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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Fantasy for 8 to 12 Year Olds: Giants, Journeys, and Other Imaginings

Compiled by Merri 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, and are at a reading and interest level suitable to children between the ages of eight and twelve. Books were placed in the thematic category where they were thought to fit best, but many would be appropriate in multiple categories. The age range for all the books includes a portion of the eight- to twelve-year-old window, but some extend below the younger end for independent reading, others could be read aloud to children under the age of eight, and several will appeal to young teenagers as well as children. In the case of series, we've listed only the first title in the series.

Quests and Quandaries

The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge
by Anderson, M. T. and Eugene Yelchin
Illustrated by Eugene Yelchin. Candlewick, 2018. 483 pages. Ages 10-14

The Inquisitor's Tale Or, Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog
by Gidwitz, Adam
Illustrated by Hatem Aly. Dutton, 2016. 363 pages. Ages 9-12

The Worlds We Leave Behind
by Harrold, A. F.
Illustrated by Levi Pinfold. Bloomsbury, 2023. 241 pages. Ages 9-13

Lalani of the Distant Sea
by Kelly, Erin Entrada
Greenwillow/HarperCollins, 2019. 384 pages. Ages 8-12

Peasprout Chen: Future Legend of Skate and Sword
by Lien, Henry
Henry Holt, 2018. 330 pages. Ages 9-12

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
by Lin, Grace
Little, Brown, 2009. 278 pages. Ages 8-11

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky (Tristan Strong, #1)
by Mbalia, Kwame
Disney/Hyperion/Rick Riordan Presents, 2019. 482 pages. Ages 9-13

Splinter & Ash (#1)
by Nijkamp, Marieke
Greenwillow/HarperCollins, 2024. 343 pages. Ages 9-13

Windswept
by Preus, Margi
Abrams/Amulet, 2022. 291 pages. Ages 10-13

Race to the Sun
by Roanhorse, Rebecca
Disney/Hyperion/Rick Riordan Presents, 2020. 298 pages. Ages 8-12

Impossible Creatures (#1)
by Rundell, Katherine
Illustrated by Ashley Mackenzie. Knopf/Random House, 2024. 358 pages. Ages 8-12

The Dreamweavers
by Schmidt, G. Z.
Holiday House, 2021. 261 pages. Ages 8-11

Magical Mayhem

The Memory Thief (Thirteen Witches, #1)
by Anderson, Jodi Lynn
Aladdin/Simon & Schuster, 2021. 328 pages. Ages 8-12

Elf Dog & Owl Head
by Anderson, M. T.
Illustrated by Junyi Wu. Candlewick, 2023. 229 pages. Ages 8-11

Dragons in a Bag
by Elliott, Zetta
Illustrated by Geneva B. Random House, 2018. 154 pages. Ages 7-10

Begone the Raggedy Witches (The Wild Magic Trilogy, #1)
by Kiernan, Celine
Candlewick, 2018. 270 pages. Ages 9-12

The House with a Dragon in It
by Lake, Nick
Illustrated by Emily Gravett. Simon & Schuster, 2024. 242 pages. Ages 9-12

Akata Warrior (Nsbidi Scripts, #3)
by Okorafor, Nnedi
Viking, 2017. 477 pages. Ages 10-13

Ikenga
by Okorafor, Nnedi
Penguin Random House/Viking, 2020. 227 pages. Ages 8-11

Spell & Spindle
by Schusterman, Michelle
Illustrated by Kathrin Honesta. Random House, 2018. 255 pages. Ages 9-12

The Callers
by Thomas, Kiah
Chronicle, 2022. 223 pages. Ages 8-10

The Language of Spells
by Weyr, Garret
Illustrated by Katie Harnett. Chronicle, 2018. 299 pages. Ages 8-12

Twists on Reality

Gregor the Overlander
by Collins, Suzanne
Scholastic Press, 2003. 310 pages. Ages 9-14

A Game of Noctis
by Fagan, Deva
Atheneum/Simon & Schuster, 2024. 310 pages. Ages 9-13

Dear Mothman
by Gow, Robin
Abrams/Amulet, 2023. Ages 9-12

One Jar of Magic
by Haydu, Corey Ann
HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books, 2021. 333 pages. Ages 8-12

Sal & Gabi Break the Universe
by Hernandez, Carlos
Disney/Hyperion/Rick Riordan Presents, 2019. 382 pages. Ages 10-13

The Button Box
by Hodder, Bridget and Fawzia Gilani-Williams
Kar-Ben, 2022. 142 pages. Ages 7-10

Temple Alley Summer
by Kashiwaba, Sachiko
Illustrated by Miho Satake. Translated by Avery Fischer Udagawa. Restless/Yonder, 2021. 232 pages. Ages 8-12

The Time of Green Magic
by McKay, Hilary
Margaret K. McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster, 2020. 229 pages. Ages 9-12

Da Vinci's Cat
by Murdock, Catherine Gilbert
Greenwillow/HarperCollins, 2021. 278 pages. Ages 9-12

The Witch of Woodland
by Snyder, Laurel
HarperCollins/Walden Pond, 2023. 290 pages. Ages 9-12

A Wish in the Dark
by Soontornvat, Christina
Candlewick, 2020. 375 pages. Ages 9-12

Ghostly Shivers and Spine-Tingling Tales

Putuguq & Kublu and the Qalupalik!
by Akulukjuk, Roselynn and Danny Christopher
Illustrated by Astrid Arijanto. Inhabit Media, 2019. 39 pages. Ages 5-8

The Girl and the Ghost
by Alkaf, Hanna
Harper/HarperCollins, 2020. 275 pages. Ages 9-12

Small Spaces
by Arden, Katherine
Penguin Random House/Putnam, 2018. 218 pages. Ages 9-12

The Swallow: A Ghost Story
by Cotter, Charis
Tundra, 2014. 318 pages. Ages 9-12

Fake Blood
by Gardner, Whitney
Illustrated by Whitney Gardner. Simon & Schuster, 2018. 332 pages. Ages 10-14

Island of Whispers
by Hardinge, Frances
Illustrated by Emily Gravett. Abrams/Amulet, 2024. 107 pages. Ages 9-12

Ophie's Ghosts
by Ireland, Justina
Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins, 2021. 325 pages. Ages 8-12

Root Magic
by Royce, Eden
HarperCollins/Walden Pond, 2021. 336 pages. Ages 8-12

The Creepening of Dogwood House
by Royce, Eden
HarperCollins/Walden Pond, 2024. 257 pages. Ages 9-12

Hoodoo
by Smith, Ronald L.
Clarion, 2015. 208 pages. Ages 9-12

Extraordinary Animals

Hamra and the Jungle of Memories
by Alkaf, Hanna
Harper/HarperCollins, 2023. 390 pages. Ages 9-12

The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp
by Appelt, Kathi
Atheneum, 2013. 326 pages. Ages 8-11

Malcolm at Midnight
by Beck, W.H.
Illustrated by Brian Lies. Houghton Mifflin , 2012. 265 pages. Ages 7-10

Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures
by DiCamillo, Kate
Illustrated by K. G. Campbell. Candlewick, 2013. 240 pages. Ages 8-10

Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer
by Jones, Kelly
Illustrated by Katie Kath. Alfred A. Knopf, 2015. 216 pages. Ages 8-11

Cress Watercress
by Maguire, Gregory
Illustrated by David Litchfield. Candlewick, 2022. 216 pages. Ages 4-9

Nuts to You
by Perkins, Lynne Rae
Greenwillow/HarperCollins, 2014. 259 pages. Ages 6-9

Violet & Jobie in the Wild
by Perkins, Lynne Rae
Illustrated by Lynne Rae Perkins. Greenwillow/HarperCollins, 2022. 227 pages. Ages 7-11

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.