY writing), then yes, LLftLotR could count as a large portion of your 9th grade English credit. That is what we did, anyways.

Ideas for additional Lit:

Works discussed or mentioned in LLftLotR:
- study of excerpts: Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
- detailed summaries: Ancient Greek myths of The Iliad and The Odyssey; Tennyson's poem "Idylls of the King"
- works mentioned in passing: Shakespeare plays of Macbeth, Midsummer Night's Dream; The Once and Future King (White)

Other works by Tolkien, or works that influenced Tolkien
- short stories: Farmer Giles of Ham; Smith of Wooton Major; Leaf by Niggle
- Children of Hurin (tragic epic novel set in 1st Age of Middle Earth; like a cross between an Ancient Greek tragedy and Beowulf)
- The Silmarillion (creation myths and fragmentary tales of Middle Earth)
- "On Fairy Stories (non-fiction essay on the power and value of fairy tales)
- Norse myths and sagas that influenced Tolkien
- "Any serious Tolkien fans" -- a long, rich past thread to mine for extension ideas and additional Lit ideas

Other ideas:
- other works of Fantasy
- other epic/quest/adventure classics
- classics that fit in with your History time period
- any must-read 9th grade works you want to cover next year
- an additional 1-semester Lit. program spread out over the year (ex: Windows to the World, Art of Poetry, etc.)

Thank you!  I was planning on doing a writing curriculum in addition to this.  We will be done with WWS 2 by the end of 8th grade.  Not sure what we are doing for 9th grade writing yet.  I was looking for a separate literature component.  I am NEW to all this high school stuff and it is a scary, scary place!!!  And...with twins, I don't get to practice on one kid and make it better for the next one.  We are plowing through this one time and that is it -- LOL.

[Lori D.]

13 minutes ago, mlktwins said:

Thank you!  I was planning on doing a writing curriculum in addition to this.  We will be done with WWS 2 by the end of 8th grade.  Not sure what we are doing for 9th grade writing yet.  I was looking for a separate literature component...

Using LLftLotR and throwing in a few additional works and a writing program will make a fine 9th grade English credit. : )
 

... I am NEW to all this high school stuff and it is a scary, scary place!!!  ...

You will do GREAT! 9th grade is working at the next step of rigor and more volume of work for the student (plus record-keeping for you), but it's really just the next step up from what you all were doing in 8th grade/middle school -- just as 6th/7th grade was the next step up from what you all were doing in elementary levels of work. (:D
 

... And...with twins, I don't get to practice on one kid and make it better for the next one...

Built in discussion group, having 2 at once. (:P

[Lori D.]

4 hours ago, Tanaqui said:

...The Giver. Sorry, this is just overrated, and Lois Lowry cannot do math. And then the sequels turn massively message-Jesusy.

Totally agree that this book has problems, BUT... it seems to really resonate with middle schoolers/early high schoolers, and I am able to get a lot of discussion out of this one on a LOT of different themes. Plus, it's a pretty gentle intro to dystopia, relatively speaking. So it can be a useful, if flawed, work to study. Feel free to discard and/or substitute something else that works better for you. : )

Hmmm... books 2 & 3 don't not have that type of theme (at least that I can recall). Plus books #2 & #4 focus on female protagonists. Plus the series is written by a female. I do think the 4th book is odd -- for me it is because it feels scattered in focus and because it just doesn't seem to fit with the world created by the first 3 books, but not because it is preachy, except right at the very end (just my take).

Also, in case of interest, Lowry does not hold to any particular religion, so not sure I quite see the "Jesus-y" aspect. Perhaps I need to re-read. ; ) Here's from a Wikipedia article on the author: "Lowry says that she is not particularly religious but that she respects all religions and deplores the conflicts they cause. She likes the comment of the Dalai Lama: 'My religion is kindness'."
 

4 hours ago, Tanaqui said:

The author realized later it didn't have to end that way, and so I choose to pretend that it ended the way she fixed it later...

 LOL! (:D
 

4 hours ago, Tanaqui said:

...LotR, in particular, is wall-to-wall guys doing guy stuff and being guys. There's hardly a woman in the entire doorstopper...

I esp. have to disagree with this assessment of Lord of the Rings. I created an entire year's in-depth high school study on LotR (which likely makes me biased in the opposite direction (:P )

Gently and respectfully, but I find it unfair and unhelpful to dismiss a well-written book simply because it was written by an author from a majority demographic, or because it was written from a demographic that is different from one's own, or because the work does not include the kinds of themes or characters one *wishes* it did.

I totally understand that the trilogy is not going to be of interest to everyone, or that it explores ideas that fit with every reader. Lots of people find the writing style of LotR to be long or boring, for example. And I understand that an atheist would likely not be interested in the Christian themes and imagery throughout the work. Or that someone interested in contemporary literary styles and themes would not be interested in how Tolkien, a Medieval scholar, included Medieval concepts and literary aspects within his writings.

But that doesn't mean that the trilogy is just guys doing guy stuff and that there is no depth for exploration, or that is not well-written.

If a work is going to be part of a Lit. study, there does need to be some quality of craft in the writing to provide some depth of discussion -- a big part of a formal Lit. study is about *craft* -- how well the work is written with things like word choice, poetic and sound devices, lyric (or not) quality, literary devices, etc. -- as well as how much *depth* is there to explore -- themes, motifs, character development, author style, the work in context of (or contrast to) the genre, other works by the author, or other works of the time/place. Etc.

Lord of the Rings has much "craft" and in "depth" for a formal Literature study. Tolkien's use of language, poetic devices, and literary elements is of highest quality. Also, Tolkien explores numerous themes and motifs in the work, most of which are very *universal* about the *human* condition -- i.e., not focused on specific themes of race or ethnicity / gender / politics, but on "big ideas" that people of many cultures identify with. So while the majority of characters are male, I find that both myself (female) and female students in my classes identify strongly with the work as well because the themes explore broad ideas that most humans wrestle with -- choice, will to power, loyalty & duty, sacrifice, friendship, environmentalism, change, loss, coming of age, etc. etc.

[Also, as a side note: even though the female characters have a much smaller amount of "screen time" than the male characters,the more I read the trilogy, the more pivotal I find those female characters to be -- most especially Galadriel, but also Eowyn, and even to a degree, Arwen and Rosie Cotton.]
 

4 hours ago, Tanaqui said:

...I will note that the list is overwhelmingly white and male and Euro-centric...

Just noting: of the books I listed in my posts above, while it is true that none are written by non-whites, a number of the works are by Americans (or do you include that in Euro-centric??), and some WERE written by women, and some DO feature female protagonists -- about half of my suggestions overall are either by or about females:

- female authors: Earthsea trilogy; Dalemark series; Dragon Keepers series; Pit Dragon series; The Thief series; Dark is Rising series; Greensky trilogy; Sea of Trolls; Dragon Magic; Secret of Platform 13
- female author & female protagonist: Tuck Everlasting, A Wrinkle in Time, The Perilous Gard, book #2 of Earthsea trilogy; book #2 of The Thief series; book #3 of Dark is Rising series; books #3 & 4 of Dalemark
- male author & female protagonist: Alice in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass; books #1 & 2 of Auralia's Colors quadrilogy; Mrs. Frisby & Rats of NIMH; The Great Good Thing
- female author & minority protagonist -- Earthsea trilogy books 1 & 3 are about a dark-skinned male protagonist

I don't subscribe to the idea that *only* dead white guys are worth reading, just as I don't hold that *only* contemporary works or *only* non-white perspectives should be read to "make up for" a past history of Western classic literature that was predominantly white and male voices. Let's not throw away the past Great Conversation that is Literature as we embrace new voices and ideas entering the Great Conversation.  We need *all* voices, from all times and all places to participate in order for Literature to BE a conversation. I am totally *for* reading widely and from many different viewpoints. I am totally *for* including contemporary authors/works in both pleasure-reading lists and literature lists. (And I do not think that all books for pleasure reading have to be well-written or up to "Literature study quality". (:P )

Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited August 25, 2018 by Lori D.

[Tanaqui]

I didn't say I would throw out LotR (though I can't ever get into it myself - that's his writing style, though), just that as an overall list, what is recommended tends to be very the same. It's like the Bechdel test. One movie where no two women ever hold a conversation is probably nothing to get too worked up about, but the fact that more than half of all movies made in a given year don't manage to hop over that low bar, and that those that do rarely do more than the bare minimum does raise my eyebrows.

(Though I disagree wildly that Queen of Attolia has a female protagonist. Gosh, I love that book, and I can sorta see where you get that, but....)

On the subject of Lowry, it's weird, but a lot of her classic kidlit books... I just like the efforts in that direction by different authors more. I feel the same way about Number the Stars or the Anastasia books. (Well, not that you should read Green Sky instead, lol, but that other books on those themes are handled better.)

[ScoutTN]

Seconding these series:

Narnia!

The Dark is Rising

The Chronicles of Prydain  (and other Lloyd Alexander, if you like him)

The Earthsea Trilogy

LOTR, for sure. 

 

Single books:

The String on the Harp 

100 Cupboards

 

[Lori D.]

40 minutes ago, Tanaqui said:

I didn't say I would throw out LotR (though I can't ever get into it myself - that's his writing style, though), just that as an overall list, what is recommended tends to be very the same...

Lord of the Rings was so seminal and really kick-started the modern Fantasy genre that there was bound to be oodles of similar works -- medieval-like world-building quest-adventures. Lord of the Rings, like Harry Potter -- or The Odyssey for that matter... I believe some authors tap into something very archetypal in their characters/worlds that speaks deeply to many many people, which in turn triggers an outpouring of similar works, out of homage (imitation as a sign of flattery, lol), or out of trying to ride the gravy train.

I honestly have struggled to find fantasy that is not a re-run of the world/characters/ideas of Lord of the Rings, that is well-written (or at least some depth of themes and ideas to discuss), and that is either by other voices or about other types of topics, and that does not contain adult content so that I can include it in my middle school and high school classes. Looking forward to your variety-pack list of ideas! : )

 

Edited August 25, 2018 by Lori D.

[Wheres Toto]

My kids have just started reading some Mercedes Lackey.  Many are too adult for them at this point, but some are fine.  My kids both just read the Joust series, which has a loose Egyptian history feel.

[Lori D.]

2 hours ago, Danae said:

 

I have recently been pondering whether newer fantasy works, like those by N.K. Jemisin, actually contain more "adult" content than Lord of the Rings, or whether we're just so used to LotR that we don't see it as adult content. 

Great thoughts : )

Perhaps amount of "graphic detail", or "dwelling on dark/negative moods" is the difference between older and newer fantasy?? LotR does have a lot of adult ideas, but it they are written about in older/classical ways -- lyrical and poetic language, stylized descriptions (rather than detailed mud and blood), and balanced by high ideals. The difference between stylized world and individual characters wrestling with universal ideals  vs. gritty realism and intensely personal/psychological focus, perhaps?

I do see a difference in focus, intensity, and style in our culture at large -- literature, film, TV, art, etc. Take movies for example -- WW2 films from the 1940s-50s, vs. something more recent, like Saving Private Ryan or Inglorious Basterds. Older films shoot battle scenes with less intensity, with more distant extreme wide shots and non-moving camera, and when characters are shot, they clutch their chests, spin, and fall with no blood or mud or sound. The focus of the older films was not the battle (which is the climax of the film), but tends to be about the debate of whether or not to go to war, or about the big reasons of why the war was necessary, and then the noble sacrifice of soldiers -- that's all about universal ideas. Newer films shoot battles up close, hand-held camera, disorienting editing, and when someone is shot, you virtually see the bullet hit and tear of a limb, blood spurts everywhere, with screaming. Newer war films are virtually all "in the field" rather than the command center, and are focused on the horror of war or the psychological aspects of war on the individual.

I don't mean to imply that one focus is better than the other; I just see that older and newer books and movies are exploring difference topics with different styles and focus. It's just that the newer works with heightened realism are more intense in ways that make it more tricky or potentially disturbing for children who have not yet developed the filters and coping mechanisms that adults have. In many ways, the older books and movies had that filter already in place, which reduces intensity.

I can see the difference in focus and intensity between the books of Lord of the Rings (written/published in 1950s), and the Peter Jackson films (created in the 2000s) -- the films are much grittier in look and intensity, and focus much more on spectacle and violence/battles than the books do. The battle of Helm's Deep is 40 minutes long in the movie (which is just under 4 hours long). It is 3 pages long in the book (which is 350 pages). Definitely a difference in focus and intensity.

Just my ramblings on your great question!

Here's a question for you: I've been eyeing N.K. Jemisin's series and really looking forward to getting my hands on it. What did you think? (:D

Edited August 26, 2018 by Lori D.

[Ausmumof3]

Most of these have been mentioned but mine has enjoyed

Chronicles if Prydain

harry potter

lord of the rings

The mysterious Benedict society

Narnia

Redwall

A little younger aimed but he’s enjoyed them because I’ve read them to the younger kids

The incorrigible children of Ashton place (not total fantasy but does feature a curse and werewolves)

Tuesdays at the castle

How to train your dragon

read aloud revival lady Sarah mackenzie often recommends fablehaven and Wingfeather saga though we haven’t tried them ourselves. 

 

 

 

[Miss Tick]

I was thinking of this thread thus morning when I saw my copy of The Blue Sword, by Robin McKinley. The protagonist is female, which I remember being a nice surprise for me when I read it.