Best Young Adult Fantasy Books

Bartimaeus Sequence (Bartimaeus Sequence)

by Stroud, Jonathan

If you're fed up with books that take themselves too seriously, Jonathan Stroud's debut series is a great place to find a break. His style is of a casual, comedic tone, with heavy doses of cynicism and sarcasm. It's l...

Everlost (Skinjacker) Start here

by Shusterman, Neal

The souls of children (aged 5-15) who die become afterlights and wander the Earth eternally.

The premise of this novel completely redefines the boundaries of young adult fantasy. Told from the perspective of individuals stuck in a 'limbo' between life and death, Shusterman's work is set in the strange new wor...

Watership Down: A Novel (Watership Down) Start here

by Adams, Richard

On one level a classic tale of adventure, with anthropomorphized rabbit characters. On another level, it is an epic struggle between tyranny and freedom.

Yes, we're talking about that book about bunnies. No, we haven't lost our minds. Take note: This isn't a children's book, despite it being about fluffy animals. If you've read Watership Down, you'll understand it's on th...

Abhorsen Trilogy (Abhorsen)

by Nix, Garth

A dark epic fantasy tale about a girl who will go into the land of the dead to save her father. It's an exciting adventure that's also scary. Nix is a talented author who has an excellent command of the English language...

The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials) Start here

by Pullman, Philip

This series follows two world hopping children through fateful adventures as they try to save the world—all of them. Mysterious, heroic, magical, breathtaking, this trilogy has lots to offer.

A young girl's journey of magic and discovery that will take her to the ends of the earth...and beyond.  His Dark Materials is a modern classic that can be enjoyed by old and young alike; This is "Narnia" for the 21st ce...

The Graveyard Book

by Gaiman, Neil

Raised by ghosts in a graveyard, a boy must face the living world, in Gaiman's warm and eerie fairy tale.

Gaiman is one of the biggest names in modern fantasy, and for good reason. His ability to craft fairytale-like, lyrical stories is almost unparalleled. With The Graveyard Book, he goes a little outside of that norm, p...

The Hero And The Crown (Damar)

by Mckinley, Robin

A classic book that features many recognizable Fantasy tropes: royalty, romance, enchantment, dragons, war.

Aerin is shy, clumsy, ugly, and mistrusted by the people she is supposed to rule. She is ridiculed for being the daughter of a witch with none of her witchy powers, and even when she eventually becomes a Dragon-Killer...

Spook's Apprentice (The Last Apprentice / Wardstone Chronicles) Start here

by Delaney, Joseph

A seventh son is apprenticed to the Spook, who protects the county from witches, ghosts and boggarts.

A fantastic story about a young boy training to be an exorcist in a land where dark things roam the night.One of the best modern children's tales I've read. This one is scary folks, probably one of the scariest books I'v...

Chronicles Of Narnia (The Chronicles Of Narnia)

by Lewis, C. S.

In the first book of this series a wardrobe serves as the portal to the magical land of Narnia.

Nearly half a century ago, fantasy was dividing into two fantasy worlds: Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia. Narnia has entertained generations of children and continues to do so even to thi...

The Thief Of Always

by Barker, Clive

A tale for the ages: a young boy, unhappy with his life, desires to live in a place free from any responsibilities. He finds that place through a creepy tunnel of mist in the form of a quaint little house run by an elder...

Harry Potter

by Rowling, J. K.

This incredibly popular series is a story of an alternate world, a secret world of wizardy that exists within our own, but seems ever so vast.

Yes, everyone has probably read this. In fact, these these may have been the books that got you started reading fantasy in the first place. These books do make for a good read and as the series progresses, the plot...

Leviathan (Leviathan) Start here

by Westerfeld, Scott

Westerfeld takes today's futuristic visions of cyborgs and genetically engineered creatures and puts them into WWI.

A steampunk fantasy with a lot of oomph to it. It’s an alternative history story, one that merges the period history of World War 1 events with a fantastical world where there are airships made from bioengineered creatur...

Incarceron (Incarceron) Start here

by Fisher, Catherine

One of the more unique tales. It's the story about a young boy trapped in a brutal and mysterious prison, where humans eke out a survival-level existence and are hunted by the prison itself, which seems to be a living en...

The Dark Is Rising (The Dark Is Rising)

by Cooper, Susan

Harry Potter did the English magician story very well, but it also overshadowed some incredible books with similar settings. Will is a chosen one of sorts, one of the few that can battle the powers. His mentor is an old,...

Coraline

by Gaiman, Neil

In this novel a young girl finds a portal to another world, pretty typical. But, the world she finds is worse than her own.

This haunting children's novel follows a young, curious girl named Coraline, who discovers a hidden world inside a locked cupboard in her home. Inside this world, everything is better. Her father isn't glued to his com...

Mortal Engine (The Hungry City Chronicles) Start here

by Reeve, Philip

A steampunk-esque fantasy tale that follows loosely in the path Rowling trod with Harry Potter, but presents the reader with a completely different setting. Fans of Harry Potter, Artemis Foul, and Westerfield’s Leviathan...

Lord Of The Rings

by Tolkien, J.r.r.

The quintessential Fantasy trilogy draws from medieval history as well as its European folklore.

Yep, had to include it. Most people have probably read this series and even more authors have written hackneyed copies of it, but this series is the original father epic fantasy and deserves to be read. To the two people...

Black Magician (Black Magician)

by Canavan, Trudi

This is a pretty decent epic fantasy about a street girl-turned magician. Thereâs nothing really new here, but the whole story does make for an entertaining enough read.

Across The Nightingale Floor (Tales Of The Otori) Start here

by Hearn, Lian

Historical Fantasy set in a fictional feudal Japan, this series follows a young warrior who seeks to avenge is adoptive father and escape the legacy of his biological father.

Assassin fantasy set in a distinctly Japanese milieu. This one’s got everything you want in a good martial arts fantasy tale: ninja assassins, samurai warriors, beautiful princesses, evil lords, deadly battles and even d...

A Game Of Thrones (A Song Of Ice And Fire) Start here

by Martin, George R. R.

While Martin's epic contains a lot of brutality towards women, it also shows how women, surviving in a man's world, can use their cunning, charm, and looks to run the show. There are few fantasy fans who have not read th...

The Dark Tower Series (The Dark Tower)

by King, Stephen

In his self-acclaimed magnum opus, The Dark Tower series, Stephen King has crafted a unique multi-genre tale that blends fantasy with science fiction and Western fiction. Comprised of 8 books, The Dark Tower series is...