First things first, before handing one of these books over to any old kid, check you’re happy with the content first. They don’t all grow up at the same rate and there’s a lot of growing up to do between 7 and 11. I advise this even more strongly if it’s not your child you’re buying for, parents are worse whingers than kids in most cases. On to the books then, below is a selection of books that should entertain even the most precocious of moppets.
Chronicles of Prydain – Lloyd Alexander
The Chronicles of Prydain follow the adventures of Taran, an orphan and lowly Assistant Pigkeeper of Caer Dallben. Thankfully as interesting as it might sound, Assistant Pigkeeping accounts for a relatively small percentage of the story, before too long Taran is lead astray by a most mercurial pig and before too long finds himself caught up in the battle between The Sons of Don (protectors of Prydain, who showed up one day from a distant land) and Arawn’s forces (a bit of a bad dude). Of course this is just the first step in many adventures, throughout which Taran collects an assortment of faithful companions, a princess, a bard, a dwarf, a crow, and a sort of grubby, fluffy, er, thing. Each book builds on Taran’s story, culminating in the excellent The High King.
The Uncommoners – Jennifer Bell
The Uncommoners mixes elements of classic portal fantasies like Narnia, with the ‘under your nose’ variety of fantasy found in ‘Skullduggery Pleasant’ or, dare I say it, ‘Harry Potter’. Ivy and Seb Sparrow are thrown into a world of mystery and intrigue when their Grandmother is rushed into hospital after a fall. Their mostly absent parents (standard fare in book world it seems, who ever had an interesting day when their parents were around?) are both indisposed which leaves the Sparrow’s to fend for themselves for a few hours. A fairly routine task for a fourteen and eleven year old you’d think, get the bus home, chow down on a sandwich and binge-watch your favourite YouTube channel. Sadly outside influences have other ideas and before they know it Ivy and Seb are on the run from some very peculiar bailiff types who appeared back at Grandma’s house just before they did. To say much more would likely spoil the plot and any un/pleasant surprises along the way, so let’s suffice to say that they find their way into an alternative world of sorts, their family history catches up with them and “events transpire”.
How to Train Your Dragon – Cressida Cowell
Following the extraordinary adventures of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, son and heir of Stoic the Vast, Chief of the Hooligan Tribe. There’s just one small problem, Hiccup isn’t your standard Viking. Forget what you’ve seen in the films, they digress so early from the books that I’m not even sure that they’re the same story really, this is the real story of Hiccup and Toothless. Spanning twelve books and featuring a whole host of endearingly titled Vikings (Baggybum the Beerbelly being my number one), How to Train Your Dragon charts Hiccup’s rise from hopeless embarrassment to the greatest Viking of all time. This is one of the all-time great bedtime stories, I read these a chapter or two at a time to Tomeopathy Jr. and we both love them. We can also recommend Cowell’s new series, The Wizards of Once.
Roald Dahl
Where better to start than with the master of nonsense, I’m sure that many of us grew up with Dahl’s classics. As with all the best kid’s books there’s a touch of darkness about the books, some of the villains can be truly sinister, and perhaps more so because you meet these people in real life (everyone had a Trunchbull style teacher at school). Some of the collection is suitable for younger kids, most can be read by anyone 7 and up, unless they’re particularly squeamish. My personal fave would be James and the Giant Peach, but Tomeopathy Jr. plumps for Matilda or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but don’t worry about that, just get them all.
Dreamsnatcher Trilogy – Abi Elphinstone
A relatively recent addition to the ranks of fantasy series, with Dreamsnatcher Abi Elphinstone has set the bar high for future work. Molly Pecksniff’s parents died when she was too young to remember, she was taken in and lives with a group of Gypsy travellers in a clearing deep within Tanglefern Forest. Not far from Molly’s camp there is another camp lead by the titular Dreamsnatcher and sinister witch doctor, Skull, who is part of a shady group of witch doctors called the Shadowmasks. According to the bone oracles, Moll and her faithful companions, hapless best friend Siddy, newcomer Alfie, and most importantly her wildcat, Gryff, are all that stands between the Shadowmasks and their nefarious plans to steal the old magic. As the series progresses more members of the Shadowmasks appear, further secrets and additional prophecies are revealed, and Moll encounters an assortment of challenges and creatures both friendly and fierce.
Redwall – Brian Jacques
A series of books featuring cute looking woodland creatures might seem like the preserve of pre-school and early primary children, don’t let that fool you though. The books don’t follow particular characters, instead they are centred on the titular Redwall Abbey and the creatures who inhabit it. If you put aside their anthropomorphic nature and instead focus on the characters themselves, you find a rich selections of heroes and rogues, from church mice and badgers on one side to wild cats and adders on the other. The plots of the later books do become a little repetitive, but with 22 books that’s not massively surprising and despite this the quality of the storytelling remains high. One of the nicest aspects of the Redwall books is the gender balance, the female characters are equally as likely to take part in the battles and quests as their male counterparts, a refreshing change from some works.
Earthsea – Ursula Le Guin
As a child I stumbled across the original Earthsea trilogy in the school library, more years ago than I care to remember, these were amongst the first high fantasy books I discovered, and I instantly fell in love with them. Re-reading these books as an adult reveals depths and nuances previously obscured by youth. The series is set in the Archipelago, a wonderfully realised world of islands, populated by a variety of folk with different traits and customs, and follows the life of Sparrowhawk as he grows from curious goat herd, to headstrong apprentice mage, to arrogant pupil at a school of wizardry, before eventually becoming Archmage of the entire Archipelago. The quality of the writing, the level of detail demonstrated in the world building, and the growth experienced in Sparrowhawk’s character arc, all contribute to make what I consider to be one of the finest fantasy series.
Chronicles of Narnia – C.S. Lewis
A bit like The Hobbit (see below), I doubt that this inclusion will surprise anyone. A classic portal fantasy series that sees various members of the Pevensie family transported by an assortment of magical artefacts into the land of Narnia. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (arguably the second book, but the first published and a good starting point) sees four Pevensies transported through a wardrobe into a winter wonderland full of talking beasts and mythological creatures. These books might not have aged quite as well as The Hobbit, and there might be a bit too much religious allegory for some tastes, but they remain a great introduction to the fantasy genre.
The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkien
A bit of a no brainer when it comes to recommending children’s fantasy books, this is the perfect introduction to one of the most famous fantasy series of all time. It is of course the prequel to the all-conquering Lord of the Rings books, where they are aimed at a slightly older audience, The Hobbit is very much written for younger children. You probably already know this, but just in case, the story follows the adventure of Bilbo Baggins, a most respectable hobbit, and the least likely fellow to sign up to steal a dragon’s treasure. That is what he does though and the story follows his endeavour from hobbit hole to dragon’s lair with plenty of time for mishaps, captures and close escapes along the way. A great standalone book which sets the scene nicely to carry on with the Lord of the Rings if desired.
David Walliams – Assorted
Following closely in the footsteps of Roald Dahl, to the point that they used the same illustrator (the always excellent Quentin Blake), are the books of David Walliams. Featuring similarly gruesome characters sprinkled with a touch more slapstick and a dash less nonsense than Dahl’s books. These are again very suitable for younger readers, but in this case the longevity may not be present, perhaps due to the slightly more childish humour. Tomeopathy Jr. rates the Midnight Gang most highly.