Category: Fantasy

Posted in Fantasy, Teen, Young Adult/New Adult

A Magical Girl Retires – Great YA Crossover

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

A Magical Girl Retires, by Park Seolyeon/Translated by Anton Hur, (Apr 2024, HarperVia), $21.99, ISBN: 9780063373266

Ages 13+

Okay, hear me out: yes, the protagonist in this story, translated from the original Korean, is 29 years old, but this is such a fun story that teens who love manga, particularly the magical girl genre, will love this as much as your older readers. We start with a 29-year-old woman who’s at the end of her rope. She lost her job during the pandemic and she’s deeply in credit card debt. Standing at Seoul’s Mapo Bridge, she’s ready to call it quits, until a woman dressed in white stops her. The woman is Ah Roa, and she’s a magical girl – in this world, magical girls (think Sailor Moon, if you’re not familiar with the term) and Ah Roa is is on a mission to locate the greatest magical girl of all – and she’s pretty sure our protagonist is that girl. After a visit to the Magical Girl Union’s job fair, our protagonist gets a magical talisman and makes some new acquaintances, but being a magical girl is hard work! They have to take classes, train, and worry about climate change and sustainability. And when a powerful foe makes their presence known, her abilities are going to be tested. There are black-and-white illustrations at the beginning of each chapter, and the story is just fun. Park Seolyeon works with the classic magical girl tropes and puts a light spin on them, giving readers a feel-good adventure. At less than 200 pages, this is a perfect weekend read. Channel your inner magical girl and add this one to your collections; talk it up with your new adults and your tired, 40-hour-a-week desk jockeys who miss when a good afternoon meant putting on their magical girl talismans and running around outside.

For your new adult and adult readers, pair A Magical Girl Retires with Sarah Kuhn’s Heroine Complex series.

 

Posted in Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Middle School, Teen, Tween Reads

The ’90s are back: King Arthur & The Knights of Justice

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

King Arthur & The Knights of Justice, by Joe Corallo/Illustrated by Gina Cardinali, (Apr. 2024, Mad Cave Studios), $14.99, ISBN: 9781960578600

Ages 12-16

King Arthur & The Knights of Justice was a ’90s cartoon that lasted for two seasons. Merlin, trapped by the evil enchantress Morgana, managed to recruit a new knights of the round table from a different time: a football team, the New York Knights. The series is back in graphic novel format, with a progressive new storyline and who knows? With enough readership, the storyline may finally be resolved (the original animated series ended abruptly and is therefore incomplete).

This first volume contains the origin story, where Morgana traps the original Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table in glass and traps Merlin in a tree. His spirit is freed to seek new knights across timelines, where he discovers the Knights football team in the present day, and spirits them to Merlin’s timeline, where he explains their mission. The players are surprisingly okay with this new turn of events, because they’re pure of heart and want to help free King Arthur… except for Gallop, one of the players who has a real attitude problem, which will become a bigger issue down the line. GLAAD and Eisner nominee Corallo shines in this new storyline, featuring openly gay characters that are supported by their teammates. Cardinali’s illustrations will attract fantasy fans and gave me a real ’90s cartoon feel as I read the book. With X-Men 97 back to rave reviews on Disney Plus, could we be seeing a ’90s cartoon renaissance?  This one is a good pick for upper middle grade and high school collections.

Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Intermediate, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Tween Reads, Uncategorized

Batter Up: Books for Baseball Season!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The baseball season just started earlier this week, and the kids in my library are loving it (we’re stops from CitiField, so we’ve got a lot of Mets fans here – and we even have a Mets library card). What else happens during baseball season? Baseball books! Let’s take a look at a few recently out.

Closet of Dreams, by Mark Ukra and Tara Mesalik MacMahon/Illustrated by Donna Dyer, (March 2024, Booklogix), $22.99, ISBN: 978-1665301664

Ages 8-12

Child is a nine-year-old boy who loves baseball. He’s got a wicked fastball and wants desperately to be on the Little League team, but the bullies targeting him aren’t making things easy on him. After confiding in his grandmother, he visits the Closet of Dreams: a place Gamma created for Child to seek refuge from his fears. Between the Closet of Dreams and the retired circus animals at the Kids Park where Gamma works, Child begins discovering an inner strength he never realized he had. Talking animals and a reassuring and loving intergenerational relationship makes this a good additional purchase to consider.

Closet of Dreams is the first in “The Adventures of Child and Gamma”, a new chapter book series.

 

 

Extra Innings, by Fred Bowen, (Feb. 2024, Peachtree Publishers), $16.99, ISBN: 9781682634110

Ages 7-11

The latest in Fred Bowen’s Sports Story Series is all about baseball – Mike is a 14-year-old kid who loves being a pitcher on his baseball team and he’s good at it. While his team depends on him to help bring the wins, Mike’s dad is a little worried that he’s concentrating too much on baseball and not enough on school or other responsibilities. Extra Innings is all about Mike and his father finding a balance. The main character is a teenager, making the book accessible to hi-lo readers as well as intermediate readers; themes of responsibility, parental relationships, and finding a work-school-life balance will appeal to tweens and teens alike. A good addition to chapter book collections where sports interest is high.

Visit Fred Bowen’s author page for more about his books and sports columns; he also has free resources available, including guided novel studies, discussion questions, and writing prompts.

 

Warrior on the Mound, by Sandra W. Headen, (March 2024, Holiday House), $18.99, ISBN: 9780823453788

Ages 8-12

It’s 1935 in North Carolina, and 12-year-old Cato wants to play baseball and meet his hero, Satchel Paige: the best player in the Negro Leagues. Cato and his friends are accused of damaging the new, whites-only ballfield in their town; an event that sparks racial unrest that threatens to burn out of control. Cato begins learning more about the relationship between field owner Luke Blackburn, a white man who was friends with Cato’s deceased father, but no one wants to speak about what happened the night Cato’s dad died. Themes of historical racism and violence power this book through a gripping narrative and conclusion, with a strong backbone of family, community, and sports. Back matter includes an author’s note, historical notes, timeline, resources, and further reading. An outstanding work of historical fiction and social commentary that belongs on shelves.

Warrior on the Mound has starred reviews from School Library Journal and Kirkus Reviews. The Heritage Mom blog has an excellent review of the book and resources on Negro Leagues Baseball.

Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grade, Tween Reads

Not-so Happily Ever After? The Princess Protection Program is here for you

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Princess Protection Program, by Alex London, (Feb. 2024, Greenwillow Books), $18.99, ISBN: 9780063303874

Ages 8-12

Did you ever think about whether or not Sleeping Beauty really wanted to be kissed by some guy she never knew after being asleep for 100 years? Or if The Little Mermaid would have made a different choice if she’d know she was going to turn into foam at the end of her story? That’s the story at the heart of The Princess Protection Program; it’s a place where fairy tale princesses can escape to when they find their own stories too much. The story begins with Rosamund, who wakes up just as a prince is about to kiss her, as is their destiny – but she’s not having it. Running away, she discovers two other young women who lead her to the Orphans Home Educational Academy – or, as the students call it, Happily Ever After Academy. Verna, the fairy godmother headmistress, explains the school’s purpose to Rosamund, who meets other famous fairy tale princesses (and one prince!) who’ ve escaped their fates. At first, Rosamund is happy to be in school and making new friends, but begins noticing some strange happenings: why are the students perpetually learning the same lessons? And what happens to students who “graduate”? Something is going on at HEA, and Rosamund is determined to discover it. Starring a very familiar cast of princess characters, London also inserts some familiar names among the faculty, especially for fairy tale/fantasy readers. There are great laugh-out-loud moments mixed with conversations on consent and free will, all set in a magical world hidden deeply in our real one. A brilliant contemporary reimagining of the fairy tale universe and a guaranteed hit with middle graders and middle schoolers.

Posted in Fantasy, Teen, Young Adult/New Adult

YA Dark Fantasy meets Fairy Tale: The Byways by Mary Pascual

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Byways, by Mary Pascual, (June 2023, SparkPress), $17.95, ISBN: 9781684631902

Ages 13+

Cece is a neurodivergent high school student who doesn’t feel like she fits anywhere: when she defends herself against her tormenters, she ends up in the principal’s office. When she’s overwhelmed by the noise and chaos of school, her teachers single her out and try to shame her. The final betrayal comes when her best friend insinuates that her other friends may think Cece is behind some missing money for a school fundraiser; Cece takes off and finds herself in the Byways, a world of the forgotten, full of alleys that change and confuse, with magic and dark figures with dark purposes. Desperate to find her way home, Cece meets some people who want to help her, and some who want to keep her for their own uses. A dark, urban reimagining of Alice in Wonderland, The Byways is full of familiar characters, but with a new spin. Themes of political unrest, bullying, homelessness, and drug abuse run throughout. A good additional purchase for collections where YA fairy tale reimaginings are popular.

Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Fiction, Intermediate, Middle School, Realistic Fiction, Tween Reads

Graphic Novels Catch-Up

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Dog & Hat and the Lunar Eclipse Picnic : Book No. 2, by Darin Shuler, (May 2023, Chronicle Books), $15.99, ISBN: 9781797206899

Ages 7-10

This surrealistic comic series stars a dog, a sentient hat, and their best friend, an ant. In this second series installment, Ant dreams about her mother, who wants her to visit her cousins on the moon. Dog, who was already planning a lunar eclipse picnic, decides to move their festivities to the moon, in order to accompany Ant. Hat, the practical one in the group, says it’s impossible, but Dog quickly disabuses them of that notion, saying they just need to “harness a little moon magic”. Over the course of the story, organized into eight chapters, the trio travel to the moon and visit Ant’s cousins, taking part in dinosaur races and moon crumb-eating contests. Hat, more comfortable with rules and routine, is initially uneasy with the frenetic pace and chaotic fun, but even he manages to relax and enjoy the freedom and play. Wildly colorful illustrations are surreal and eye-catching, including winding staircases to the moon and a whale swimming on a dream lake. Messages of friendship and positive thinking run throughout, powering the group as they take on seemingly impossible things. A fun read.

 

Garvey’s Choice : The Graphic Novel, by Nikki Grimes/Illustrated by Theodore Taylor III, (June 2023, Wordsong), $22.99, ISBN: 9781662660023

Ages 9-12

The graphic adaptation of Nikki Grimes’s 2021 novel gives visual life to her beloved character, Garvey, while keeping the quiet, powerful verse of the original story. Garvey, a brown-skinned boy, would rather play chess or get lost in his books than play football with his father, who says hurtful things about his weight and his inability to play sports. He meets Manny, a boy with albinism, in class and the two become fast friends. Garvey confides his feelings about his father in Manny, and Manny tells Garvey that he wants to be a chef, but his father thinks it’s “girly”. Together, Garvey – bullied for his weight – and Manny are able to rise above their bullies; Garvey also finds the ability to connect with his father not through sports but through music. Taylor’s artwork taps into the humanity found in Grimes’s verse, beautifully translating it to the pages of the book; readers can see into Garvey’s imagination and explore his inner dialogue through Taylor’s artwork. Much of Grimes’s tanka poetry remains in place through the book, with an explanation of tanka in the back matter. If you haven’t put this book in your graphic novel collections yet, buy a few copies.

Garvey’s Choice: The Graphic Novel has starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly, School Library Journal, The Horn Book, Kirkus, Booklist, and We Need Diverse Books.

Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grade, Tween Reads

A Kazakhstan bestseller arrives on US shelves: Batu and the Search for the Golden Cup

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Batu and the Search for the Golden Cup, by Zira Nauryzbai & Lilya Kalaus, Translated by Shelley Fairweather-Vega, (Aug. 2023, Amazon Crossing), $17.99, ISBN: 9781662507021

Ages 8-12

Batu is a regular kid living in Almaty, Kazakhstan. He lives with his parents and his grandmother. He has two close friends, a boy named Sasha and a girl named Dana. He and Sasha are mercilessly bullied by a kid he calls Scorpion, and another boy named Kaira. One day, while sitting on the threshold of his apartment, Batu accidentally summons an ancient teenage warrior named Aspara, who asks for Batu’s help in locating a lost treasure – the Golden Cup – stolen from his people. Using a magical string instrument called a dombyra, Batu and Aspara transport themselves across time to seek audience with the great eagle Samruk, whom they discover is missing. Batu enlists Sasha and Dana to help he and Aspara find Samruk and defend themselves against the dark forces of Shahruh, an evil spirit who takes the form of a giant black bear. The first in a new series, published in Kazakhstan in 2014, is an adventure in the Rick Riordan Presents vein, introducing readers to Kazakh myth and legend while addressing complexities of colonization. It’s a strong debut in an exciting new series. Booktalk this one.

Check out an interview with the authors at The Children’s Book Review.

Posted in Animal Fiction, Fantasy, Teen, Young Adult/New Adult

Great YA/Adult Crossover Choice: The Navigating Fox

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Navigating Fox, by Christopher Rowe, (Sept. 2023, Tordotcom), $18.99, ISBN: 9781250804501

Ages 13+

This is one of those great fantasy tales that appeals to teen or adult readers. Set in a world where animals and humans interact together, and where there are “knowledegeable” and “voiceless” animals, Quintus Shu’al is a knowledgeable fox; a navigating fox who acted as a guide until one fatal expedition left him in disgrace. A year after that journey, he is offered the opportunity to redeem himself by leading another team – including the sibling of one of the members of his last group – to the gates of Hell itself. The narrative moves back and forth in time between the present and the previous year’s excursion, giving readers a fuller understanding of the main character and some insight into the developing plot and character motives. It’s a cozy fantasy with adventure, with solid pacing and a likable main character whose mysterious backstory – even he doesn’t know it! – assures that readers will be invested in more adventures. Great for Redwall, Longburrow, or Mouse Guard readers. Pair this on a display with Ben Hatke’s Reynard’s Tale for more fantastic, foxy fantasy. The Navigating Fox has starred reviews from Library Journal and Publishers Weekly.

 

Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grade, Tween Reads

Percy Jackson RETURNS! Cover reveal is live!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

More Percy Jackson is coming, Rick Riordan fans! Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Chalice of the Gods has a global release date of September 26th, and illustrator Khadijah Khatib’s cover is gorgeous. Puffin Books put up their cover reveal a few days ago. Take a look if you haven’t seen it yet!

 

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Posted in Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Young Adult/New Adult

Patricia Ward’s The Cherished – excellent YA horror

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

The Cherished, by Patricia Ward, (Apr. 2023, HarperTeen), $19.99, ISBN: 9780063235113

Ages 13+

Jo is a teen living with her very pregnant mother and her stepfather. She doesn’t see eye-to-eye with them or their social circles, so when a letter arrives, informing her that her grandmother has died and bequeathed her home and land to her, she sees a way to freedom: even if she has to wait until she’s of legal age for it. Her mother insists she must sell the home – despite Jo’s grandmother’s very firm assertions that she must never sell – and heads to the home, with Jo, to clean it up and prep for sale. Once there, she meets the tenants of her grandmother’s land: a gruff male househand and a childlike teenage girl. As Jo’s mother becomes sicker and sicker, Jo spends more time wandering the home and learns more about her father and the delusions that plagued him for his entire life… and she learns some truths that may be too incredible to believe, but are very real and very much a threat. Ward’s pacing is excellent, building the suspense to allow readers time to grasp the book tighter as they progress, waiting for answers. An excellent gothic horror novel for teens that enjoy dark fantasy.