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Since her very first introduction to fantasy adventures through the award-winning trilogy My Father's Dragon, my daughter has been enamored with all things fantastical. She was only in kindergarten at the time. But even then, she knew that this imaginative genre could instantly transport a reader to another world and another time all from the safe comfort of the couch.
A few years later, she dove headlong into one of THE GREATS...the benchmark fantasy series for which all others are measured. The Chronicles of Narnia.
She read and re-read them over and over again, each time chipping off a small piece of Narnia and fixing it to her very self. Because books are like that. They shape you and mold you and challenge you to become a better version of yourself.
After turning the final page of Narnia one last time, she wanted more. More fantasy. More imagination. More adventure.
While I was ALL IN for all of those things, I knew that the fantasy genre often came with a mixed bag of witchcraft, darkness, and evil. I knew I couldn't just thrust her towards the 398 shelf in the library and walk away.
In my quest to help her hold on to the life-giving inspiration of Narnia, I went searching for some Christian-themed fantasy books.
And here's what I found!
These are books she has read, books we have read together, or ones she has added to her ever-growing "someday" pile.
The Black Star of Kingston by S.D. Smith
The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic by Jennifer Trafton
Little Pilgrim's Progress by Helen Taylor
The Wilderking Trilogy
These are allegorical fantasies based on the life of David.The Bark of the Bog Owl
The Way of the Wilderking
The Secret of the Swamp King
The Kingdom Series
The Knight's of Arrethrae
Some kids might find this series a bit too scary.
Sir Kendrick and the Castle of Bel Lione
Sir Bentley and Holbrook Court
Sir Dalton and the Shadow Heart
Lady Carliss and the Waters of the Moorue
Sir Quinlin and the Swords of Valor
Sir Rowan and the Camerian Conquest
Sir Bentley and Holbrook Court
Sir Dalton and the Shadow Heart
Lady Carliss and the Waters of the Moorue
Sir Quinlin and the Swords of Valor
Sir Rowan and the Camerian Conquest
For more information about these or The Kingdom Series, visit Perfect Praise.com
The Wingfeather Saga
Don't let the dark sounding titles fool you. These books are quirky, humorous fantasy adventures written by Christian Contemporary singer/song writer and father of three, Andrew Peterson.
On the Edge of the Sea of Darkness
North! Or Be Eaten
The Monster in the Hollows
The Warden and the Wolf King
North! Or Be Eaten
The Monster in the Hollows
The Warden and the Wolf King
Find more information, visit the Wingfeather Saga.com
The Tales of the Kingdom Trilogy
The Binding of the Blade Series
This is a fantasy series loosely based on the book of Isaiah and probably best saved for the teen years.
For more information, visit The Binding of the Blade.com
The Mistmantle Chronicles
This is an out-of-print series and is sometimes difficult to find. We were able to get all the titles from our local library.
Other series worth considering
The following series are more mainstream fantasy and may not be suitable for every reader.
THANK YOU!!!!!! My kids love fantasy, and we've talked about and practiced maintaining standards in what we read, but I still worry. It will be so fun to hand my kids this list and let them go crazy with it. :)
ReplyDeleteHappy reading! Glad I could pass these along.
DeleteI have a daughter who sounds just exactly like your own. Same age and reading levels and she is enamoured with this genre as well.
ReplyDeleteN.D.Wilson has a few books out that are good...100 Cupboards is a good start to him but some of his later books can be a bit scary in spots for younger people. Still good, but maybe for later years?
And my daughter loved all the books from the Terrestria Chronicles.
I almost put the N.D. Wilson books on the list, but thought they might be a bit too graphic for some.
DeleteThe neverending story is one that I loved as a kid. Thanks for the list.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your list! My son is an avid reader. He loved the Hobbit series a lot and Chronicles of Narnia. He LOVED Nephilim the Remnants, its a Christian Fiction Fantasy also. I am sure your tween/teen would love that as well.
ReplyDeleteOooo...thanks for the suggestion. I'll have to look into those!
DeleteSo grateful for this list--our now 1st grader will be so excited to have so many books in her repertoire now and as she gets older! Also, so glad to see Chuck Black's books in the list! We got to chat with him a little bit at our state's homeschool convention this last year and he will be the keynote at this years so I'm excited to hear more from his heart....and then begin delving into his books in the years to come with our kiddos. GREAT LIST! Keep 'em coming!
ReplyDeleteHe was at our convention too! You'll have lots of wonderful years of literary adventures ahead with your daughter!
DeleteThanks Jamie, I appreciate the list. My 10-yr old daughter also enjoys a bit of fantasy so this will be a useful resource.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this list! My children and I loveThe Little Pilgrims Progress! I came across a Christian series at a local christian bookstore not too long ago. It's called "Epic Order of the Seven" you can find info at epicorderoftheseven.net. we have not read any of these but we plan on reading though some of these this school year. The books seem to be good literature and are "meaty" with more than 400 pages per book. Another great book series is "the imagination station" series. These are fantasy type books with a bit of history and adventure. They are easy chapter books geared more for younger children. My children are going into grades 5th and 6th and still enjoy reading them for pleasure! They are stories based from the radio show "Adventures in Odyssey" for children of all ages, more info at whitsend.org. these are great especially for children who enjoy listening to audible stories, while also teaching moral values. My daughter who is now 11 years old loves listening and has been listening to them since she was just 3 years old. They also have another book series called "Passages" by Paul McCusker, who is one of the writers for the radio broadcast. I think this series may be geared towards tweens/ teens. We have not read through these but may be reading through these soon! Thanks again, look forward to more of your recommendations! :)
ReplyDeleteYes, my kids like the imagination station series too. They are nice, quick reads. Thank you for the other suggestions. I'll have to look into all of those!
DeleteEpic Order of the Seven is what ignited my 9 year old love for reading. It was her first big chapter book and she fell in love with the characters, and learned history and Biblical stories along the way. Highly highly recommend!
DeleteMy daughter enjoyed that series when it first came out. I had completely forgotten about it. Thanks for the reminder!
DeleteYay! As a tween momma, homeschooler, and tween author, I love this list! Check out my series, The Books of the Gardener (Boone: The Ordinary, Boone:The Forgotten, and Boone: The Sanctified)! I think your Narnia readers will really enjoy them! www.TheBooksOfTheGardener.com
ReplyDeleteOne of my all time favourite fantasy series is the Chronicles of Prydain, by Lloyd Alexander. They are about a boy, Taran, who is an assistant pig keeper but wants to be a hero. He has many adventures, and learns the true nature of heroism. His friends and companions are funny and endearing, and they are great coming of age stories. There is some discussion of evil, and some battle scenes, so you might want to preread if you have sensitive kids, but good overcomes evil and the evil is never celebrated or exalted.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this list! My daughter also loves this genre, and I love having ideas for her! One series that we have loved is The Archives of Anthropos series. http://www.christianbook.com/archives-of-anthropos-series-volumes-1/john-white/pd/55459X?event=ESRCN
ReplyDeleteMiddle school age is such a hard age, until we find something that works (interests) our children to read �� My son has been into mystery. Whatever works, as long as it’s not ‘smutt’ or something with mature or inappropriate ideas.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing with us! Hope to see you again soon.
Thank you for this list! Do you have age recommendations for them by chance?
ReplyDeleteWhat are the age ranges of your kids? Do you plan on reading them out loud together or letting your kids read them solo?
DeleteI was a little surprised you did not have John white on your list.
ReplyDeleteOur oldest is 6 but loves to read. We are just beginning to read the Narnia series with her and then she re-reads it once we're done because she is enjoying it so much.
ReplyDeleteWe usually read books we're interested in with her :) or ones that need editing for content, but if it's a trustworthy book that isn't high on our list, we let her read it on her own. For instance, we read the first few Boxcar children and Imagination Station books with her, but now she's reading the rest of the series on her own.
The Green Ember is now a Trilogy- the 2nd and 3rd are as good as the first!
ReplyDeleteYes, we've read and enjoyed them! Thanks for reminding me of these titles.
DeleteWe have listened to the Wingfeather Saga and all of the Green Ember series and loved them! Looking forward to listening to others on this list while we travel!
ReplyDeleteHope you enjoy them!
DeleteShocked to see that I recognize every book/series except the last two series! Great choices; I recommend them to anyone who needs a good book to read! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for weighing in. This post is several years old and since then, I've found so many other great ones to add to the list.
DeleteHave you heard of the Dragons in our Midst series by Bryan Davis? I've heard good things about them but haven't looked into them much myself.
ReplyDeleteNo, I've not heard of that series.
DeleteMy daughter loves the Adventures of Max and Liz Book Siri which is also Christian Fiction
ReplyDeleteI highly recommend The Elk King by Jenn Discher which was published this spring. It is amazing and all the reviews on Amazon are accurate - it reminded me and my kids of Narnia and Green Ember!
ReplyDeleteThank you I'm really grateful I found this list. I would add Prince Warriors by Priscilla Shirer to the list.
ReplyDeleteI love Christian fantasy! What a great compilation.
ReplyDeleteCheck out Branded by Joseph T. Humphrey.
It’s my favorite book! A review on Amazon calls it “The Matrix meets the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.” It’s a contemporary fantasy/supernatural thriller YA novel, but it’s for adults also. It has high-wire tension, deep-hearted emotion, and Christian underpinnings.
https://www.amazon.com/Branded-Forgotten-Joseph-T-Humphrey/dp/1955729018/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
Great stuff, we homeschooled our kids years ago. We even had my systematics professor, James I. Packer come and read Pilgrim's Progress to our young kids. So cool. His british accent was perfect. Can I make a shameless pitch? Check out my award-winning Narnia-esque series Kingdom Quest. www.drbillsenyard.com. Thanks.
ReplyDelete