Adventures Through Awkwardness: Fantasy February!
Welcome, friends, to month 2 of Adventures Through Awkwardness Middle Grade Challenge! Congrats on a great January!
For February, we’re focusing on one of my very favorite genres: Fantasy. Nothing quite like jumping into a made-up world with magic, dragons, and MAPS. WORD.
As always, you can choose ANY middle grade fantasy to read and review this month. It can be new, it can be old. If you’re looking for some recommendations of what to read this month, here’s some of my personal favorites!
The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom: League of Princes #1 by Christopher Healy
Prince Liam. Prince Frederic. Prince Duncan. Prince Gustav. You’ve never heard of them, have you? These are the princes who saved Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White, and Rapunzel, respectively, and yet, thanks to those lousy bards who wrote the tales, you likely know them only as Prince Charming. But all of this is about to change. Rejected by their princesses and cast out of their castles, Liam, Frederic, Duncan, and Gustav stumble upon an evil plot that could endanger each of their kingdoms. Now it’s up to them to triumph over their various shortcomings, take on trolls, bandits, dragons, witches, and other assorted terrors, and become the heroes no one ever thought they could be. {Goodreads}
Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief: Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1 by Rick Riordan
Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school… again. And that’s the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy’s Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he’s angered a few of them. Zeus’ master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.
Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus’ stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves. {Goodreads}
Fablehaven: Fablehaven #1 by Brandon Mull
For centuries, mystical creatures of all description were gathered to a hidden refuge called Fablehaven to prevent their extinction. The sanctuary survives today as one of the last strongholds of true magic in a cynical world. Enchanting? Absolutely. Exciting? You bet. Safe? Well, actually, quite the opposite … Kendra and her brother Seth have no idea their grandfather is the current caretaker of Fablehaven. Inside the gated woods, ancient laws give relative order among greedy trolls, mischievous satyrs, plotting witches, spiteful imps, and jealous fairies. However, when the rules get broken, an arcane evil is unleashed, forcing Kendra and Seth to face the greatest challenge of their lives. To save her family, Fablehaven, and perhaps the world, Kendra must find the courage to do what she fears most. {Goodreads}
I’ve read all three of these books, and liked them all. Fablehaven is my least favorite of the three, but The Lightning Thief and The Hero’s Guide are some of my FAVORITES ever! Great recommendations.
I put up some MG fantasy suggestions on my blog and linked to your post as well.
http://o2bheavenlyminded.com/2014/02/05/adventures-through-awkwardness-fantasy-february-2/
The only one I haven’t read on here is Fablehaven and since you recommend it, I bet I would like it.
Middle Grade Fantasy is THE BEST.
Fun! I’m participating this month. I love middle-grade stories.
http://www.dailymayo.com/2014/02/09/adventures-through-awkwardness-fantasy-the-wee-free-men/
Read my fantasy book for this month: The Spell Robbers by Matthew J. Kirby.