Adventure/Fantasy

Walk Two Moons, Sharon Creech After her mother leaves home suddenly, thirteen-year-old Sal and her grandparents take a car trip retracing her mother's route. Along the way, Sal recounts the story of her friend Phoebe, whose mother also left.

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe C.S. Lewis Four English school children enter the magic land of Narnia through the back of a wardrobe and assist Aslan, the golden lion, in defeating the White Witch who has cursed the land with eternal winter.

The Hound of the Baskervilles, Arthur Conan Doyle Could the sudden death of Sir Charles Baskerville have been caused by the gigantic ghostly hound which is said to have haunted his family for generations? Arch-rationalist Sherlock Holmes characteristically dismisses the theory as nonsense. Claiming to be immersed in another case, he sends Watson to Devon to protect the Baskerville heir and to observe the suspects at close hand.

Hatchet, Gary Paulsen Thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson is on his way to visit his father when the single-engine plane in which he is flying crashes. Suddenly, Brian finds himself alone in the Canadian wilderness with nothing but a tattered windbreaker and the hatchet his mother gave him as a present.

Catherine Called Birdy, Karen Cushman The thirteen-year-old daughter of an English country knight keeps a journal in which she records the events of her life, particularly her longing for adventures beyond the usual role of women and her efforts to avoid being married off.

Holes, Louis Sachar As further evidence of his family's bad fortune which they attribute to a curse on a distant relative, Stanley Yelnats is sent to a hellish correctional camp in the Texas desert where he finds his first real friend, a treasure, and a new sense of himself.

Harry Potter Series, J.K. Rowling Harry is a lonely orphan who, on his eleventh birthday, learns he is a wizard. He attends to learn magic. Under the guidance of a kindly headmaster, Harry discovers that he is already famous throughout the wizarding world, and that his fate is tied with that of Lord Voldemort, the universally feared Dark wizard who killed Harry's parents. The Hobbit, Tolkein The enchanting story of tiny, furry-footed Bilbo Baggins and his adventures in Middle- earth ultimately served as the prelude to Tolkien's epic The Lord of the Rings, which was published in three volumes during the 1950s. These novels are perhaps the most beloved works of fantasy in the twentieth century.

Lord of the Rings, Tolkein The story begins with Bilbo Baggins and his upcoming one hundred eleventh-birthday party. Although Bilbo is getting old, he has not changed at all in 61 years, and many people notice and wonder about this. However, Bilbo's cousin and heir, Frodo Baggins, whom he adopted twelve years before, do not think this is unusual. Instead, Bilbo and Frodo are excellent friends and even share the same birthday, meaning that Frodo is turning 33 and coming of age the same day that Bilbo is turning one hundred eleven years old.

Eragon, Christopher Paolini When Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his family meat for the winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself. Overnight his simple life is shattered, and he is thrust into a perilous new world of destiny, magic, and power. With only an ancient sword and the advice of an old storyteller for guidance, Eragon and the fledgling dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a king whose evil knows no bounds. Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders? The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands...

Tuck Everlasting, Natalie Babbit The Tuck family is confronted with an agonizing situation when they discover that a ten- year-old girl and a malicious stranger now share their secret about a spring whose water prevents one from ever growing older.

Skellig, David Almond Ten-year-old Michael was looking forward to moving into a new house. But now his baby sister is ill, his parents are frantic, and Doctor Death has come to call. Michael feels helpless. Then he steps into the crumbling garage and makes an intriguing discovery.

The Spiderwick Chronicles Series, Tony DiTerlizzi It all started with a mysterious letter left at a tiny bookstore for authors Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black. Its closing lines: “We just want people to know about this. The stuff that has happened to us could happen to anyone.” Little could they imagine the remarkable adventure that awaited them as they followed Jared, Simon, and Mallory Grace and a strange old book into a world filled with elves, goblins, dwarves, trolls, and a fantastical menagerie of other creatures. The oddest part is in entering that world, they didn’t leave this one. Redwall, Brian Jacques When Redwall Abbey is attacked by a rat known as Cluny the Scourge, the Redwallers rise up in defense, and a young mouse known as Matthias embarks on a quest to recover the legendary sword of Martin the Warrior.

The Golden Compass, Philip Pullman Grades 7 - 12. The action follows 11-year-old protagonist Lyra Belacqua, accompanied by her daemon, from her home at Oxford University to the frozen wastes of the North, on a quest to save kidnapped children from the evil 'Gobblers,' who are using them as part of a sinister experiment. Lyra also must rescue her father from the Panserbjorne, a race of talking, armored, mercenary polar bears holding him captive. Joining Lyra are a vagabond troop of gyptians (gypsies), witches, an outcast bear, and a Texan in a hot air balloon.

Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer Criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl is back, and so is his cunning enemy from Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident, Opal Koboi. At the start of the fourth adventure, Artemis has returned to his unlawful ways. He's in Berlin, preparing to steal a famous impressionist painting from a German bank. He has no idea that his old rival, Opal, has escaped from prison by cloning herself. She's left her double behind in jail and, now free, is exacting her revenge on all those who put her there, including Artemis.