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Not sure how to title this but I'm looking for older fantasy books/series that are aimed at a younger audience.
For example books like the following:
The Hobbit
Chronicles of Narnia
Howl's Moving Castle
The Earthsea Cycle
I'd prefer if the books were pre 1990s so no Harry Potter or Golden Compass etc.
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of N.I.M.H.
James and the Giant Peach
The Cricket in Times Square
The Mouse and the Motorcycle
Stuart Little
Kiki’s Delivery Service
I wrote a story when I was in primary school with that exact title. Now I havta see what it's about lol.
I loved cricket in times square as a kid
The Prydain series by Lloyd Alexander
The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner
The Box of Delights by John Mansfield (this one is a Christmas story).
I completely forgot about Prydain, I actually have it and have read it, it's great.
Also want to suggest Time Cat by Alexander. Time travel cat stories!
Love Box of Delights, and the old school BBC series was pure magic.
Tamora Pierce!
Any specific books in particular?
If you want to go older, her first quarter is the Song of the Lioness. It's a classic! Protector of the Small might be my favorite. If you want more magic and less knights/battles, the Circle of Magic series is great.
Thanks. A quick Wikipedia led me to the Song of the Lioness so I'm definitely gonna pick those up.
Circle of Magic was one of my faves as a kid.
Just off the top of my head:
The Chronicles of Prydain series by Lloyd Alexander
The Dark Is Rising series by Susan Cooper
The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede (available as an omnibus under that title)
The Harper Hall trilogy (Dragonsong, Dragonsinger, and Dragondrums) from Anne McCaffrey's Pern series
Edit: Somehow I forgot...
The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
Watership Down by Richard Adams
The Perilous Gard by Elizabeth Marie Pope
Thank you, Watership Down is quite hight on my list of books I want to read.
Redwall
I remember reading at least a couple of Redwall books as a young child, never really thought to return to them though but I may check out the first few books after all.
Lloyd Alexander's The Chronicles of Prydain is a classic Classic that works well for younger and older readers.
The Prydain series and the Dark is Rising sequence.
Both of these are very good starting places. And then, if they like this type of Celtic fantasy, they can move on to the Alan Garner books, and eventually to the Deverry series by Katherine Kerr
Robin Mckinley's The Hero and the Crown, published in the 80s :)
The story's not reinventing the wheel, but McKinley's writing won me over (simply told but evocative, like some dreamy tale told over a campfire), and the main character's determination is something to be admired. It is the prequel to McKinley's equally fantastic The Blue Sword.
Effing loves those books. Got them in a 'here's a box of books bc ur poor' box when I was like 12. Love them every time I read them.
Anything by McKinley is great, really. Especially her more adult offerings and fairytale retellings. I still go back and re-read her Sunshine when the mood hits me.
They sound great, I'll add them to my list!
A Wrinkle in Time!
“Phantom Tollbooth” is a classic.
Another one I enjoyed as a kid was “Dragon of the Lost Sea”
The Mouse and his Child - Russell Hoban
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase series- Joan Aiken (more alternate history with occasional weird stuff than fantasy, tbh)
The Dark is Rising Sequence - Susan Cooper
Tom's Midnight Garden - Philippa Pearce
Ronia the Robber's Daughter - Astrid Lindgren (and her other stuff)
The Borribles Trilogy - Michael de Larrabieti
The Plum Rain Scroll - Ruth Manly
The Little White Horse - Elizabeth Goudge
Thank you, I'm not familiar with quite a few of these so I'll be checking them out!
The Dark is Rising was my favourite series as a kid.
Warning that The Borribles could be described as 70s grimdark for 12 year olds. Similar to Roald Dahl's darker edge.
That sounds amazing to me not gonna lie
I’m not positive these are all pre 90s since I haven’t memorized publication dates but I think fit that I really enjoy:
So You Want to Be a Wizard series by Diane Duane
The Neverending Story
Tamora Pierce books
Shannon Hale books
a lot of Roald Dahl
Thanks I'll check them out.
The Young Wizards is ongoing. Duane has done an ebook rewrite of the older books to make the tech less anachronistic for modern kids called The Millenium Editions. The older ones are still around in hardcopy.
Mort and the Wee free men by Pratchett,
The last of the Really Great Whangdoodles,
Enchantress From the Stars by Engdahl,
Wizard of Oz series,
The Once and Future King by Terence White
This book is very high on my list of next books to pickup, I'm actually waiting to see if I can find a nice hardcover edition for my collection :)
I've actually just finished a few King Arthur related books and a few other chivalric romances.
Note that only the first part, The Sword in the Stone, is really aimed at younger readers.
There are tons of great suggestions already, but some other ones that I don't see here yet:
* Andre Norton's The Magic Sequence
* Tove Jansson's Moomin books
* Mary Norton's The Borrowers books
* The House with a Clock in its Walls and other John Bellairs books
* Tuck Everlasting
* The Changeling and other books by ZIlpha Keatley Snyder
* Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme by Jane Louise Curry
Also, not fantasy but honorable mention to The Westing Game - one of my favorite books as a kid and both my husband and I have re-read it and we both still loved it even as adults.
Thank you, I think I'm only familiar with the Moomins out of those suggestions (and I do actually wany to pick up the Moomins books and comic strips).
Prydain series by Lloyd Alexander, starting with The Book of Three.
City of Lead and Gold series by John Christopher.
Dragonriders of Pern by Ann McCaffery
The Belgariad by David and Leigh Eddings.
The Pern books, other than the Harper Hall trilogy, are very much not written for children. There's quite a bit of sex, and not all of it is consensual. (Don't get me wrong; I read a lot of it as a kid. But I sure as hell wouldn't recommend it for a child.)
And the Belgariad, while certainly accessible to many younger readers (and probably best read at a younger age when its flaws will be less glaring), is not written for that audience.
• Anything by Terry Pratchett
• Plenty of D&D licensed books (Dragonlance & Drizzt books, for example)
• Sir Machinery is a fantastic book, if you can find a copy.
I do actually have the first Drizzt trilogy and am planning on picking up some of the Dragonlance books but I have a few Warhammer Fantasy books I want to read through first before jumping into D&D books.
If/when you get to Dragonlance, Dragons of Autumn Twilight is the place to start. There's a bunch of sequels, prequels, & spinoffs that all start from the events & characters in that book.
Based on my research at the time that trilogy was exactly where I was going to start, also the Twins trilogy I believe. But yeah I'm actually looking forward to getting to Dragonlance at some point in the next couple of years.
Another vote for Watership Down by Richard Adams, it's the first fantasy book I fell in love with when I was around 10, still re-read every few years in my thirties!
I really need to read it. I love the animated movie and watched it a lot as a kid because I could believe how violent it was, and the rabbit mythology was actually kinda mindblowing for a kid.
Magician by Raymond E Feist :-) probably one if the best fantasy books (I am biased though haha) the rift war cycle is a bit of a treat
I've heard The Riftwar Cycle mentioned before but only now looked it up and Magician legit sounds like the kind of book I've been looking for for a while so thanks for the recommendation!
Would not consider this to be targeted at younger readers, though a teen could easily handle it.
While it may not specifically be targeted at younger readers, most of the smaller cycles in the larger series are coming-of-age stories and if the main character isn’t a teenager in the beginning, usually there is one hanging around closely.
The Hall of the Dragon King trilogy by Steven Lawhead
The Harper Hall trilogy by Anne MCaffrey (Dragonsong, Dragonsinger, Dragondrums)
The chronicles of Narnia The chronicles of Prydain
The Green Knowe books by Lucy Boston. (A stranger at Green Knowe is a tear jerker so depends on your audience)
Oh these are classic! Good shout!
The first Dragonlance books came out in the late 80's and were one of my favorite introductions into fantasy.
They're based of a D&D campaign the authors were playing, so they definitely scratch the "classic fantasy" itch very well, and I was reading them quite easily in the 5th grade, so good for younger audiences.
In a similar vein, the Legend of Drizzt trilogy of books were a very fun read as a kid, but I think the first one came out in 1990.
Finally, if you want some truly classic fantasy, and are willing to bend on the young readers portion of your request, I would definitely recommend the original Conan books by Robert E Howard. I was reading them around the 5th grade as well, but need to warn you they definitely have some content not intended for younger readers, and some outdated language/overtones indicative of the times they were written (early 1930's).
The Conan stories are all quick reads and lay so many foundations for future fantasy authors that I highly recommend them for most fans of fantasy!
Just answered this in another reply but I do plan on picking up some Dragonlance books and I have the first Drizzt trilogy already. I'm gonna read them after I finish all the Warhammer Fantasy books I wanna read first.
Conan is actually one of my favourite characters of all time and Howard is in my top 3 authors. I'm a huge Conan and Sword and Sorcery fan and I actually read a lot of old/classic fantasy, far more than modern stuff (hence why I asked for mostly pre 90s books).
If I could go back in time and reread all of Conan from scratch I would, I have quite a lot of shelf space dedicated to Howard between his writing, books about him and Conan and Savage Sword of Conan omnibuses :)
Any reason for that limitation?
Otherwise I would recommend Andrew Peterson's Wingfeather Saga.
I just prefer older books is the honest answer. Same with movies, comics videogames etc. I'm an early 90s kid but my love is older media.
My favourite fantasy is Lord of The Rings and Conan the Barbarian and a slew of older stuff. I've only read a handful of more modern stuff and the prose and comedy just doesn't do it for me unfortunately. I actually don't think there is any book post 2000 that would make it onto any top 10 or 20 list I could make.
Try Lud in the Mist by Hope Mirrlees, it was published in 1926 and it has a lot of the same vibes as Tolkien's fairy-tale type works (also check those out if you haven't already, Smith of Wooten Major is particularly fantastic, iirc the book is called Tales of The Perilous Realm).
I'm aware of Lud in the Mist but haven't got to it yet but thanks for mentioning it, it's on the list!
A Series of Unfortunate Events is great.
Phillip Pullman’s books.
Garth Nicks’ books.
The magic faraway tree.
Lots of good suggestions here, I will add specifically the Catwings books by Ursula K LeGuin. My four year old adores them, and they've very short and sweet with low stakes and not much peril, great for really little kids. If you're also open to picture books, the Julia's House books by Ben Hatke are newer, but absolutely phenomenal.
I haven't read any LeGuin outside of Earthsea so I'll check out Catwings for sure.
As someone who reads a lot of comics, manga and lightnovels, I would say I'm not against picture books at all.
Then you should definitely check out Ben Hatke's books. The Julia stories are Julia's House for Lost Creatures, Julia's House Moves On, and Julia's House Goes Home. He's got a standalone which is arguably my hands-down favorite kids book of all time called Nobody Likes A Goblin and a series of comics for slightly-older kids called Zita the Spacegirl that I haven't read yet. Really great author/illustrator for introducing kids to high fantasy.
The "Crystal Cave" and its sequels by Mary Stewart.
Also remember the real classics like:
Captains Courageous
Treasure Island
The man in the iron mask
The Three Musketeers
etc
Damn you were definitely a well cultured kid.
I actually do want to read the Three Musketeers but there are quite a few different translations and I'm not sure which are the best.
Probably less "cultureed" and more "free range". My mom and an older step brother were avid readers. These were all sorts of books in the house and/or in the public library. I can recall that one of my grade school classrooms had Captains Courageous on a shelf near the door. My brother left a large box of mid-20th century sci-fi and fantasy when he left home. Edgar Rice Burroughs, E.E. "Doc" Smith, Asaimov, Clark, etc.
As for translations... I've never thought about that. I've always read what was immediately available.
Happy reading
Second the recommendations for Tamora Pierce, and for Mrs Frisby and the Rats of Nimh.
Also check out the Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix, the first book is called Sabriel. They’re incredible!
Thank you, I think of all the recommendations I've gotten Tamora Pierce will probably be gotten first.
Enjoy!
Dragonlance Chronicles and Dragonlance Legends
It gets a wrap but it's seminal fantasy for me.
I plan on checking those out once I get done with some Warhammer Fantasy books so they are on the list :)
Wrinkle in Time Phantom Tollbooth
I remember reading those as a kid. Honestly though Harry Potter is 30 years old at this point, it's basically a classic :)
I don't disagree but I'm looking for older stuff.
Fablehaven is pretty good
A Wrinkle in Time!
If not one mentioned it try The Chronicles of Prydain
Lots of people have mentioned it and I actually own and have read it and can confirm that it's great, and it's very much the kind of thing that I'm looking for!
Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander
Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner
Wolves of Willoughby Chase (Alternate Universe) by Joan Aiken
Rootabaga Tales by Carl Sandberg
Voyages of Dr. Dollittle by Hugh Lofting
Mary Poppins by Pamela Travers
Lots of great suggestions already, but a few I don't see:
The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald (as well as his fairy tales, which can be found in a Penguin Classics volume)
Andrew Lang's colored fairy tale books (starting with The Blue Fairy Book) and his duology The Chronicles of Pantouflia
Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm
Five Children and It by Edith Nesbit
The Wind in the Willows by Keneth Grahame
I have read this and enjoyed it. The sequel is something I still need to pick up.
I have read quite a few fairy tales but I haven't heard The Chronicles of Pantouflia mentioned before so I'm gonna check that out as it sounds interesting.
Try out Eragon/The Inheritance Cycle! It's a cery good series targeted for young adults/teens!
The Forgotten Beasts of Eld started me reading Patricia McKillip, who was wonderful
A lot older: Half Magic and others by Edward Elgar. Some of Andre Norton's fantasy and sf. D'Aulaire's illustrated Greek Myths and Norse Myths (obvious content warnings.) Ella Young's take-offs on Irish myths and folklore - The Unicorn with Silver Shoes, Celtic Wonder-Tales, The Tangle-Coated Horse and Other Tales. (CW for Orientalism, and probably more, early 1900s racial/social attitudes.) Edit for italicized title and added comma.
Thanks, I appreciate really old stories
Linnets and Valerians by Elizabeth Goudge
The Great and Terrible Quest by Margaret Lovett
UnLunDun by China Mieville
Taash and the Jesters by Ellen Kindt McKenzie (she has several more books set in this world)
Abarat by Clive Barker (this is the start of a series, but I haven't read the others)
One series I haven’t seen mentioned above is The Gammage Cup and its sequel, by Carol Kendall. Definitely an older title but I think squarely in the target demographic.
The Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix was pretty great when I was young. It’s got talking magical animal companions and teenage protagonists in each book trying to learn magic in order to protect their realm from witches and undead.
Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms had great books too. Just had to know which ones were the best.
Always gotta go with Watership Down!
Piers Anthony's Xanth series is great
`23
Jumping on the Tamora Pierce, Lloyd Alexander, Robin McKinley, and Diane Duane bandwagon!
Also throwing in - Maggie Furey's Aurian series unfortunately came out firmly in the 90s, but I loved it growing up and it always felt like very classic fantasy to me. And since I'm already breaking with your pre 1990s preference by throwing in mid-90s recs, I'd throw in Green Rider by Kristen Britain as well. It's a series that becomes more mature, but the first book is definitely for a younger/teen audience and can stand alone just fine. Once again, classic fantasy IMO and one of my absolute faves growing up.
Thanks I'll check those out for sure
Walter Moers! Rumo was/is one of my favorite books growing up!
Redwall
Song of the Lioness quartet
The Blue Sword
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/young-fantasy
99% of that list is things the OP explicitly said they didn't want, including things they excluded by name.
True. My goal, though, was to help OP to discover tools to find the answers on their own.