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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643 Items found Print
Active Filters: 5th grade (Ages 10-11), New Books & Materials
100 Cupboards
by N. D. Wilson
from Random House
Fantasy for 3rd-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.64
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)
$6.79
Acceptable Time
Wrinkle in Time Series #5
by Madeleine L'Engle
from Square Fish Publishing
Fantasy for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.79
Adventures of Chatterer the Red Squirrel
Thornton Burgess Peter Cottontail Books #13
by Thornton W. Burgess
Revised ed. from Dover Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$3.40
Adventures of Peter Cottontail
Thornton Burgess Peter Cottontail Books #7
by Thornton W. Burgess
Reprint from Dover Publications
for 3rd-5th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$4.24
Adventures of Sir Balin the Ill-Fated
The Knights' Tales Book 4
by Gerald Morris
from HMH Books for Young Readers
for 4th-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$5.94
Adventures of Sir Gawain the True
The Knights' Tales Book 3
by Gerald Morris
from HMH Books for Young Readers
for 4th-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$5.94
Adventures of Sir Givret the Short
The Knights' Tales Book 2
by Gerald Morris
from Sandpiper Books
for 5th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.61
Adventures of Sir Lancelot the Great
The Knights' Tales Book 1
by Gerald Morris
Reprint from Sandpiper Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.79
Aesop's Fables
by Aesop, illustrated by Arthur Rackham
from Macmillan
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
$12.74
Aesop's Fables for Children
by Aesop, illustrated by Milo Winter
Pap/Com from Dover Publications
for 2nd-5th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$12.74
Airborn
Airborn Trilogy #1
by Kenneth Oppel
from HarperCollins
for 5th-Adult
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$10.19
Alcatraz vs the Evil Librarians
Alcatraz vs the Evil Librarians #1
by Brandon Sanderson
from Starscape
for 5th-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.49
Alice in Wonderland
Dover Evergreen Classics
by Lewis Carroll
from Dover Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$5.94 $3.20 (1 in stock)
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Penguin Classics
by Lewis Carroll
from Penguin Classics
Fantasy for 5th-8th grade
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$9.35
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Puffin Classics
by Lewis Carroll
from Puffin Books
Fantasy for 2nd-7th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$6.79 $3.20 (1 in stock)
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Dover Thrift Editions
by Lewis Carroll
from Dover Publications
Fantasy for 5th-8th grade
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$3.40
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
by Lewis Carroll, Illustrated by John Tenniel
from SeaWolf Press
Fantasy for 2nd-7th grade
in Seawolf Illustrated Classics (Location: FIC-SW)
$6.76
Ambush at Sorato
Ranger's Apprentice Royal Ranger #7
by John Flanagan
from Viking Books for Young Readers
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$16.14
Ancient, Strange, and Lovely
Dragon Chronicles #4
by Susan Fletcher
Reprint from Atheneum
for 3rd-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$11.04
Andrew and the Firedrake
by Douglas Wilson
from Canonball Books
for 4th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$12.71
Arazan's Wolves
Royal Ranger #6
by John A. Flanagan
from Viking Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$16.14
Archer's Cup
Green Ember Archer #3
by S. D. Smith
from Story Warren Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$11.86
Armstrong
by Torben Kuhlmann, Translated by David Henry Wilson
from NorthSouth
for 2nd-6th grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$18.66
Arrow
by Dawn L. Watkins
from Bob Jones University Press
for 3rd-5th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.64
At the Back of the North Wind
Everyman's Library Children's Classics
by George MacDonald, illustrated by Arthur Hughes
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
Fairy Tale for 4th-Adult
$17.00
At the Back of the North Wind
by George MacDonald, illustrated by Frank C. Pape
from Living Book Press
for 4th-Adult
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$11.04
Babe the Gallant Pig
by Dick King-Smith
1st edition from Yearling
Animal Stories: Fantasy for 2nd-5th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.79
Ballad of Sir Dinadan
Squire's Tales Book 5
by Gerald Morris
Reprint from Sandpiper Books
for 5th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$13.56
Bark of the Bog Owl
Wilderking #1
by Jonathan Rogers
20th Anniversary Edition from Rabbit Room Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$14.44
Bastille vs. the Evil Librarians
Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians #6
by Brandon Sanderson
from Starscape
for 5th-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.34
Battle for Skandia
Ranger's Apprentice #04
by John A. Flanagan
Reprint from Puffin Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.34
Battle for the Castle
by Elizabeth Winthrop
from Yearling
for 4th-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.79
Battle for Wondla
Wondla Trilogy Book 3
by Tony DiTerlizzi
from Simon and Schuster
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$11.89
Battle of Hackham Heath
Ranger’s Apprentice: The Early Years Book 2
by John A. Flanagan
for 5th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.49
Battle of the Labyrinth
Percy Jackson & the Olympians #4
by Rick Riordan
from Hyperion/Madison Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.34
Beauty
by Robin McKinley
First Paperback Edition, 2018 from Greenwillow Books
Fantasy/Retold Fairy Tale for 5th-8th grade
$8.49
Bedtime Stories
by Thornton W. Burgess, illustrated by Carl & Mary Hauge
from Dover Publications
for 1st-5th grade
in Picture Book Treasuries (Location: PIC-TRE)
$16.14
Bellmaker
Redwall #7
by Brian Jacques
from ACE Publishing
Fantasy for 4th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$10.19 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Bellmaker
Redwall #7
by Brian Jacques
from Firebird Press
Fantasy for 4th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.34
Ben and Me
by Robert Lawson
from Little, Brown & Company
Humor/historical fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.64
Beneath the Swirling Sky
The Restorationists #01
by Carolyn Leiloglou, illustrated by Vivienne To
from WaterBrook Press
for 5th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.49
Beowulf the Warrior
by Ian Serraillier
from Bethlehem Books
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$10.16 $5.60 (1 in stock)
Between Flowers and Bones
The Restorationists #02
by Carolyn Leiloglou, illustrated by Vivienne To
from WaterBrook Press
for 5th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.49
Beyond Mulberry Glen
by Millie Florence; illustrated by Astrid Sheckels
from Waxwing Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$16.14
Beyond the Far Horizon
The Restorationists #03
by Carolyn Leiloglou, illustrated by Vivienne To
from WaterBrook Press
for 5th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.49
BFG
by Roald Dahl
from Puffin Books
for 2nd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.64
Bilbo's Last Song
by J.R.R. Tolkien, Illustrated by Pauline Baynes
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
for 3rd-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$16.99
Billy Mink
Thornton Burgess Peter Cottontail Books #33
by Thornton W. Burgess
Illustrated from Dover Publications
for 2nd-5th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$5.10
Black Cauldron
Prydain Chronicles #2
by Lloyd Alexander
from Henry Holt and Company
Fantasy for 4th-8th grade
1966 Newbery Honor Book
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.64
Black Horses for the King
by Anne McCaffrey
from Magic Carpey Books
for 5th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$11.99
Black Star of Kingston
Green Ember Old Natalia #1
by S. D. Smith
from Story Warren Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.31
Blue Cat of Castle Town
by Catherine Coblentz, illustrated by Janice Holland
Dover 2017 from Dover Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
1950 Newbery Honor Book
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$5.91
Book of Boy
by Catherine Gilbert Murdock, illustrated by Ian Schoenherr
from Greenwillow Books
for 3rd-7th grade
2019 Newbery Honor Book
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$7.64 $3.60 (1 in stock)
Book of Three
Prydain Chronicles #1
by Lloyd Alexander
from Henry Holt and Company
Fantasy for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.64 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Bootlace Magician
by Cassie Beasley
from Puffin Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.64
Borrowers
Borrowers Series #1
by Mary Norton
from Harcourt
Fantasy for 3rd-6th grade
1952 Carnegie Medal
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.49 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Borrowers Afield
Borrowers Series #2
by Mary Norton
from Harcourt
Fantasy for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.79
Borrowers Afloat
Borrowers Series #3
by Mary Norton
from Harcourt
Fantasy for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.79
Borrowers Aloft
Borrowers Series #4
by Mary Norton
from Harcourt
Fantasy for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.79
Borrowers Avenged
Borrowers Series #5
by Mary Norton
from Harcourt
Fantasy for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.79 $3.60 (1 in stock)
Borrowers Series - Boxed Set
by Mary Norton
from Harcourt
Fantasy for 3rd-6th grade
in Boxed Sets & Literature Packages (Location: FIC-BOX)
$29.74
Bowser the Hound
Thornton Burgess Peter Cottontail Books #27
by Thornton W. Burgess
from Dover Publications
for 1st-5th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$5.10
Boxen
by C. S. Lewis, Major Warren Hamilton Lewis
from HarperCollins
for 4th-Adult
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$24.99
Boy Who Was
by Grace Taber Hallock, illustrated by Harrie Wood
2024 Reprint from Unknown Publisher
for 4th-8th grade
1929 Newbery Honor Book
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$19.99
Boys of Blur
by N. D. Wilson
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for 5th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.79
Brave Ollie Possum
by Ethan Nicolle
from Canon Press
for 4th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$12.74
Bridge, The
Bracken Trilogy #1
by Jeri Massi
from CreateSpace
Fantasy for 4th-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$11.99
Bunnicula
Bunnicula #1
by James Howe
1st edition from Aladdin Paperbacks
Fantasy for 3rd-6th grade
Newbery Honor Book
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.64 $3.20 (1 in stock)
Burgess Animal Book for Children
by Thornton W. Burgess
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$12.99
Burgess Animal Book for Children
by Thornton W. Burgess
from Living Book Press
for 2nd-6th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$19.99
Burgess Animal Book for Children
by Thornton W. Burgess
from Living Book Press
for 2nd-6th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$18.99
Burgess Animal Book for Children
by Thornton W. Burgess
from Living Book Press
for 2nd-6th grade
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$28.99
Burgess Bird Book for Children
by Thornton W. Burgess
Color Edition from Living Book Press
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$19.99
Burgess Bird Book for Children
by Thornton W. Burgess
from Living Book Press
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$18.99
Burgess Bird Book for Children
by Thornton W. Burgess
from Living Book Press
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$28.99
Burgess Flower Book for Children
by Thornton W. Burgess
from Living Book Press
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$19.99
Burgess Flower Book for Children
by Thornton W. Burgess
from Living Book Press
in Living Science (Location: SCI-CMLS)
$28.99
Burning Bridge
Ranger's Apprentice #02
by John A. Flanagan
Reprint from Puffin Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.49
Caldera
Brotherband Chronicles #7
by John Flanagan
from Puffin Books
for 5th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.49
Calling on Dragons
Enchanted Forest Chronicles #3
by Patricia C. Wrede
Reprint from HMH Books for Young Readers
for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.49
Candymakers
by Wendy Mass
from Little, Brown & Company
for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.49 $4.00 (2 in stock)
Candymakers and the Great Chocolate Chase
by Wendy Mass
from Little, Brown & Company
for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.34
Captive Kingdom
The Ascendance #4
by Jennifer A. Nielsen
from Scholastic Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.49
Castaways of the Flying Dutchman
by Brian Jacques
from ACE Publishing
for 3rd-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
Castle Corona
by Sharon Creech
Reprint from HarperCollins
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.79
Castle in the Air
Howl's Castle: 2 of 3
by Diana Wynne Jones
Reprint from Greenwillow Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.99
Castle of Llyr
Prydain Chronicles #3
by Lloyd Alexander
from Henry Holt and Company
Fantasy for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.64
Cat Who Went to Heaven
by Elizabeth Coatsworth
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Eastern Fairy Tale for 3rd-6th grade
1931 Newbery Medal winner
$5.94 $3.20 (4 in stock)
Centerburg Tales
by Robert McCloskey
from Puffin Books
Humor for 3rd-6th grade
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.79
Chameleon, A Boy, and A Quest
from New Growth Press
for 3rd-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$13.00
Champion of the Titan Games
Dragonwatch #4
by Brandon Mull
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 3rd-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.49 $4.40 (1 in stock)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
by Roald Dahl
from Puffin Books
Fantasy for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.64
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator
by Roald Dahl
from Puffin Books
fantasy for 3rd-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.64
Charlotte's Web
by E. B. White
from HarperCollins
for 2nd-6th grade
1953 Newbery Honor Book
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.34
Charlotte's Web
by E. B. White
from HarperCollins
for 2nd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$14.44
Charlotte's Web - Full Color Edition
by E. B. White
from HarperCollins
for 2nd-5th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.49 $4.80 (1 in stock)
Chestnut King
100 Cupboards Book #3
by N. D. Wilson
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.49
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
by Ian Fleming
Reprint from Candlewick Press
for 3rd-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.64
Christmas Reindeer
by Thornton W. Burgess
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$5.99
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