Bookmark: Fun Fantasy

Posted by Jordan
Categories: Blog, Read-a-Thon
Tags: books, E. Nesbit, Edward Eager, fun fantasy, Read-a-Thon, The Gammage Cup

Part of our Read-a-Thon 2010 highlight posts.

Almost everybody likes a good fantasy novel. There are so many good ones that get missed among the “super-stars” that we decided to share some of our more obscure favorites in the “fun” sub-genre of fantasy.

The Gammage Cup

A unique tale of true friends saving the town that cast them out. Written fifty years ago and entirely too over-looked. Never heard of it? Give it a try — you might just be delighted. All ages.

E. Nesbit

E. Nesbit wrote some very delightful fantasy books. Many people are familiar with her book Five Children and It. However, she wrote several other books which are less well-known, such as…

The Phoenix and the Carpet

The lesser-known sequel to Five Children and It. Just as the title says, only of course, none of the wishes go right. All ages. (And for the complete trilogy, see The Story of the Amulet)

The Enchanted Castle

Some of Nesbit’s most hilarious storytelling is in this tale of children who discover a magical ring with shifting powers. All ages.

Want more Nesbit? Check out our reviews of her books.

Edward Eager

You cannot mention E. Nesbit without moving right along to Edward Eager. Eager was probably Nesbit’s biggest fan, so he tried to emulate her style in his own unique way. Two of our favorites of his are:

Half-Magic

What would you do if you found a magic charm that gave you exactly half of anything you wished for? One of Eager’s funniest books. All ages.

Knight’s Castle

Four cousins discover they can enter a village of toy knights which they had played with the day before. Every day they can change the village and enter again, with hilarious results. All ages, though this one is more fun if the reader is familiar with King Arthur, Ivanhoe, Robin Hood, and various post-World-War-II historical events. (More fun for the person reading aloud!)

For the rest of Edward Eager’s books, see our reviews of his books.