Modern Fantasy

K-5

 

Traction Man is Here

By Mini Grey

 

When an imaginative young boy opens his Christmas present and finds a new Traction Man action figure, the fun begins. Traction Man first rescues farm animals from evil pillows. Then he volunteers for a special mission to find the Lost Wreck of the Sieve (AKA help with the dishes). Later, he even visits Granny's house where he is given a “hand-knitted green romper with a matching bonnet” for Christmas, which Traction Man is embarrassed to wear. The adventures continue with hoisting spilled spoons and receiving medals of honor. All in all, this is a very fun book to be enjoyed by both children and their parents.

 

Suggested Grade Level: K-3

Reading Level: 3.2

Reviewed by Lorisa Harvey

K-5

Keeper

By Kathi Appelt

Ten year old Keeper believes in wishes and magic and especially mermaids.  Of course, because her mother is one but swam away years before.  After Keeper turns what is supposed to be the perfect day for her guardian, Signe, and neighbor, Dogie, into a horrible day, she decides her mother is the only one who can help her.  Keeper sets off in the Gulf of Mexico in a small rowboat with BD, her dog, and Captain, the seagull to find her mother.  Good thing Keeper believes in wishes and magic; she'll need all the help she can get when her horrible day gets even worse. 

Interest level:  5-8

Reading level:  4.7

Reviewed by Lesley Hermann

K-5

Amulet Book One: The Stonekeeper

By Kazu Kibuishi

Interest Level 3-5

Grade Level: 4.2

Join siblings Emily and Navin as they discover a mysterious world in the basement of their great grandfather's curious home. They are pulled into a frightening journey as they search for their mother who seems to have been swallowed by a dreadful octopus-like creature. This graphic novel mixes adventure, robots, brave warriors, and two average kids into an unforgettable quest to reunite a family against dark forces. Kibuishi's artwork is a fantastical mix of frightening landscapes and loveable characters. There are two more books in the series and readers are begging for more. If you haven't tried graphic novels yet, give this one a chance and you are sure to be hooked!

What is "Modern Fantasy"?

reocities.com

Fantasy describes those stories that could not happen in real life. There are often talking animals, an element of magic, or imaginative creatures in tales of fantasy.

Click here to view a recommended list of modern fantasy.

6-9

 

The Graveyard Book

by Neil Gaiman

In this creepy story, a toddler escapes his crib and death while "the man Jack" murders the rest of the toddler's family.  Strangely enough, the toddler finds safety in a graveyard not too far from his home with Mr. and Mrs. Owens who, of course, are dead.  The toddler renamed Nobody, Bod for short, spends his childhood in the graveyard learning the ropes of the dead-Fading and Dreamwalking.  However, life of the dead is not enough for the curious and intelligent Bod who yearns to have a life outside of the graveyard.  Little does Bod know, "the man Jack" has been searching for him all these years!  This is a suspensful, fantastic read!

Interest level: 5-8

Reading level:  5.3

Reviewed by Lesley Hermann

6-9

The Lightning Thief

By Rick Riordan

Wow! If you haven't read The Lightning Thief. Go-out-and-get-it! It's no wonder why this book has become so popular with students. This book has mystery, suspense, lots of action and you even get to brush up on your Ancient Greek mythology! When the main character, Percy, a hot-blooded "trouble maker" gets kicked out of his final boarding school, he goes home to spend some much needed quality time with his loving mother. That's when things start to get weird.  When Percy and his friend, Grover are chased by monsters while at his beach rental cabin, his mother decides its time to take him to the only spot in the world that is safe for him- Camp Half-Blood. Without giving too much away, Percy finds out about his family lineage through different characters he meets at Camp Half-Blood and realizes that there is something special about himself. This is definitely a must-read!

 

Suggested Grade Level: 5-8

Reading Level: 4.9

 

Reviewed by Lorisa Harvey

The Golden Hour

The Golden Hour

By Maiya Williams

Interest Level: 6-8

Reading Level: 6.3

Rowan and Nina are trying to recover from ther recent death of their mother, but things just haven't been going well. Nina has stopped speaking, and Rowan is falling further and further into isolation with a bad self-image and a tendency to get lost in video games. Their similarly depressed father sends them to stay with two distant relatives in Maine. A summer with the eccentric elderly "aunts", Gertrude and Agatha, seems like the last thing Rowan and Nina want. And at first, the town seems simply odd and quaint, but Rowan and Nina are drawn into the curious abandoned hotel that seems to be a portal to the past. With their new friends Xavier and Xanthe they find themselves pulled into time travel...to the French Revolution in the 18th century! How will they find their way back? Can this journey help them understand their lives and their grief? Williams has masterfully crafted a tale that weaves modern life and history through through the imaginitive fantasy of time travel.