10 Captivating Fantasy Books For Young Readers

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Readers of all ages love fantasy, but kids are especially likely to get hooked on this fantastic genre, where imagination runs wild, magic is real, and the world is inhabited by strange and beautiful creatures. The ten captivating books listed here allow young readers to escape to new worlds, where they can experience amazing adventures. https://wiki.ezvid.com/m/10-captivating-fantasy-books-for-young-readers-J7iRlnKs8VQYg

10 Captivating Fantasy Books For Young Readers

TitleAuthor
1.Charis: Journey to Pandora’s JarNicole Y. Walters
2.Sir Princess PetraDiane Mae Robinson
3.The Hob and the DeermanPat Walsh
4.Fog IslandTomi Ungerer
5.There May Be a CastlePiers Torday
6.Mabel Gray and the Wizard Who Swallowed the SunClayton Smith
7.DreamwoodHeather Mackey
8.The Secret Life of Daisy FitzjohnTania Unsworth
9.Bad MagicPseudonymous Bosch
10.The Mad Wolf’s DaughterDiane Magras

Fun Activities For Young Fantasy Fans

How to Encourage Kids to Read

A great way to start is to get a bookshelf for your child’s room. If they have access to their own collection of books, it’ll be easy for them to read at their own pace. And if they’re looking at the shelf everyday, reading will always be on their mind. It’s also important to give your kids a comfortable place to sit. This can be anything from a rocking chair to a couch to a dedicated reading nook. If they have a space that’s just for them, it makes reading time all the more special. As they grow, your young ones will start to read more challenging books with words they don’t know. Encourage them to look up unfamiliar terms in the dictionary so they can expand their vocabulary. Finally, if you’re having trouble getting your kid interested in books in the first place, try bridging the gap between visual media and literature with graphic novels.

What is Fantasy?

In Depth

No genre can capture the imagination quite like fantasy, where readers are invited to envision impossible worlds, daring heroes, and strange creatures living in the land of myth and legend. There’s a reason why so many speculative stories spellbind young readers with their tales of misfits, outcasts, and kids with untapped stores of tremendous bravery.

For young readers on the lookout for adventure, here, in no particular order, are some stunningly imaginative books that will bring out the magic in everyday life.

In the #1 spot is “Charis: Journey to Pandora’s Jar” by Nicole Y. Walters. Charis has been waiting all her life for a chance to show her stuff. Now, it’s up to the hyper-imaginative thirteen-year-old to save the world by visiting Pandora’s Jar, the place where demons and kind spirits dwell. The catch? She’s only got five days to release the spirit of Hope from the jar before mankind is officially doomed forever. With the help of a few trusty deities and her best friend Gabe, Charis has to summon up all her courage to set things right.

She’s only got five days to release the spirit of Hope from the jar before mankind is officially doomed forever.

At #2, we have Diane Mae Robinson’s “Sir Princess Petra.” Even Princesses get bored of being pampered sometimes. In this series, nine-year-old Petra decides that she wants to become a knight. But even though she’s got courage and cunning to spare, knighthood comes with its own set of pressures and obstacles, like having to silence a dragon and visit the spooky Forest of Doom. If she can overcome a few kooky quests, she’ll find her true place in the kingdom.

At #3 is “The Hob and the Deerman” by Pat Walsh. Crowfield Abbey is a peculiar place. It’s a portal, of sorts, between the world we know and the Otherworld, a place where demons, boggarts, and all kinds of creatures freely roam. When Walter, a “hob” spirit, returns to find everything in disarray, he knows he needs to take action to help put all the troubled spirits in the abbey to rest. But it will take a lot of help, and a lot of courage, to cross paths with the Deerman of the forest and live to tell the tale.

At #4 is Tomi Ungerer’s “Fog Island.” No one ever returns from Fog Island. It’s a place shrouded in mystery, a place that Finn and Cara have been warned against visiting. But when the two siblings disobey their father and head for the far-off island, they’re in for more than they bargained for. Is the ancient place just a pile of ruins? Or is there a deeper mystery lurking, something that only the mercurial Fog Man can unlock?

But when the two siblings disobey their father and head for the far-off island, they’re in for more than they bargained for.

For #5 we have “There May Be a Castle” by Piers Torday. Eleven-year-old Mouse knows he shouldn’t have survived the car crash when he was thrown from the vehicle during a Christmas Eve drive to his grandparents’ house. He woke totally fine, but in a world he barely recognized. With the help of a magical sheep and a sardonic talking horse, he’ll need to find his way to the castle if he wants to regain entry to his own life. That is, if this place everyone speaks of is more than the stuff of legend.

Coming in at #6 is Clayton Smith’s “Mabel Gray and the Wizard Who Swallowed the Sun.” The people of Brightsbane have had a rough time ever since the eternal night started. After a wizard took away the daytime from the land, he decided he needed to come back to steal a book of magic spells that holds the key to the township’s total destruction. Luckily, a spirited orphan named Mabel is going to set things right.

If she can summon up the courage to deal with a series of fantastical creatures and hair-raising quests, she might find a way to break her hometown’s terrible curse forever.

If she can summon up the courage to deal with a series of fantastical creatures and hair-raising quests, she might find a way to break her hometown’s terrible curse forever.

At #7 is Heather Mackey’s “Dreamwood.” Runaway Lucy has a fair amount of experience with supernatural forces. Her father is an expert on the subject, and she’s on a quest to find him and bring him back so she doesn’t have to go to that dreadful boarding school anymore. The problem is, her father isn’t where she thought he’d be. Could it be that the enchanted forest of Dreamwood proved too powerful a match for him? There’s only one way to find out: by heading into the heart of the living grove, no matter the consequences.

Coming in at #8 is “The Secret Life of Daisy Fitzjohn” by Tania Unsworth. Some might call Daisy’s life unusual: her best friends are a talking rat and a ghost, and she lives in an old estate that’s slowly falling apart. When her mother leaves on a strange expedition and doesn’t return, Daisy knows she can’t hide within the walls of Brightwood Hall any longer. She’ll have to do what it takes to save her home and keep her family together, with only the help of her eclectic sidekicks to guide her.

At #9 we find Pseudonymous Bosch’s “Bad Magic.” Clay knows there’s no such thing as magic. He’s seen a million sleight-of-hand shows and he knows they’re just tricks. That said, there are a few things happening at Earth Ranch that he can’t explain. Clay was supposed to be sent to the rehabilitation camp to be “scared straight.” But there’s more at work here than a few obstacle courses and hikes. For one thing, he’s having conversations with llamas.

For one thing, he’s having conversations with llamas.

For another, he may or may not have just seen a ghost. If there’s magic on Earth Ranch, Clay needs to make sure it’s not the deadly kind. If he can make it off the volcanic island without causing an explosion, he’ll count himself lucky.

Finally, at #10, is “The Mad Wolf’s Daughter” by Diane Magras. When Drest’s family of male warriors is taken captive, she finds herself in a unique position. All her life, her father and brothers took care of her. Now, she’s got to free her kin with the help of a witch, a soft-spoken knight, and her own fierce courage. With a mysterious bandit out to get her and her sense of independence growing by the day, Drest will find herself taking chances, slaying personal demons, and doing things she never dreamed herself capable of.

https://wiki.ezvid.com/m/10-chttps://wiki.ezvid.com/m/10-captivating-fantasy-books-for-young-readers-J7iRlnKs8VQYgaptivating-fantasy-books-for-young-readers-J7iRlnKs8VQYg

Literary Classics Gold-Winning Books

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Literary Classics

Review:

Most people who enjoy reading do so because of their love for stories, real or imagined.  It is indeed rare to find a person who loves reading who also delights in breaking sentences down into their grammatical parts.  Fortunately for young knights and princesses, author Diane Mae Robinson has addressed the subject of grammar in a way that will help kids (and even adults) enjoy the topic.  Imagine studying syntax in the context of fire-breathing dragons, ogres and the like.  In Robinson’s The Dragon Grammar Book readers are introduced to terminology before diving into meatier topics such as dangling prepositions in this enchanting book which ends with dragon grammar skill tests to help youngsters assess what they’ve learned.  Recommended for home and school libraries, The Dragon Grammar Book has earned the Literary Classics Seal of Approval.
LITERARY CLASSICS Book Awards & Reviews International Book Awards • Top Honors Youth Book Awards • Seal of Approval https://clcreviews.blogspot.com/2018/11/the-dragon-grammar-book-earns-literary.html

The Dragon Grammar Book – Grammar for Kids, Dragons, and the Whole Kingdom wins two top gold awards, Gold medal in Chapter Books/Middles Grades and Lumen Award for Literary Excellence: http://www.clcawards.org/2018_Award_Winning_Books.html

Literary Classics Top Honors Gold Book Awards honoring excellence in literature for children and young adults
Literary Classics Lumen Book Awards honoring excellence in literature for children and young adults

Kindle, Paperback, and Hardcover: https://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Grammar-Book-Dragons-Kingdom-ebook/dp/B078G1VKP2

Book Synopsis:

2018 Four-Time Gold Medal Winning Book in Children’s Education.
Finally! An easy-to-understand English grammar book with fun grammar lessons for middle grades and up. An excellent education reference for classroom and homeschool grammar lessons.

The Dragon Grammar Book is the perfect grammar study guide to help readers learn the rules of grammar and improve language art skills with ease and enjoyment.  From multi-award-winning children’s fantasy author, Diane Mae Robinson, The Dragon Grammar Book provides a fun and engaging approach to learning English grammar through easy-to-follow lessons, humorous example sentences, and chapter quizzes to conquer all those tricky grammar rules.

  • Easy-To-Understand Lessons organized to gradually build on the basic grammar rules toward an intermediate level.
  • Engaging Examples Sentences explain each grammar rule through a humorous and creative writing style.
  • An Expansive Resource of grammar terminology, confusing words, punctuation rules, types of sentences and proper structure, parts of speech, verb agreement, and more.
  • Quizzes with Answer Keys reinforce each lesson before proceeding to the next lesson.

 Featuring the zany fantasy characters in the author’s international-award-winning The Pen Pieyu Adventures series, The Dragon Grammar Book is sure to be enjoyed by kids, teens, young adults, and the whole kingdom.

“Oriented toward pragmatic, real-world usage, The Dragon Grammar Book is a great resource for kids, their teachers, and anyone else who’d like to know more about language and how to use it. Most highly recommended.”–Jack Magnus for Readers’ Favorite.
2018 Book Excellence Awards, 1st Place Winner, Education & Academics. 2018 Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards, Gold Winner, Children-Education. 2018 Literary Classics International Book Awards, Gold Winner, Educational Books. 2018 Lumen Award for Literary Excellence.

Read Reviews: https://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Grammar-Book-Dragons-Kingdom-ebook/dp/B078G1VKP

View other award-winning dragon books for kids by author Diane Mae Robinson: https:www.dragonsbook.com

What does it take to get a traditional book contract?

First and foremost, the story has to be in a near-perfect state. This means the plot is tightly woven, the characters are real, and the punctuation and grammar are correct.

These are absolute prerequisites before submitting a story to a publisher.

Secondly, the writer must have a strong belief in self to persevere the long and bumpy road to getting published.

My first book, Sir Princess Petra – The Pen Pieyu Adventures, (a fantasy/adventure kids book),  took  9 years of perseverance to find a home with a publisher. Below are my suggestions and insights on how I got there..

If you are just beginning the process, or if you are years into the process, remember to do your research.

As a children’s book writer, one of the most invaluable tools that I resort to is the book “Children’s Writers Book Markets”, which is produced every years. The updates in this book, as to which publishers are accepting, what they are accepting, send query or send the pdf for review, simultaneous submissions or exclusive submission, the list goes on, will become your best buddy in getting to know and understand the publishing industry.

But one thing that stays the same, the publisher guidelines must be followed.

The nature of the publishing game is that publishers have all the rules. And if you want your story to get out of the publisher’s slush pile, you must follow their rules.

To just read the “Children’s Writers Book Market” is still not enough. You must visit the publishers web-site, see what kind of books that have been published and decide if yours would fit in. If it does, write them a query letter with a synopsis of you book. Send a SASE (self address stamped envelope) for their reply. And, if they ask to see the book and want an exclusive submission, don’t sent the book elsewhere. Then wait 6 – 8 months for a reply.

In the meantime, don’t sit idle. More research, more queries. Query letters to other publishers can still be sent, even if a different publisher is reviewing your book on a exclusive submission.

Make a list of possible publisher to send our queries to. Make a list of publishers that accept manuscripts without a query and what kind of submission that publisher wants.

But make the list and keep track of where your manuscript is. This all becomes very confusing in no time. You need to keep a log of what was sent, where, and to whom.

I know. It’s a lot of rules.

For all of the 9 years that I was trying to find a publisher, my manuscript was constantly somewhere. I received 30 rejections for this book. Talk about perseverance.

A writer trying to get published has to have thick skin. Rejections are not necessarily about you as a writer, sometimes, rejections are about the immense choice a publisher has in manuscripts sent in that year. Some publishers receive upward of 10,000 manuscripts for review in a single year.

So, back to the research. Did I want to send my manuscript to a publisher that receives that many submissions? I usually tried to stay away from these large publishing houses. Being a first time author, I knew my chances would be less with these large publishing houses. I submitted to publishers that had a record for publishing the majority of their books with new authors. These facts are all in “Children’s Writers Book Market”.

So, just when I thought I knew what I was doing.

My first contract was with a traditional small press that did 70% of their yearly books by new authors. The contract was signed by both parties involved; the publisher held my book for one year, which was their time period to produce the book; the publisher never came through. Things happen in this industry. After the one year time line the publisher had to produce the book, the publisher informed me they were having financial difficulties and would not be producing the book after all.  Twenty-six writers contracted with them received the same news.

Devastating.

Back to the drawing board.

After more market research, I submitted to three other publishers on my list that all accepted simultaneous submissions. Several months later, I was contacted by one of these publishers–they wanted to give me a contract.

.Ode To Joy!

The home my first book finally found was not where I expected it to be. This second contract was with a much larger publisher that publishes less than 10% of the 10,000 plus submissions it receives yearly.

So after all of the years of my submissions to small publishers, thinking that is where my best chances were, I finally got accepted by a large publisher.

My advice–send your queries and/or manuscript to every publisher, big or small, as long as your book meets with their guidelines.

An interesting fact: Dr. Seuss received 27 rejections for his book entitled “Mulberry Street:” before it got accepted for publication.

This fact is a reality for many authors. Patients, perseverance, and shaking off the dust of another rejection is the road the writer must take on the journey to finding home.

Sir Princess Petra – The Pen Pieyu Adventures, 2012, Available here:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sir-princess-petra-diane-mae-robinson/1107150083?ean=9781613462645

http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B007DKO8SK

http://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=978-1-61346-264-5

Sir Princess Petra’s Talent – The Pen Pieyu Adventures, forthcoming, 2013

 

Readers Favorite 5 Star Review

Sir Princess Petra – The Pen Pieyu Adventure

http:www.dragonsbook.com

Rating: 5.0 stars

Reviewed by Darin Godby for Readers Favorite

Diane Mae Robinson delivers a very interesting and spell-binding book in “Sir Princess Petra.” This story is about a young princess named Petra and her desires within the kingdom. She goes before the king and queen, who happen to be her parents, and puts a very strange request for her birthday. She asks to become a royal knight as this has been the desire of her heart and according to the decree, she could have whatever she wished for on her birthday.

Her father and mother are shaken at the request but upon asking the councilman about what was stated in the rule book, they find that indeed a girl can become a knight as there isn’t any rule against it. However, the sly king decides that in order to become a knight within his kingdom Petra must perform one of three acts of bravery from his royal list. These include: “To capture a crocodile and make his skin into a royal leather chair; to hush that howling, nasty dragon, Snarls, in the Forest of Doom; or to eat a roomful of raw onions.” When given these three choices she quickly eliminates two of them. The first one she cannot do as the crocodile is her friend and she can’t do the third one as she cannot stand the thought of eating all of those onions, so she chose the second option. Soon Petra visits the howling dragon and finds that he is caught in a landslide of rock. She helps to remove his tail from this awful weight and now he is set free. She soon invites him to her birthday party besides making him one of her great friends.

I enjoyed the story and artwork within this book and look forward to more books by Diane Mae Robinson.I enjoyed the positive upbeat attitude of Petra and how she sought after her heart’s desire. This is a book of courage for every young boy or girl to not give up on their dreams and press on unhindered.

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Award winning author Diane Mae Robinson been chosen as a finalist for ’50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading’. In addition she recently received six 5 star reviews for her latest children’s book entitled ‘Sir Princess Petra’. The fantasy fiction work has received a number of high-level awards and has been called a ‘fantasy adventure that is sure to become a timeless classic’.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Award Winning Author Diane Mae Robinson Receives Six 5 Star Reviews And Is Chosen As Finalist For ’50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading’

Robinson’s honor came as the result of her appearance on The Authors Show in which she discussed her newest children’s book, ‘Sir Princess Petra’. Written in the tradition of C. S. Lewis and reminiscent of ‘Shrek’, reviewers have labeled the award winning book a ‘fantasy adventure that is sure to become a timeless classic.’

[October 30, 2012, St. Paul, Alberta, Canada] Canadian author Diane Mae Robinson has been chosen as a finalist for ’50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading’. During her appearance on The Authors Show she discussed her latest work entitled ‘Sir Princess Petra’. ‘Sir Princess Petra’, the first book in the Pen Pieyu adventures, features surprising plot twists and turns, brilliant flashes of humor, zany characters and is rooted in timeless values that shine through the charismatic main character.The book has received a number of high-level book awards including second place in Purple Dragonfly Book Awards for Children’s Chapter Book. It was awarded 5 stars by Readers Favorite and Robinson was awarded the Lieutenant Governor Of Alberta Arts Emerging Artists Awards for Children’s Book Author. She was chosen as a finalist for ’50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading’. In addition to these she has also recently received six 5 star reviews from Readers Favorite.”It is a great honor,” Robinson stated, “to be a finalist for the ’50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading’. And receiving six 5 star reviews in a row has given me faith that I am on the right path in creating entertaining stories for children.”Dragon books are one of the most popular segments of fantasy fiction and children’s books in today’s marketplace. Here, in this fantasy fiction work, Robinson uses the dragon books concept as the background to teaching young people traditional values. In the story line, Princess Petra’s unusual birthday request to become a royal knight sends the royal court into a frenzy. But when she agrees to undertake a knight’s quest, not even the royal rulebook, with its list of outrageous knight deeds, can dissuade her. Armed with a cake knife and a suit of the best royal pots and pans, Petra chooses to hush the howling dragon, Snarls, in the Forest of Doom and win her real armour. Ms. Robinson’s highly praised work demonstrates that dragon books can be something much more than dragon books.”Snarls is a dragon,” continued Robinson, “that every reader will love: he is witty, comical, and endearing.  He may even set a new standard for dragons in dragon books.”Ms Robinson is available for media interviews and can be reached using the information below or by email at robinsond@mscnet.ca. More information, including reviews, information for teachers and librarians and a special children’s section is available at her website. ‘Sir Princess Petra’ is available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Tate Publishing.About Diane Mae Robinson:Diane Mae Robinson has a journalism diploma from the Schools of Montreal, and an advanced diploma from the Institute of Children’s Literature in Connecticut.  She is also an artist, and teaches acrylic and watercolor art to children. She lives with her husband, Allen, in a small hilltop castle near St. Paul, Alberta.  They have four dogs and three horses, along with a forest inhabited by gnomes, fairies, a princess, and a dragon. This magical forest is where Diane creates her characters and gets the inspiration for her
stories.
                                            Sir Princess Petra Cover
Contact: Diane Mae Robinson

 

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Diane Mae Robinson headshot

Author Diane Mae Robinson

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 20

IN THE NEWS

NEWS AND INFORMATION FROM THOSE WHO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN OUR WORLD AND IN OUR LIVES http://bit.ly/SurHxz

Award Winning Author Diane Mae Robinson Releases New Children’s Book, ‘Sir Princess Petra’

Written in the tradition of C. S. Lewis and reminiscent of ‘Shrek’, reviewers have labeled the award winning book a ‘fantasy adventure that is sure to become a timeless classic.’

Canadian author Diane Mae Robinson has released her latest children’s book, ‘Sir Princess Petra’. ‘Sir Princess Petra’, the first book in the Pen Pieyu adventures, features surprising plot twists and turns, brilliant flashes of humor, zany characters and is rooted in timeless values that shine through the charismatic main character.

The book has received a number of high-level book awards including second place in Purple Dragonfly Book Awards for Children’s Chapter Book, and was awarded 5 stars by Readers Favorite. Robinson was awarded the Lieutenant Governor Of Alberta Arts Emerging Artists Awards for Children’s Book Author and was recently chosen as a finalist for ’50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading’.

Robinson believes that “by instilling kindness, understanding, and respect in our children, they will be able to make their difficult situations easier and accomplish what they set out to do in a better way.”

“Dragon books,” stated Ms. Robinson, “have always been a passion of mine. Including a dragon as a secondary character in my fantasy/adventure series just seemed natural.”

Dragon books are one of the most popular segments of fantasy fiction and children’s books in today’s marketplace. Here, in this fantasy fiction work, Robinson uses the dragon books concept as the background to teaching young people traditional values. In the story line, Princess Petra’s unusual birthday request to become a royal knight sends the royal court into a frenzy. But when she agrees to undertake a knight’s quest, not even the royal rulebook, with its list of outrageous knight deeds, can dissuade her. Armed with a cake knife and a suit of the best royal pots and pans, Petra chooses to hush the howling dragon, Snarls, in the Forest of Doom and win her real armour. Ms. Robinson’s highly praised work demonstrates that dragon books can be something much more than dragon books.

“Snarls is a dragon,” continued Robinson, “that every reader will love: he is witty, comical, and endearing.  He may even set a new standard for dragons in dragon books.”

Ms Robinson is available for media interviews and can be reached using the information below or by email at robinsond@mscnet.ca. More information, including reviews, information for teachers and librarians and a special children’s section is available at her website. ‘Sir Princess Petra’ is available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Tate Publishing.

About Diane Mae Robinson:

Diane Mae Robinson has a journalism diploma from the Schools of Montreal, and an advanced diploma from the Institute of Children’s Literature in Connecticut.  She is also an artist, and teaches acrylic and watercolor art to children. She lives with her husband, Allen, in a small hilltop castle near St. Paul, Alberta.  They have four dogs and three horses, along with a forest inhabited by gnomes, fairies, a princess, and a dragon. This magical forest is where Diane creates her characters and gets the inspiration for her stories.

Contact:

Diane Mae Robinson
http://www.dragonsbook.com
robinsond@mcsnet.ca POSTED BY DON MCCAULEY AT 7:55 AM