CCBC booklist are compiled from books we have recommended in various editions of CCBC Choices. Most of these booklists are updated annually. You can also select books from one or more booklists to create a custom list, which can also include additional books from the CCBC-Recommended Book Search.
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Fantastic Fiction: Great Fantasy Books for Ages 11 to 17
©2025, 2005 Cooperative Children's Book Center
Compiled by Merri V. Lindgren and Megan Schliesman
Book selection for this bibliography was driven by subject matter, literary quality, and age range. The titles included all fit somewhere within the wide scope of the fantasy genre.
Most of the book in this bibliography have been classified into one of the following categories, although many of the titles could easily fit into more than one:
- Journeys, Quests and Discoveries
- Magic and Mayhem
- Fairy Tales Reconsidered
- Reality with a Twist
- Historical Imaginings
- Superheroes & Superpowers
In cases of series (e.g. “Sea of Ink and Gold”), we have only listed the first book.
Looking for ideas for younger readers? Check out Fantasy for 8 to 12 Year Olds: Giants, Journeys, and Other Imaginings. Looking for speculative or science fiction? Check out Possibilities: Selected Speculative and Science Fiction for Children and Teens.
Journeys, Quests, and Discoveries
The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge
by Anderson, M. T. and Eugene Yelchin
Illustrated by Eugene Yelchin.
Candlewick, 2018. 483 pages. Ages 10-14
The Hedgewitch of Foxhall
by Bright, Anna
HarperCollins/HarperTeen, 2024. 389 pages. Age 13 and older
The Reader (Sea of Ink and Gold, #1)
by Chee, Traci
Putnam, 2016. 442 pages. Age 13 and older
The Isles of the Gods (Isles of the Gods #1)
by Kaufman, Amie
Alfred A. Knopf/Random House, 2023. 456 pages. Age 12 and older
Dragonfruit
by Lucier, Makiia
Clarion/HarperCollins, 2024. 356 pages. Age 12 and older
Splinter & Ash (#1)
by Nijkamp, Marieke
Greenwillow/HarperCollins, 2024. 343 pages. Ages 9-13
Black Bird, Blue Road
by Pasternack, Sofiya
HarperCollins/Versify, 2022. 313 pages. Ages 9-12
Squire
by Shammas, Nadia
Illustrated by Sara Alfageeh.
HarperAlley/HarperCollins/Quill Tree, 2022. 302 pages. Age 11 and older
The Last Mapmaker
by Soontornvat, Christina
Candlewick, 2022. 359 pages. Ages 9-13
Magic and Mayhem
The In-Between
by Ansari, Rebecca K. S.
HarperCollins/Walden Pond, 2021. 311 pages. Ages 9-13
The Cruel Prince (Folk of the Air, #1)
by Black, Holly
Little, Brown, 2018. 370 pages. Age 12 and older
A Game of Noctis
by Fagan, Deva
Atheneum/Simon & Schuster, 2024. 310 pages. Ages 9-13
Unraveller
by Hardinge, Frances
Abrams/Amulet, 2023. 423 pages. Age 12 and older
Ever Cursed
by Haydu, Corey Ann
Simon & Schuster/Simon Pulse, 2020. 298 pages. Age 13 and older
Divine Mortals (Divine Mortals, #1)
by Helander, Amanda M.
Buena Vista/Hyperion, 2024. 338 pages. Age 14 and older
Raybearer
by Ifueko, Jordan
Abrams/Amulet, 2020. 343 pages. Age 12 and older
The Maid and the Crocodile
by Ifueko, Jordan
Abrams/Amulet, 2024. 280 pages. Age 12 and older
Don't Call the Wolf
by Ross, Aleksandra
HarperCollins/HarperTeen, 2020. 504 pages. Age 12 and older
Impossible Creatures (#1)
by Rundell, Katherine
Illustrated by Ashley Mackenzie.
Knopf/Random House, 2024. 358 pages. Ages 8-12
Fairy Tales Reconsidered
Legendborn (#1)
by Deonn, Tracy
Margaret K. McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster, 2020. 501 pages. Age 13 and older
Stepsister
by Donnelly, Jennifer
Scholastic Press, 2019. 342 pages. Age 12 and older
Beastkeeper
by Hellisen, Cat
Henry Holt, 2015. 197 pages. Ages 11-14
Spindle
by Johnston, E. K.
Hyperion, 2016. 355 pages. Age 13 and older
A Thousand Nights
by Johnston, E. K.
Hyperion, 2015. 325 pages. Age 13 and older
Ash
by Lo, Malinda
Little, Brown, 2009. 264 pages. Age 13 and older
Greymist Fair
by Zappia, Francesca
Illustrated by Julia Iredale.
Greenwillow/HarperCollins, 2023. 314 pages. Age 12 and older
Reality with a Twist
Munmun
by Andrews, Jesse
Abrams/Amulet, 2018. 404 pages. Age 12 and older
The Leaf Reader
by Arsenault, Emily
Soho Teen, 2017. 240 pages. Age 13 and older
The Accident Season
by Fowley-Doyle, Moira
Kathy Dawson Books/Penguin, 2015. 291 pages. Age 13 and older
Summer of Salt
by Leno, Katrina
HarperTeen, 2018. 256 pages. Age 13 and older
You Must Not Miss
by Leno, Katrina
Little, Brown, 2019. 294 pages. Age 14 and older
Once There Was
by Monsef, Kiyash
Simon & Schuster, 2023. 406 pages. Age 12 and older
The Rest of Us Just Live Here
by Ness, Patrick
HarperCollins, 2015. 317 pages. Age 13 and older
Burn
by Ness, Patrick
HarperCollins/HarperTeen, 2020. 371 pages. Age 14 and older
An Arrow to the Moon
by Pan, Emily X. R.
Little, Brown, 2022. 391 pages. Age 14 and older
Bittersweet in the Hollow
by Pearsall, Kate
Penguin Random House/Putnam, 2023. 373 pages. Age 13 and older
Bone Gap
by Ruby, Laura
Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins, 2015. 345 pages. Age 14 and older
Cemetery Boys
by Thomas, Aiden
Macmillan/Swoon Reads, 2020. 352 pages. Age 14 and older
Historical Imaginings
Lovely War
by Berry, Julie
Penguin Random House/Viking, 2019. 468 pages. Age 14 and older
The Robber Girl
by Billingsley, Franny
Candlewick, 2021. 404 pages. Ages 9-13
The Book of Pearl
by de Fombelle, Timothee
Translated by Sarah Ardizzone and Sam Gordon.
Candlewick, 2018. 355 pages. Age 12 and older
My Lady Jane
by Hand, Cynthia and Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows
HarperCollins/HarperTeen, 2016. 491 pages. Age 12 and older
Steeplejack
by Hartley, A. J.
Tom Doherty Associates/Tor Teen, 2016. 334 pages. Age 12 and older
Rust in the Root
by Ireland, Justina
Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins, 2022. 439 pages. Age 13 and older
The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea
by Tokuda-Hall, Maggie
Candlewick, 2020. 357 pages. Age 12 and older
Superheroes & Superpowers
Wonder Woman: Warbringer
by Bardugo, Leigh
Random House, 2017. 369 pages. Age 11 and older
A Little Bit Super: With Small Powers Come Big Problems
by Cartaya, Pablo and Nikki Grimes, Leah Henderson, Jarrett J. Krosoczka, Remy Lai, Kyle Lukoff, Meg Medina, Daniel Nayeri, Linda Sue Park, Mitali Perkins, Pam Munoz Ryan, Gary D. Schmidt, Brian Young, Ibi Zoboi
Clarion/HarperCollins, 2024. 278 pages. Ages 9-12
How to Date a Superhero (And Not Die Trying)
by Fernandez, Cristina
HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books, 2022. 403 pages. Age 12 and older
The Gilded Ones (#1)
by Forna, Namina
Delacorte/Penguin Random House, 2021. 418 pages. Age 12 and older
Not Your Sidekick
by Lee, C. B.
Interlude, 2016. 283 pages. Age 12 and older
Elatsoe
by Little Badger, Darcie
Illustrated by Rovina Cai.
Levine Querido, 2020. 360 pages. Age 12 and older
Miles Morales: Spider-Man
by Reynolds, Jason
Marvel, 2017. 261 pages. Age 11 and older
The Shadow Hero
by Yang, Gene Luen
Illustrated by Sonny Liew.
First Second/Roaring Brook, 2014. 158 pages. Age 14 and older
Superman Smashes the Klan
by Yang, Gene Luen
Illustrated by Gurihiru.
DC Comics, 2020. 239 pages. Age 11 and older
Can’t find what you’re looking for? Our Recommended Book Search includes access to CCBC-recommended titles based on subject headings created by our staff.
Please send questions or comments about CCBC booklists to ccbcinfo@education.wisc.edu.