VONA STEWART

On the eve of his eleventh birthday, Will Stanton learns he is the last of the Old Ones, pulled into an ancient struggle between the Light and the Dark. Atmospheric, mythic British fantasy.

A reformed street lord and a defiant princess are pulled into old magic and palace intrigue. A whole-hearted, twisty fantasy; first of the Seven Realms.

A superhero-obsessed fanfiction writer with ADHD sets out to become extraordinary himself. Sharp, funny, and a warm portrait of a queer teen; older-teen humor and romance make it best for the YA shelf.

Frodo sets out to destroy a ring of terrible power, gathering an unlikely fellowship. Where The Lord of the Rings begins; read it after The Hobbit.

Twelve-year-old September is whisked to Fairyland on a quest full of wit, wonder, and heart. Inventive and joyful for younger and older readers alike.

A kind witch accidentally feeds a baby moonlight, filling her with dangerous magic. A luminous, award-winning fairy tale about love and sacrifice.

To save her people, Mina dives into the spirit realm to wake a slumbering Sea God. An atmospheric Korean folktale retelling with Spirited Away vibes.

In a colorless, painless community, twelve-year-old Jonas is chosen to hold its hidden memories and its terrible truths. The grandmother of the modern dystopia.

A princess betrayed by her own maid must reclaim her name and crown, aided by an unexpected gift. Lovely, lyrical coming-of-age fantasy.

A boy is raised by the ghosts of a graveyard in this beautifully written, spooky-but-never-scary modern classic. (Gaiman also wrote Coraline.)

After sixteen-year-old Starr witnesses a police officer kill her unarmed friend, she must decide whether to speak out. A landmark, deeply moving novel; contains strong language.

Reluctant homebody Bilbo Baggins joins thirteen dwarves and a wizard to reclaim a treasure from a dragon. The perfect, and short, doorway into Middle-earth.

Forced into a televised fight to the death, Katniss Everdeen sparks a rebellion in a brutal dystopian arena. The gripping series that defined a genre.

Twelve-year-old Call has been warned his whole life to stay away from magic, so he tries to fail the entrance trial for the Magisterium, and fails at failing. A darker, twistier magic-school fantasy that delights in upending what you expect. By Holly Black (co-creator of Spiderwick) and Cassandra Clare.

Brave Corinne draws on courage and a little magic to save her Caribbean island from the jumbies of folklore. Deliciously creepy.

Two sisters from a family of Korean witch-healers risk everything when a spell goes wrong. Warm, magical, and full of folklore.

Demigod Percy Jackson learns his father is a Greek god and races to stop a war among the Olympians. A super-fun adventure; the Disney+ series is a winner.

Four siblings step through a wardrobe into Narnia, a land held in endless winter by the White Witch, where they meet Aslan. Note! Most start with this book, but it's technically book 2.

My own book! When goblins drag Hayden's little sister through a portal into the world of Wayfair, he has no choice but to follow. There be dragons, man-eating pegasus... and magic underpants.

Miri, the only non-twin in a family full of them, slips back to 1935 through a bit of old glass and finds a girl who badly needs rescuing. A cozy time-travel tale; continues in Magic in the Mix.

When six baby griffins escape from the top-secret Menagerie, a hidden sanctuary of unicorns, dragons, and phoenixes in small-town Wyoming, Logan and Zoe have to round them up before the whole place gets shut down, and work out who set them loose. A funny, creature-packed mystery from the author of Wings of Fire.

Four gifted children go undercover at a sinister school to stop a mind-controlling villain. Clever, funny, and a wonderful family listen.

Bored Milo drives through a mysterious tollbooth into the Lands Beyond, where he sets out to rescue Rhyme and Reason. A witty, wordplay-filled modern classic.

Xiomara pours everything she cannot say aloud into a notebook and, eventually, a slam-poetry mic. A fierce coming-of-age novel in verse from an Afro-Latina voice.