Top 10 Young-Adult fantasy books

Thomas Ward is the seventh son of a seventh son and has been apprenticed to the local Spook. The job is hard, the spook is distant and many apprentices have failed before him. Somehow Thomas must learn how to exorcise ghosts, contain witches and bind boggarts. But when he is tricked into freeing Mother Malkin, the most evil witch in the Country, the horror begins…

The Spook's Apprentice: No.1 (Amazon.co.uk)

Author: Joseph Delaney
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 336
Publication date: 2005-06-30
Publisher: Red Fox

RRP: £5.99
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When Pepper Roux was born his aunt foretold that he would not live past 14 years of age. Throughout his childhood his parents haven't bothered with him much, knowing that his life would be short-lived. So when Pepper wakes up on his 14th birthday he knows this will be the day that he'll die. But as the day wears on, and Pepper finds himself still alive, he decides to set off to sea in an attempt to try and avoid death for as long as possible. As time goes on Pepper steps into many roles and personas and has numerous outrageous adventures. But can he stay one step ahead of death? Or will fate catch up with him? And, if he does live, which of his many lives will he choose to adopt? This riot of a story is a wonderful adventure, and Pepper is an unforgettable character who stays with you long after his story has been told.

The Death Defying Pepper Roux (Amazon.co.uk)

Author: Geraldine McCaughrean
Binding: Hardcover
Number of pages: 256
Publication date: 2009-10-01
Publisher: OUP Oxford

RRP: £12.99
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Ella is given a blessing at birth by a very stupid fairy: She gets the gift of obedience! but the blessing turns into a horror for Ella who literally has to do what anyone and everyone tells her, from sweeping the floor to giving up a precious necklace! She has to battle with ogres and wicked stepsisters, make friends and loose them, and even deny she loves her Prince Char to save his life and his kingdom. The story overthrows the stereotypes of the original Cinderella when Ella breaks the curse -- not the prince -- saving not only herself, but Prince Char as well. And Ella rejects his proposal of marriage, at least until she decides herself to propose to him! And the curse is only broken because she's said 'No!' rather than 'Yes!'.

Ella Enchanted (Amazon.co.uk)

Author: Gail Carson Levine
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 240
Publication date: 2000-09-04
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books

RRP: £5.99
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‘Who is Charlie Keeper?’ is the shockingly paced fantasy novel that tells the tale of Charlie, an iron-willed, twelve year old girl suffering an unjust and unhappy fate. Forced to flee her home in the gloomy, rain-drenched landscape of London by a bloodthirsty and terrifying new foe, she escapes to the vibrant, parallel land of Bellania with nothing more than her common sense and razor-sharp wits to keep her safe. Bellania, a land of myth, magic and marauding giants with bad attitude and poor anger management.

Who Is Charlie Keeper? (Amazon.co.uk)

Author: Marcus Alexander
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 387
Publication date: 2008-07-11
Publisher: Marcus Alexander Publishing

RRP: £6.99
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The final installment in the 'His Dark Material' trilogy brings together religion: original sin, the afterlife, God; and science: quantum physics, chaos theory; together with theology: man is the maker of his own destiny and ultimately therefore his destruction, in a cataclysmic finale that is as gripping as it is heart-wrenching. Lyra must travel to the Land of the Dead to once again rescue her friend Roger, whilst Will must first rescue her from the clutches of Mrs Coulter. It is during this rescue attempt that the subtle knife is broken and it is Iorek Byrnison that must repair it, but at what price? Lord Asriel continues to wage war on The Authority who it now appears is a senile old man, over thrown by his right hand angel Metatron. A great war is brewing and it is upon her arrest by the Magisterium, who have lost all faith in Mrs Coulter, that she aligns herself with with Lyra's father in the battle to overthrow the church and preserve the true purpose of Dust. Whilst these events unfold it is the character of Mary Malone, a scientist from Will's world that Lyra enlists to help in her continuing search for the meaning of Dust, who travels through the original window Will found in The Subtle Knife, and after a long journey finds herself in the land of the Mulefa.

The Amber Spyglass (His Dark Materials) (Amazon.co.uk)

Author: Philip Pullman
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 368
Publication date: 2007-03-05
Publisher: Scholastic

RRP: £8.99
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Philip Pullman brings The Amber Spyglass to the spellbinding His Dark Materials sequence, which dazzles everyone who reads it, children and adults alike. After the original Northern Lights, he kept up the quality in The Subtle Knife, the second title in the trilogy. Now he brings the series to an extraordinary conclusion. Will and Lyra, the two children at the heart of the books, have become separated amidst great dangers. Can they find each other, and their friends? Then complete their mysterious quest before it's too late? The great rebellion against the dark powers that hold Lyra's world, and many others, in thrall is nearing its climax. She and Will have crucial parts to play, but they don't know what it is that they must do, and terrible powers are hunting them down.

The pace of the book is compelling, the writing powerful. Pullman's plotting is intricate and cunning, surprising the reader again and again. Perhaps what is most striking of all, however, is the depth of the characterisation. Lord Asriel, Mrs Coulter, Iorek Byrnison the king of the armoured bears, a host of minor characters, most of all Will and Lyra themselves: the book is a library of beautifully drawn, remarkably convincing characters walking in worlds of marvels.

In this volume the cosmic dimensions of the story become more prominent, as a great conflict across many universes comes to a head--how well the narrative sustains such immensely weighty resonances is a question critics may well disagree on. The author's beliefs also come more into the open, and with them a polemic anti-religious theme that will please some readers and alienate others.

Philip Pullman's writing commands immense respect; more than that, it is raising the profile of the best children's books among adults, as demanding critics of all ages fall in love with this remarkable trilogy. --David Pickering
Amazon.co.uk Review

Lirael and Sameth have reached the safety of the Abhorsens House after fleeing from Necromancer Hedge and his dead minions. Now trapped by his agent Chlorr and many Dead Hands, Lirael and Sam must find a way to warn the King and Abhorsen of the mounting danger their subjects face in the Old Kingdom and the real threat this new evil 'The Destroyer' will bring to every living thing. Together with Mogget and The Disreputable Dog, Lirael and Sam must find a way to save Sam's friend Nick, now an unwitting puppet of Hedge, and the Southerling refugees from a fate much worse than death. Our heroine must also face her past as well as her future if she is to succeed in her quest to put an end to this very grave foe who's only desire is to end all life and the Charter itself.

Abhorsen (Amazon.co.uk)

Author: Garth Nix
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 400
Publication date: 2005-01-03
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books

RRP: £6.99
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The third book in Garth Nix's Abhorsen trilogy is everything it promised to be and everything it could ever have been, coming as it did after Sabriel and Lirael--two of the most riveting fantasy novels in recent years. More a continuation of Lirael than Sabriel, which was set 20 years before it's sequel, Abhorsen nevertheless completes this outstanding sequence of books with considerable style and a consistent quality of prose that is enviable and to be admired.

The book opens in the Abhorsen's house in the Old Kingdom where Lirael, the Abhorsen-in-waiting and Prince Sameth, Sabriel's heir, are contemplating their next manoeuvre. They are surrounded on all sides by the dead, marshalled into action by Chlorr of the Mask--a Greater Dead in league with the necromancer Hedge. He in turn is working towards the resurrection of Orannis, the Destroyer. With no word from Sabriel or King Touchstone, the situation is perilous. The Old Kingdom and its neighbouring Ancelstierre are in political turmoil, unaware of the menace that is about to be unleashed from it's subterranean prison.

With the expert company of the Disreputable Dog and mysterious cat Mogget, both wielders of powerful free magic, Lirael and Sam must escape in order to save all Life from doom. Their subsequent trek across these magical lands is perilous and spectacular. and not without a high cost.

Volumes one and two of this altogether thrilling saga are essential reading before attempting to grapple with Abhorsen. Nix's worlds are complex and rich and his characters many and multi-dimensional. From the unexpectedly devastating prologue, through to the nail-biting dénouement, the author demonstrates just how at home he is in this genre. His imagination is raw and exciting, and his novels don't get much better than this. (Age 10 and over) --John McLay
Amazon.co.uk Review

The Spook’s Mistake is the fifth book in The Wardstone Chronicles, a series of novels for young-adults written by Joseph Delaney. As danger increases in the Country, Tom is sent north by his master to be trained by Bill Arkwright, another spook. Arkwright lives in a haunted mill on the edge if a treacherous marsh and his training methods are harsh. He has toughened up many previous apprentices though and now must do the same for Tom.

The Spook's Mistake (Wardstone Chronicles) (Amazon.co.uk)

Author: Joseph Delaney
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 480
Publication date: 2009-06-04
Publisher: Red Fox

RRP: £5.99
Lowest new price: £1.59
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Northern Lights is the first part of Philip Pullman's acclaimed Dark Materials trilogy. The book was first published in 1995, a year in which the book also claimed the Carnegie Award.

Northern Lights (His Dark Materials) (Amazon.co.uk)

Author: Philip Pullman
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 448
Publication date: 2007-03-05
Publisher: Scholastic

RRP: £7.99
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Lyra's life is already sufficiently interesting for a novel before she eavesdrops on a presentation by her uncle Lord Asriel to his colleagues in the Jordan College faculty, Oxford. The college, famed for its leadership in experimental theology, is funding Lord Asriel's research into the heretical possibility of the existence of worlds unlike Lyra's own, where everyone is born with a familiar animal companion, magic of a kind works, the Tartars are threatening to overrun Muscovy, and the Pope is a puritanical Protestant. Set in an England familiar and strange, Philip Pullman's lively, taut story is a must-read and re-read for fantasy lovers of all ages. The world-building is outstanding, from the subtle hints of the 1898 Tokay to odd quirks of language to the panserbjorne, while determined, clever Lyra is strongly reminiscent of Joan Aiken's Dido Twite.
Amazon.co.uk Review

The sequel to Northern Lights, this is the second book in the 'His Dark Materials' Trilogy and introduces the character of Will Parry, a young boy who lives in Oxford (our world) with his ailing and increasingly confused mother and now on the run from a number of 'men in black' who seem to be searching for some letters sent from his missing explorer father, whom Will and his mother has not seen or heard from for years. After a scuffle with these mystery men, when they break into Will's home, one of the agents is accidentally killed and now Will must run for his life and try to find his father in order to help him and his mother. With his mother placed in the care of his old piano teacher Will ventures off and soon stumbles across a window to another world. Cittigazze is the City he stumbles across; but all is not well here, the place is deserted apart from a small, wild band of children who talk of spectres chasing away the adults. It is here he meets Lyra Belacqua, our heroine from the first book, who has traveled through the window from her world through the Northern Lights. Lyra has her Althiometer stolen and must retrieve something call the Subtle Knife in order to get it back. It soon becomes clear her and Will's meeting is not merely coincidence as Will becomes the successor to the previous owner of the Subtle Knife, which was made and resides in the City of Citigazze and is the key to opening an infinite number of windows to an infinite number of other worlds. Now they must find Will's father in order to put things right in Will's world and help his mother, but Mrs Coulter, who Lyra has already learnt is her real but not naturally maternal mother, has other plans for Lyra and is determined to destroy her. With the help of the witches and now also angels, Will and Lyra set off on this new and very dangerous quest.

The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials): His Dark Materials 2 (Amazon.co.uk)

Author: Philip Pullman
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 368
Publication date: 2007-03-05
Publisher: Scholastic

RRP: £7.99
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At the end of The Northern Lights, Lyra Silvertongue watched in fear and fascination as her father, Lord Asriel, created a bridge between worlds. Lyra and her daemon, Pantalaimon, are now lost in an alternate universe where they meet Will Parry, a fugitive from a third universe. Will has found a small window between Cittagazze (a place where children roam unchecked but invisible Specters suck the spirit out of adults) and his Oxford, which, with its Burger Kings and cars, is frighteningly different from the Oxford Lyra knows.

Will's father, an explorer, disappeared years ago, but recently some odd characters have started asking questions about him, and now, having accidentally killed one of them, Will is wanted by the police. Armed with the Subtle Knife, a tool that cuts any material (including that which separates universes) and Lyra's alethiometer, the children set out to find John Parry, with adults of various stripes in desperate pursuit.

Lyra's finest qualities, her courage and quick mind, are stretched to the limit as she has to lie, cheat and steal to keep herself and Will out of danger. However, she must also learn when to tell the truth and when to trust, for, though she does not yet know it, she has a huge part to play in the upcoming battle between Good and Evil.
Amazon.co.uk Review

The Prophecy Keepers is the first in a series of five fantasy books written for young adults by highly promising new author Melaine Bryant. The story covers five months in the life of Lisandra Ackart; five months that see her embark on a journey of discovery and magical adventure that will delight and thrill readers in equal measure. The opening chapters of The Prophecy Keepers are excellent: the scene is set; the characters introduced and the story begins to unfold with admirable patience.

The Prophecy Keepers (Amazon.co.uk)

Author: Melaine Bryant
Binding: Hardcover
Number of pages: 320
Publication date: 2008-11-28
Publisher: Empyrean Hill Books

RRP: £16.99
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Book View Cafe is a cooperative site created by a group of writers - including internationally renowned authors Katharine Kerr, Ursula Le Guin and Vonda N. McIntyre - who want to take advantage of the internet's possibilities for reaching a wider audience and to distribute their work directly to their readers. The Book View Cafe is a place where you can find free, original fiction plus the authors' best and out-of-print work for a fee. Fantasy Book Review spoke to Book View Cafe member, science fiction author and memoirist Chris Dolley in February 2010.

Lewis Carroll, the elusive author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, has been the subject of enduring fascination for the past hundred years. The destruction of many major documents about his personal life by his descendants has only magnified the mystery. Jenny Woolf's biography, published to coincide with the release of the new Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland film, lays waste to the myths and suspicions that have obscured Carroll's reputation by placing him firmly in the context of his own time.