Fantasy Fiction

The "fantasy=escapism" equation is older than the genre as we know it. People in the old days boycotted the Theater, not just because it was a potential hotbed of wickedness, but because it was something other than Real Life and therefore odious to Sensible People. Some radical Christian sects have prohibited the reading of fiction on grounds that only the Bible has any literary value (....even though Jesus clearly told fictional stories).

In our day, fantasy as a fiction genre is more narrowly defined than simply "that which is not established fact." It encompasses stories of dragons, elves, dark and mysterious woods, magic (or majyck, or whatever the kids are calling it these days), unicorns, gnomes, etc. High fantasy usually takes place in a world or realm other than our own; low fantasy imports fantastic elements into the-world-as-we-know-it.

Certainly, there is plenty of fantasy fiction that can be defended on no grounds. The flood of worthless literary drivel with images of buxom maidens and swarthy sword-wielding savages with pointy ears on their paperback covers began sometime in the 1960s and has only increased as its putrid waters have swelled. But there's plenty of good fantasy, too, some of it among the best fiction ever written.

Because good fantasy, of course, has something to say about the human condition. Sometimes taking characters out of the humdrum of Earth-bound existence allows authors more artistic freedom to create the situations necessary to tell the narrative they have burning a hole in their imagination. Or sometimes they just make the story a bit more fun. Sometimes they make it darker, or scarier, or just plain more weird.

If you're J.R.R. Tolkien, the fantasy element plays a different role (mythmaking) than that of the story it frames (the sinfulness of sin and the cost of redemption). The point is, good fantasy isn't just about the fantastical. In most cases (Ursula K. LeGuin comes to mind), the unfamiliar is used to show how even it is ultimately familiar, and if we can see ourselves in the Edmund Pevensies and Gurney Hallecks we read about, the fantasy has done its job.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
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100 Cupboards
by N. D. Wilson
from Random House
Fantasy for 3rd-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
Abel's Island
by William Steig
from Square Fish Publishing
Animal Fantasy for 3rd-5th grade
1977 Newbery Honor Book
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.99
Acceptable Time
Wrinkle in Time Series #5
by Madeleine L'Engle
from Square Fish Publishing
Fantasy for 4th-8th grade
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Adventures of Grandfather Frog
Thornton Burgess Peter Cottontail Books #12
by Thornton W. Burgess
from Dover Publications
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in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
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Adventures of Reddy Fox
Thornton Burgess Peter Cottontail Books #5
by Thornton W. Burgess
from Dover Publications
Animal Stories: Fantasy for 2nd-4th grade
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Aesop's Fables
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Alice in Wonderland
Dover Evergreen Classics
by Lewis Carroll
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$4.99
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Penguin Classics
by Lewis Carroll
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Fantasy for 5th-8th grade
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$11.00
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
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Alloy of Law
Mistborn Chronicles Era Two: Wax & Wayne Book 1
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Among the Shadows
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Pendragon Cycle #3
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Ballad of Sir Dinadan
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by Brandon Sanderson
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Fantasy for 7th-Adult
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$10.99
Bargain for Frances
An I Can Read Book Level 2
by Russell & Lillian Hoban
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for Kindergarten-2nd grade
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$5.99
Battle for the Castle
by Elizabeth Winthrop
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Beauty
by Robin McKinley
First Paperback Edition, 2018 from Greenwillow Books
Fantasy/Retold Fairy Tale for 5th-8th grade
$7.99
Bellmaker
Redwall #7
by Brian Jacques
from ACE Publishing
Fantasy for 4th-9th grade
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$9.99
Ben and Me
by Robert Lawson
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Blacky the Crow
Thornton Burgess Peter Cottontail Books #30
by Thornton W. Burgess
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Book of Lost Tales 1
by J. R. R. Tolkien & Christopher Tolkien
from Ballantine Books
Mythology, Faërie for 8th-12th grade
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$8.99
Book of Lost Tales 2
by J. R. R. Tolkien & Christopher Tolkien
from Ballantine Books
Mythology, Faërie for 8th-12th grade
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Book of the Dun Cow
by Walter Wangerin Jr.
from HarperCollins
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$16.99
Borrowers Aloft
Borrowers Series #4
by Mary Norton
from Scholastic Inc.
Fantasy for 3rd-6th grade
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Bunnicula
Bunnicula #1
by James Howe
1st edition from Aladdin Paperbacks
Fantasy for 3rd-6th grade
Newbery Honor Book
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$8.99
Buster Bear's Twins
Thornton Burgess Peter Cottontail Books #32
by Thornton W. Burgess
from Dover Publications
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$4.00
Cat Who Went to Heaven
by Elizabeth Coatsworth
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Eastern Fairy Tale for 3rd-6th grade
1931 Newbery Medal winner
$2.50 (2 in stock)
Cat Who Went to Heaven
by Elizabeth Coatsworth
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Eastern Fairy Tale for 3rd-6th grade
1931 Newbery Medal winner
$6.99 $4.00 (3 in stock)
Centerburg Tales
by Robert McCloskey
from Puffin Books
Humor for 3rd-6th grade
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$7.99
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
by Roald Dahl
from Puffin Books
Fantasy for 3rd-6th grade
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$8.99
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator
by Roald Dahl
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fantasy for 3rd-8th grade
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$8.99
Charlotte's Web
by E. B. White
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1953 Newbery Honor Book
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Chestnut King
100 Cupboards Book #3
by N. D. Wilson
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for 4th-8th grade
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Christmas Carol
Puffin Classics
by Charles Dickens
from Puffin Books
Fantasy for 6th-10th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$7.99
Christmas Carol
by Charles Dickens,
Enriched Classic from Pocket Books
for 9th-12th grade
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Chronicles of Chrestomanci Volume I
by Diana Wynne Jones
from Greenwillow Books
for 6th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$10.99
Chronicles of Narnia - Mass-Market Boxed Set
by C. S. Lewis
from HarperCollins
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX)
$55.00
Cricket in Times Square
by George Selden
from Square Fish Publishing
Animal Fantasy for 3rd-6th grade
1961 Newbery Honor Book
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Cricket in Times Square
by George Selden, illustrated by Garth Williams, foreword & updates by Stacey Lee
from Square Fish Publishing
Animal Fantasy for 3rd-6th grade
1961 Newbery Honor Book
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$7.99
Dandelion Fire
100 Cupboards Book #2
by N. D. Wilson
from Random House
Fantasy for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.99
Dark Is Rising
Dark Is Rising Sequence #2
by Susan Cooper
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Fantasy for 4th-7th grade
1974 Newbery Honor Book
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Dark Is Rising
Dark Is Rising Sequence #2
by Susan Cooper
from Margaret K. McElderry Books
Fantasy for 4th-7th grade
1974 Newbery Honor Book
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
Days with Frog and Toad
An I Can Read Book Level 2
by Arnold Lobel
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$5.99
Doctor Dolittle's Post Office
by Hugh Lofting
from SeaWolf Press
for 3rd-7th grade
1923 Newbery Medal winner
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$8.95
Doctor Dolittle's Zoo
Doctor Dolittle #6
by Hugh Lofting
1967th edition from SeaWolf Press
for 3rd-7th grade
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$8.95
Dolls' House
by Rumer Godden, illustrated by Tasha Tudor
from Puffin Books
for 3rd-6th grade
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Dolls' House
by Rumer Godden, illustrated by Jane Ray
from Macmillan
for 3rd-6th grade
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Doomwyte
Redwall #20
by Brian Jacques
from ACE Publishing
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Door Before
by N. D. Wilson
from Random House Books for Young Readers
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$8.99
Dracula
Puffin Classics
by Bram Stoker
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$8.99
Dragon's Tooth
Ashtown Burials #1
by N.D. Wilson
from Random House Books for Young Readers
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Edward, Hoppy and Joe
by Robert Lawson
1972 Printing from Dell Yearling
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$5.00 (1 in stock)
Enchanted Castle
Puffin Classics
by E. Nesbit, illustrated by H. R. Millar
from Puffin Books
Fantasy for 4th-8th grade
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Enormous Egg
by Oliver Butterworth
from Scholastic Inc.
Animal Stories: Fantasy for 4th-6th grade
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Eulalia!
Redwall #19
by Brian Jacques
from ACE Publishing
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Fables
by Arnold Lobel
from HarperCollins
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for Preschool-3rd grade
1981 Caldecott Medal winner
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$9.99
Fantastic Mr. Fox
by Roald Dahl
from Puffin Books
Animal Fantasy for 2nd-6th grade
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$7.99
Farthest Shore
Earthsea #3
by Ursula K. Le Guin
from Simon Pulse
Fantasy for 7th-Adult
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Father Bear Comes Home
An I Can Read Book Level 1
by Else Minarik & Maurice Sendak
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for Preschool-1st grade
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Fellowship of the Ring
Lord of the Rings Trilogy #1
by J. R. R. Tolkien
from Ballantine Books
Fantasy for 8th-12th grade
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$8.99
Fire Cat
An I Can Read Book Level 1
by Esther Averill
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-1st grade
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$4.99
Five Children and It
Puffin Classics
by E. Nesbit, illustrated by H. R. Millar
from Puffin Books
Fantasy for 4th-8th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$7.99
Five Chinese Brothers
by Claire Huchet Bishop & Kurt Wiese
from PaperStar Books
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$7.99
Fledgling
by Jane Langton
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
1981 Newbery Honor Book
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Fledgling, The
by Jane Langton
from HarperCollins
Magical Fantasy for 4th-6th grade
1981 Newbery Honor Book
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Francine Poulet Meets the Ghost Raccoon
Tales from Deckawoo Drive Book 2
by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Chris Van Dusen
from Candlewick Press
for 1st-4th grade
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$6.99
Frog and Toad All Year
An I Can Read Book Level 2
by Arnold Lobel
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$5.99
Frog and Toad Are Friends
An I Can Read Book Level 2 (Reading with Help)
by Arnold Lobel
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
1971 Caldecott Honor Book
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$5.99 $3.00 (1 in stock)
Frog and Toad Together
An I Can Read Book Level 2
by Arnold Lobel
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
1973 Newbery Honor Book
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$4.99
Golden
Once Upon a Time Series
by Cameron Dokey
from Simon Pulse
for 6th-9th grade
$8.99
Grail
Pendragon Cycle #5
by Stephen R. Lawhead
from HarperCollins
Celtic Fantasy for 8th-12th Grade
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$8.99
Grand Escape
by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
from Yearling
for 3rd-6th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$1.50 (1 in stock)
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An I Can Read Book Level 2
by Arnold Lobel
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-3rd grade
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$5.99
Great Divorce
by C.S. Lewis
for 11th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Great Rescue Operation
by Jean Van Leeuwen, illustrated by Margot Apple
from Puffin Books
for 1st-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Greenwitch
Dark Is Rising Sequence #3
by Susan Cooper
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Fantasy for 4th-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Greenwitch
Dark Is Rising Sequence #3
by Susan Cooper
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Fantasy for 4th-7th grade
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$8.99
Grey King
Dark Is Rising Sequence #4
by Susan Cooper
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Fantasy for 4th-7th grade
1976 Newbery Medal winner
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Grey King
Dark Is Rising Sequence #4
by Susan Cooper
from Margaret K. McElderry Books
Fantasy for 4th-7th grade
1976 Newbery Medal winner
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
Grouchy Ladybug
by Eric Carle
from Harper & Row
for Preschool-1st grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Gulliver's Travels
Puffin Classics
by Jonathan Swift
from Puffin Books
Satire/Social Commentary for 9th-Adult
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$7.99
Happy Birthday Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle #5
by Betty MacDonald and Anne MacDonald Canham
from HarperTrophy
for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.99
Happy Day
by Ruth Krauss; illustrated by Marc Simont
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$1.50 (2 in stock)
Harriet's Hare
by Dick King-Smith
from Yearling
Animal Stories: Fantasy for 3rd-5th grade
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$5.99
Harry Cat's Pet Puppy
by George Selden & Garth Williams
from Dell Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
Hello, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle #2
by Betty MacDonald
from HarperCollins
for 1st-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.99
High Rhulain
Redwall #18
by Brian Jacques
from ACE Publishing
Fantasy for 4th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.99
Hildilid's Night
by Cheli Duran Ryan, illustrated by Arnold Lobel
from Aladdin Paperbacks
1972 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
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by Hannah Hurnard
from Tyndale House
Allegorical and Moral Stories for 7th-Adult
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Hinds' Feet on High Places
by Hannah Hurnard
from Benediction Classics
Allegorical and Moral Stories for 7th-Adult
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
History of Middle Earth - Boxed Set
by J.R.R. Tolkien, edited by Christopher Tolkien
from Del Rey
for 9th-Adult
in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX)
$49.95
Hobbit
by J. R. R. Tolkien
2nd edition from Ballantine Books
Fantasy for 5th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
Hobbit & Lord of the Rings - Mass-Market Boxed Set
by J. R. R. Tolkien
Mti from Ballantine Books
Fantasy for 4th-12th grade
in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX)
$35.96
Homer Price
by Robert McCloskey
from Puffin Books
Humor for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$7.99
Homer Price
Puffin Modern Classics
by Robert McCloskey
from Puffin Books
Humor for 3rd-6th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$7.99
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Chronicles of Narnia Book 3
by C. S. Lewis
from HarperCollins
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
Horse and His Boy
Chronicles of Narnia Book 5
by C. S. Lewis
from Macmillan
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
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