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selected by Bill Mollineaux
 Barron, Thomas A. *The Lost Years of Merlin. Philomel Books, 1996. Desperate to
learn about his past, twelve-year-old Emrys takes an ocean voyage to Fincayra, where he engages in a quest to save the island from a destructive blight caused by a pact between its king and an evil power, and, in the process, learns about his origins. (M/H) Also, see four sequels: *The Seven Songs of Merlin, *The Fires of Merlin, *The Mirror of Merlin, and The Wings of Merlin. www.tabarron.comBarron, Thomas A. Tree Girl. Philomel Books, 2001. Nine-year-old Rowanna lives in a lonely cottage by the sea with Mellwyn, an old fisherman who rescued her as a baby from beneath the High Willow tree in a forest haunted by tree ghouls; however, she comes to view Mellwyn's efforts to protect her as too restraining, and she is determined to go to the High Willow and attempt to discover who she is and the fate of her mother.(M) Clement-Davies, David. Fire Bringer. Dutton Books, 2000. Set in medieval Scotland, a prophecy foretells the coming of a deer that will restore the traditional ways of life to the herd; however, Rannoch, the chosen one, is unaware of his role because his mother gave him to another hind to protect him from his father's murderer, but gradually and unwittingly he fulfills the elements of the Prophecy . . . one by one.(M/H) Cooney, Caroline B. *Mummy. Scholastic Press, 2000. Although for two years high school senior Emlyn has wanted to do something bad, she never has, except for stealing one or two pencils . . . accidentally. But when the opportunity to steal a mummy from the local museum for Mischief Night presents itself, she cannot resist, much to her subsequent regret.(M/H) Datlow, Ellen, and Terri Windling, eds. *A Wolf at the Door: and Other Retold Fairy Tales. Simon & Schuster, 2000. Thirteen spellbinding retellings-some humorous, some filled with horror, and some bizarre-of both familiar and lesser-known fairy tales including "Jack and the Beanstalk," "Hansel and Gretel," "Cinderella," and the "The Ugly Duckling."(M/H) Duncan, Dave. *Sir Stalwart. Book One of the King's Daggers. Avon Books, 1999. Very young-looking sixteen-year-old Stalwart, who is known as Wart to his fellow students, is "officially" expelled from the academy for King's Blades so he can uncover a treacherous plot to assassinate the king and prove himself worthy of a place among the King's Blades. (M/H) Also, see *The Crooked House and *Silvercloak. Hautman, Pete. *Mr. Was. Simon & Schuster, 1996. After fifteen-year-old Jack Lund witnesses his father kill his mother in a drunken rage, Jack attempts to save her by going through a 50-year "door," which not only takes him back in time but involves him in events that determine his future.(H)  Ibbotson, Eva. *The Secret of Platform 13. Penguin, 1994. Minutes before the door between our world and the enchanted Island closes, the baby prince of the Island is kidnapped by beastly and wealthy Mrs. Trottle, and nine years later, when the door next opens, a wizard, a fairy, a one-eyed giant, and a resourceful young hag go to his rescue.(M)Ibbotson, Eva. *Which Witch? Dutton, 1999. A hilarious, slapstick story in which Arriman the Awful, needing an heir to carry on his tradition of Loathing Light and Wizard of the North, holds a competition among the witches of Todcaster, the winner of which will become his wife. (M)  Jacques, Brian. *Lord Brocktree. Philomel Books, 2000. In this, the thirteenth Redwall book, a brazen and fatally beautiful haremaid named Dotti and a Badger Lord named Brocktree rally an army of shrews, hares, otters, moles, mice, and squirrels to recapture the sacred mountain of Salamandastron. (M/H) Just published is the fourteenth volume in the series, Taggerung. www.redwall.orgJacques, Brian. *Marlfox. Philomel Books, 1999. Three young Redwall Abbey residents go on a quest to recover a tapestry stolen by the Marlfoxes and, in the process, remove the curse of these evil animals on a mysterious island. (M/H) Jarvis, Robin. The Crystal Prison. SeaStar Books, 2001. In this page-turning, suspenseful sequel to The Dark Portal, Audrey Brown-a plucky, outspoken mouse-makes a bargain with the Starwife to accompany a fortune-telling rat (whose previous actions almost killed Audrey) to the countryside in return for a cure for a dying friend, and again encounters the machinations of villainous Jupiter. (M) Jarvis, Robin. *The Dark Portal. SeaStar, 2000. When Albert Brown, a carefree mouse, disappears, his family and friends brave the sewers of London, which are filled with cutthroat rats and the horrifying, mysterious godlike creature named Jupiter, to discover Albert's fate and thwart Jupiter's evil plan. (M) Jones, Diana Wynne. *Dark Lord of Derkholm. Greenwillow Books, 1998. A humorous tale in which Derk, a good-hearted but apparently bumbling wizard, is chosen to be this year's Dark Lord, who is expected to stage adventures for a tour group operated by the sinister Mr. Chesney, who controls this outer world through a powerful demon; however, it is through Derk and his family that Mr. Chesney receives his just reward. (M/H) http://suberic.net/dwj Jones, Diana Wynne. *Year of the Griffin. Greenwillow Books, 2000. Sequel to Dark Lord of Derkholm in which Elda, griffin daughter of Wizard Derk, attends Wizards' University without her father's permission, as do several of her new classmates, resulting in hilarious attempts to retrieve or retaliate against them. Adding to the fun are the actions of completely unqualified professors, poor food, and the obsession of the head of the university to become the first man on the moon. (M/H)  Kindl, Patrice. Goose Chase. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2001. Fun-filled, humorous story about an orphaned Goose Girl who helps an old hag and is rewarded with a spell that turns the girl's tears into diamonds and causes gold dust to fall from her hair; however, her life becomes complicated when a tyrannical king and a seemingly dimwitted prince want to marry her, resulting in her escape from imprisonment in a tower, encounters with cannibalistic but bumbling ogresses, the machinations of an evil baroness, a showdown with the cruel king, and the discovery that she and her twelve geese are real-life princesses. (M/H)Lee, Tanith. *Wolf Tower. Dutton Books, 2000. For sixteen years all Claidi has known is the stifling atmosphere of the House, where she has been a slave and a maid to a spoiled princess, so when she has the opportunity to help a handsome, charming prisoner escape, she not only frees him, but she accompanies him to his home city, only to discover that the fate awaiting her in the stranger's Wolf Tower is worse than that which she left behind. (M/H) Also, see Wolf Star. www3.sympatico.ca/jim.pattison  Levine, Gail Carson. The Two Princesses of Bamarre. HarperCollins, 2001. When 16-year-old Addie's older and adventurous sister, Meryl, is stricken by the deadly Gray Death, timid and insecure Addie sets out to find a cure, encountering dragons, specters, gryphons, elves, and fairies; however, the results of her quest surprise her as well as the reader. (M)Lubar, David. *Hidden Talents. Tor Books, 1999. After being expelled from every school in the district, thirteen-year-old Martin Anderson is sent to Edgeview Alternative School, where he befriends five other misfits who have psychic powers, thwarts the villainous Lester Bloodbath, and learns to make positive changes with himself. (M/H) McCaughrean, Geraldine. The Stones Are Hatching. HarperCollins, 2000. In this action-filled tale set in England immediately after the Great War, 11-year-old Phelim is told by a greasy, dirty Domovoy (a house guardian) that only Phelim can prevent the Stoor Worm from waking and releasing its nightmarish Hatchlings; besides encountering numerous supernatural creatures such as malevolent faeries and corn wives who slaughter reapers in the field, Phelim gains self-confidence and eventually is able to stand up to his repellant sister and locate his long-lost father. (M)  Morris, Gerald. Parsifal's Page. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2001. Humorous, fun-filled retelling of the legend by 12-year-old page Piers, in which Piers first becomes a page to a knight who is an unworthy fool and then to the rustic but potentially heroic Parsifal, helping him succeed in his quest to do deeds worthy of being admitted to the Round Table, which includes searching for and finding the Holy Grail. (M) Also, see *The Squire's Tale, *The Squire, His Knight, and His Lady, and *The Savage Damsel and the Dwarf.Mullin, Caryl Cude. *A Riddle of Roses. Second Story Press, 2000. When thirteen- year-old Meryl, a bard in training, is caught reading-without permission-the songs and adventures of a great bard, she is suspended from her bardic studies but is allowed to pursue an alternate route to bardship, which results in a hilarious quest filled with adventure and unforgettable characters. (M) Napoli, Donna Jo. *Crazy Jack. Delacorte Press, 1999. After tormenting himself about his father's death for seven years, sixteen-year-old Jack trades the family cow for seven beans from which comes the famous beanstalk he climbs and learns the real meaning of life. (M/H) Napoli, Donna Jo. *The Magic Circle. Dutton, 1993. In this twist on Hansel and Gretel, we discover that the witch was at one time a midwife and then a then a healer who was tricked by demons, resulting in her living in tormented seclusion until being cast into the oven by two children. (M/H) Nicholson, William. The Wind Singer. Hyperion Books, 2000. Twins Kestrel and Bowman, accompanied by their humorous, simpleminded friend Mumpo, set off on a quest filled with fascinating characters to find the "voice" of the wind singer, which was surrendered generations ago to the Morah (a menacing spirit-lord), in order to free the people of Aramanth from their examination-controlled lives. (M) Also, see Slaves of the Mastery.  Nix, Garth. *Sabriel. HarperCollins, 1996. Eighteen-year-old Sabriel has lived outside the walls of the Old Kingdom since her father, an "uncommon necromancer," brought her to a boarding school in neighboring Ancelstierre when she was five; however, when she receives her father's necromancy tools, she realizes that he is in danger and reenters the Old Kingdom to save him. (M/H) See the recently published sequel, Lirael.Pierce, Meredith Ann. Treasure at the Heart of the Tanglewood. Viking, 2001. Hannah lives in the Tanglewood, a forest-her only companions being a magpie, a badger, and three fox pups-and regularly brews a drink made from the flowers that sprout from her hair for a wizard, giving him his power; however, when the wizard turns a knight searching for a priceless treasure into a fox, Hannah sets off with the fox and her companions to find the Queen who sent him to the Tanglewood, and in the process Hannah discovers her true nature and mission in life. (M/H) Pierce, Tamora. *Alanna: The First Adventure. Book One: The Song of the Lioness Quartet. Atheneum, 1983. Alanna wants to become a great warrior maiden, but in Tortall women aren't allowed to train as warriors; concomitantly, her twin brother wants to be a sorcerer rather than a knight, so, disguising herself as a boy, Alanna and Thom switch places, resulting in her distinguishing herself in her training and earning the respect of those around her, especially the crown prince. (M) www.sff.net/people/tamora.pierce Pierce, Tamora. *First Test. Book One: The Protector of the Small Series. Random House, 1999. Although the king proclaimed that girls are eligible for a page's training at his court, ten-year-old Kel, the first girl to apply, is accepted on probation; however, she rises above the hostility of the royal training master and the harassment from her fellow pages, performs well in her first real battle, and is allowed to remain. (M) Pierce, Tamora. *Page. Random House, 2000. Beginning with Kel's second year as the first "official" girl page and ending with her graduation as a squire upon the completion of her fourth year, this, the second book in The Protector of the Small Series, finds Kel helping her new and shy maid overcome her fears by teaching her self-defense, defeating a pack of murderous raiders, overcoming her terror of heights as she rescues a kidnapped friend, facing the problems of puberty, and earning the respect of her peers and teachers. (M) Pierce, Tamora. Squire. Random House, 2001. In this, the third book in The Protector of the Small Series, Kel is chosen by Lord Raoul, commander of the King's Own, to be his squire, fights centaurs, participates in jousting tournaments, proves herself on the battlefield, handles difficult romantic decisions, and faces the ultimate obstacle to knighthood: the dreaded test in the Chamber of the Ordeal. (M/H) Pierce, Tamora. *Magic Steps. Scholastic Press, 2000. In this first book in The Circle Opens Quartet, fourteen-year-old Sandry, while caring for her great-uncle, Duke Vedris of Emelan, who is recuperating from a heart attack, combines with her student Pasco to capture the killers of members of a wealthy family, who are capable of becoming invisible by cloaking themselves in "unmagic." (M) Pierce, Tamora. Street Magic. Scholastic Press, 2001. The second book in The Circle Opens Quartet finds fourteen-year-old Briar Moss, a plant mage, and his teacher in the ancient city of Chammur, where Briar comes across a street child named Evvy, who, unbeknown to her, possesses stone magic, resulting in Briar's having to teach her how to control her power; however, street gangs and a wicked noblewoman who wants to use Evvy's magic to steal precious stones complicate things. (M)  Pullman, Philip. *The Golden Compass. Alfred A. Knopf, 1996. Set in London and the
Arctic regions of a world similar to ours, Lyra Belacqua sets off with her daemon to prevent her best friend and other kidnapped children from becoming the subjects of hideous experiments, discovers the identity of her parents, and winds up in a parallel universe. (M/H) www.delanet.com/~ftise/pullman.htmlPullman, Phillip. *The Subtle Knife. Alfred A. Knopf, 1997. Pursuing the killer of her best friend, Lyra enters a window into another world and discovers twelve-year-old Will Parry, who is wanted for murder in our world as a result of attempting to protect his mother; together-using a knife that possesses extraordinary powers-they search for Will's father, who disappeared while exploring the North. (M/H) Pullman, Phillip. *The Amber Spyglass. Alfred A. Knopf, 2000. Picking up where The Subtle Knife leaves off, Will rescues Lyra from her mother's clutches, Will and Lyra travel to the world of the dead so that Lyra can see Roger (whom she feels she betrayed in The Golden Compass), Lord Asriel defeats the Regent of the Authority, and Will and Lyra deem the destiny of others more important than their love for each other. (M/H) Springer, Nancy. *I Am Mordred: A Tale from Camelot. Philomel Books, 1998. Narrated by Mordred, the illegitimate son of King Arthur and Arthur's half-sister, who as an infant survives the almost-certain death ordered by Arthur, learns of his parentage from the sorceress Nyneve, attempts to be acknowledged by his father, and desperately attempts to avoid his ordained fate to kill King Arthur, whom he comes to love and respect. (M/H) Also, see I Am Morgan Le Fay, Philomel Books, 2001.  Vande Velde, Vivian. *Never Trust a Dead Man. Harcourt Brace & Company, 1999. Wrongly convicted of murder and sentenced to being sealed in tomb with his victim, seventeen-year-old Selwyn escapes through the efforts of a comic witch, and with her help and the assistance of the resurrected victim (who mistakenly is transformed into a bat) discovers the identity of the real culprit. (M) Vande Velde, Vivian. The Rumpelstiltskin Problem. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2000. After pointing out some aspects of the story that are very difficult to explain, Vande Velde offers six alternative versions. (M/H) Wrede, Patricia C. *Dealing with Dragons. Scholastic, 1990. A funny, fast-paced novel in which Princess Cimorene does not enjoy being the "proper" princess or the prince to whom she is betrothed, so she decides to become a dragon's princess-not the usual dragon's captive-where she finds happiness and saves the dragons from the machinations of wicked wizards. (M) Also, see the three sequels: *Searching for Dragons, *Calling on Dragons, and *Talking to Dragons.
Brooks, Terry. *Magic Kingdom for Sale-Sold! Book One: The Magic Kingdom of Landover Series. Ballantine Books, 1986. When thirty-nine-year-old Ben Holiday, a successful lawyer who is bored with his life, sees an advertisement for the sale of the magic kingdom of Landover, he buys it and winds up in a fun-filled tale involving an incompetent court wizard, barons refusing to recognize him as king, a dragon laying waste on the countryside, an evil witch plotting to destroy everything in sight, peasants possessing no hope, and dueling with the dreaded Iron Mark. (H) www.terrybrooks.net Brooks, Terry. *The Sword of Shannara. Ballantine Books, 1977. When the mysterious Druid Allanon comes to the peaceful hamlet of Shady Vale and informs Shea Ohmsford that he is last descendant of the House of Shannara and only he can wield the Sword of Shannara that can stop the Warlock Lord, who plans to unleash his forces to conquer the four lands, Shea begins an unforgettable, action-filled quest. (M/H) www.shannara.com Card, Orson Scott. *Ender's Game. Tor Books, 1985. Six-year-old Ender Wiggin, a government-sanctioned third child in a society that allows only two children, is trained to become the great military leader needed to defeat the alien Buggers, only to mourn the loss of his innocence and the lives of those he has killed. (M/H) www.hatrack.com Eddings, David. *Pawn of Prophecy. Book One of The Belgariad. Del Rey Books, 1982. Garion, a fourteen-year-old farm boy, joins his Aunt Pol and a storyteller named Wolf to search for the Orb of Aldur, the magic jewel which protects the men of the West that was stolen by the Apostate, who plans to awaken the dreaded Torak. (M/H) www.eddingschronicles.com Feist, Raymond E. *Magician: Apprentice. Bantam Books, 1992. When thirteen-year- Old Pug, an orphan, is selected by the magician Kulgan to be his apprentice, he had no idea about what was in store for him, especially when he and his friend Tomas discover a being from another world, which causes his ruler to try to convince the king to marshal the armies necessary to defeat these invaders. (H) Gemmell, David. *Ghost King. Book One: The Stones of Power Cycle. Ballantine Books, 1988. After traitors had slain the king, armies of Saxons, Angles, Jutes, and Brigantes-led by puppets of the ruthless Witch Queen, whose minions included dark, bloodthirsty creatures and a savage, undead warrior-created terror; and in only 15-year-old Thuro, whose veins flow with the blood of kings, lay hope of defeating the Witch Queen's monsters and traveling to the land of the Mist to seek a ghostly army. (H) Gemmell, David. *Legend. Book One of The Drenai Saga. Ballantine Books, 1984. Retired in the mountains and awaiting death, sixty-year-old Druss the Legend answers the call of an old comrade to train the demoralized troops at Dros Delnoch so they can stop the feared barbarian Nadir hordes from taking over the Drenai people-a cause that appears to hopeless. (H) Goodkind, Terry. *Wizard's First Rule. Book One in the Sword of Truth Series. Tor Books, 1994. After rescuing Kahlan Amnell, a young woman who will change his life . . . forever, Richard Cypher, a common woods guide with a thirst to find the truth, embarks on a non-stop, action-filled adventure to prevent Darken Rahl, an evil wizard, from obtaining the third box of Orden-which would give him unlimited power if he opens all three boxes before winter and follows the prescribed instructions in the Book of Counted Shadows-a book memorized by Richard when he was younger. (H) Jordan, Robert. *Eye of the World. Tor Books, 1990. The first volume in The Wheel of Time Series finds three teenage boys-Rand, Mat, and Perrin, one of whom is the chosen one-battle the Dark One and his minions as they accompany Lady Moiraine and Warder Lan to Tar Valon, where they will be safe; however, their journey is filled with unforgettable adventures and characters. (M/H) www.tor.com Lackey, Mercedes. *Arrows of the Queen. Daw Books, Inc., 1987. Not wanting to be married off, thirteen-year-old Talia runs away from home, is Chosen by a Companion (a Herald's horse) to become a Herald, overcomes her shyness from years of abuse, and helps unearth and eliminate a conspiracy to seize the Queen's throne. (H) Modesitt, L. E., Jr. *The Magic of Recluce. Tor Books, 1991. Fifteen-year-old Lerris, bored with the simple and orderly life on the island of Recluce, is offered a choice of permanent exile or dangergeld, in which he is given a charge he must complete before he can return; choosing the latter, Lerris experiences many adventures, is mentored by a gray wizard (who straddles the line between white Chaos and black Order), and defeats the great chaos-master Antonin, who schemes to foster disorder, thereby increasing his own power. (H) Salvatore, R. A. *The Crystal Shard. Book One: The Icewind Dale Trilogy. TSR, 1988. When a weak-willed apprentice mage sets in motion the events leading to the discovery of the magical crystal shard, which is capable of causing the defeat of the Ten-Towns, it is up to the young barbarian Wulfgar to reunite the barbarian tribes, and an unorthodox dwarf and a renegade dark elf to persuade the people of Ten-Towns to put aside their petty differences and to stave off the forces of the crystal shard. (H) Salvatore, R. A. *Homeland. Book One: The Dark Elf Trilogy. TSR, 1990. Set in the underground world of Menzoberranzan, Drizzt Do'Urden is born on the night his family assassinates another in order to improve its status (something that was permitted only if no witnesses remained); however, Drizzt never can accept the cruelty of his homeland, family, and the Spider Goddess, and is helped by his weapons instructor in his quest to do what he knows is right. (H) Salvatore, R. A. *The Woods Out Back. Ace Books, 1993. While lying down and reading in the woods, college-graduate Gary Leger (bored with his life and job in a plastics factory) is kidnapped by a leprechaun and winds up on action-filled, page-turning, humorous quest to have a broken magical spear reforged in order to bring hope to a downtrodden people; however, to do so he must overcome such obstacles as a witch, a giant, a dragon, a lion, a giant crab, goblins, and trolls. (H) Weis, Margaret, and Tracy Hickman. *Dragons of Autumn Twilight. Dragonlance Chronicles. Wizards of the Coast, 1984. After going their own way for five years, six friends meet again, realizing that the darkness of war threatens to engulf the land; however, the blue crystal staff of a barbarian woman brings the promise of hope as well as exciting, dangerous adventures. (M/H) * indicates available in paperback
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