Christine Brodien-Jones is the author of The Owl Keeper, a middle-grade fantasy that just came out a few weeks ago. We thought we’d ask her to name the books that inspired The Owl Keeper and here’s what she had to say:
1. The Alchemyst by Michael Scott
A cracking adventure/fantasy that mixes myth and legend with the present day. Shortly after twins Sophie and Josh meet the immortal alchemyst Nicholas Flamel, an ancient book is lost, unleashing terrifying mythical beasts such as the Egyptian cat-goddess Bastet, the Morrigan, and the three-faced Greek Hekate. A wild magical ride.
Read more favorite children’s fantasy books after the jump, plus we want to hear your favorites!
2. The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
In Ember, an underground post-apocalyptic city, supplies are scarce and blackouts are frequent. Two friends, Lina and Doon, team up to decipher an ancient message and find a way to save the citizens of this dying city. Brilliantly original.
3. The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper
Eerie and atmospheric, set in rural England in the dark of winter. When Will discovers his true heritage, life turns strange and wonderful as he learns of his role in the battle against the Dark. Menacing, with supremely evil beings and surprise twists.
4. Floodland by Marcus Sedgwick
In the watery landscape of a future England, where the sea is rising, a girl named Zoe sets off to find her lost parents in this tale of courage and determination. The scenes of submerged lands are mesmerizing, as is the chaos amid a gang of kids seeking shelter on an island.
5. The Giver by Lois Lowry
Jonas lives in a tightly-controlled, futuristic society where there is no poverty, crime, illness or unemployment. Training to become the Receiver of Memories, he slowly grows aware of dark undercurrents, and the hypocrisy that rules his world. This book chilled me to the bones.
6. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
No reader can help but fall in love with Lyra, the book’s tough, sassy, street-wise heroine. Drawn into a terrifying struggle-missing children, secret experiments, witch clans and armored bears-she travels with her daemon to the far North. I never wanted Lyra’s epic journey to end-and found myself longing for a daemon of my own.
7. The Navigator by Eoin McNamee
Owen, an outsider of a boy, is unexpectedly thrown out of his world and into another: when time flows backward, his family and familiar places vanish. Owen must stop an ancient enemy, the Harsh, or everything he knows will disappear. Dazzling, heart-stopping; I was intrigued by the creepy Harsh, whose breath freezes humans.
8.Skellig by David Almond
A mystical gem of a book that blends the supernatural and the ordinary when ten-year-old Michael discovers a strange being in the shadows of his garage. What is Skellig? Man, bird, angel-or a beast that’s never been seen before? I loved how Michael and his friend Mina dared to carry this unearthly creature out into the light.
9. Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo
A haunting, lyrical tale of a grieving young boy, Rob, who discovers a caged tiger and meets a feisty girl named Sistine, all on the same extraordinary day. Rob and Sistine stayed with me long after the book finished.
10. A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
A stunning tale of wizards, dragons and shadows. Sparrowhawk, a student of magic, meddles with dangerous powers, setting loose a terrible evil. From the first page I was caught in the spell of this imaginary world, watching as the shadow-beast hunted Sparrowhawk to the far corners of Earthsea.
What do you guys think? What were your favorite childhood classics?
Christine Brodien-Jones studied writing at Emerson College, Boston, and has been a journalist, an editor, and a teacher. She now splits her time between Gloucester, Massachusetts, and Deer Isle, Maine.
Well, The Giver (and its companions Gathering Blue & The Messenger) are on the top of my list as truly amazing books.
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I haven’t read any of the others, but a few are already on my TBR pile… And now the others are too!!
I whole-heartedly agree with your assessment of The Giver. Like Christine, this is a book that left me with chills as well as a reminder to me (who read it as an adult), that a book being classified as “YA” doesn’t mean that it can’t be a good read to an adult as well. Such a good book.
I can also vouch for Pullman’s Golden Compass books (I highly recommend the audio editions as well, loved listening to them) and The City of Ember.
Now, I think I need to find a copy of The Alchemyst…