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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123 Items found Print
Active Filters: 3rd grade (Ages 8-9), Mass market paperback
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
Adventures of Grandfather Frog
Thornton Burgess Peter Cottontail Books #12
by Thornton W. Burgess
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-4th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$4.00
Adventures of Reddy Fox
Thornton Burgess Peter Cottontail Books #5
by Thornton W. Burgess
from Dover Publications
Animal Stories: Fantasy for 2nd-4th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$4.00 $2.50 (1 in stock)
Aesop's Fables
Puffin Classics
by Aesop
Reprint from Puffin Books
Myths, Fairy Tales & Folklore for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$7.99
Alice in Wonderland
Dover Evergreen Classics
by Lewis Carroll
from Dover Publications
for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$4.99
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Puffin Classics
by Lewis Carroll
from Puffin Books
Fantasy for 2nd-7th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$7.99
Ben and Me
by Robert Lawson
from Little, Brown & Company
Humor/historical fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Blacky the Crow
Thornton Burgess Peter Cottontail Books #30
by Thornton W. Burgess
from Dover Publications
for 1st-4th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$5.00
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)
$7.99
Buster Bear's Twins
Thornton Burgess Peter Cottontail Books #32
by Thornton W. Burgess
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-4th grade
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$4.00
Cat Who Went to Heaven
by Elizabeth Coatsworth
from Aladdin Paperbacks
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
in Realistic Fiction (Location: FIC-REA)
$6.99
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
from Puffin Books
fantasy for 3rd-8th grade
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$7.99
Charlotte's Web
by E. B. White
from HarperCollins
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1953 Newbery Honor Book
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$8.99
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
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.99
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
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.99
Doctor Dolittle's Post Office
by Hugh Lofting
from Mayflower Books
for 3rd-7th grade
1923 Newbery Medal winner
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Doctor Dolittle's Zoo
Doctor Dolittle #6
by Hugh Lofting
1967th edition from Mayflower Books
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in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Dolls' House
by Rumer Godden, illustrated by Tasha Tudor
from Puffin Books
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Dolls' House
by Rumer Godden, illustrated by Christian Birmingham
from Macmillan
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Dolls' House
by Rumer Godden, illustrated by Jane Ray
from Macmillan
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Dolls' House
by Rumer Godden, illustrated by Joanna Jamieson
1977 printing from Puffin Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Door Before
by N. D. Wilson
from Random House Books for Young Readers
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
Edward, Hoppy and Joe
by Robert Lawson
1972 Printing from Dell Yearling
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Fables
by Arnold Lobel
from HarperCollins
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for Preschool-3rd grade
1981 Caldecott Medal winner
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$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Fantastic Mr. Fox
by Roald Dahl
from Puffin Books
Animal Fantasy for 2nd-6th grade
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Five Chinese Brothers
by Claire Huchet Bishop & Kurt Wiese
from PaperStar Books
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for Kindergarten-3rd grade
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$7.99
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
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$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
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$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
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$4.99 $3.00 (3 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
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$4.99
Grand Escape
by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
from Yearling
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$1.50 (1 in stock)
Grasshopper on the Road
An I Can Read Book Level 2
by Arnold Lobel
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$5.99
Great Rescue Operation
by Jean Van Leeuwen, illustrated by Margot Apple
from Puffin Books
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$3.00 (1 in stock)
Happy Birthday Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle #5
by Betty MacDonald and Anne MacDonald Canham
from HarperTrophy
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$7.99
Happy Day
by Ruth Krauss; illustrated by Marc Simont
from Scholastic Inc.
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$1.50 (2 in stock)
Harriet's Hare
by Dick King-Smith
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Animal Stories: Fantasy for 3rd-5th grade
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Harry Cat's Pet Puppy
by George Selden & Garth Williams
from Dell Publishing
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Hello, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle #2
by Betty MacDonald
from HarperCollins
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$9.99
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 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Horse and His Boy
Chronicles of Narnia Book 3
by C. S. Lewis
from HarperCollins
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
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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)
House at Pooh Corner
by A. A. Milne
from Puffin Books
Animal Fantasy for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.99
Invisible Dog
from Yearling
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in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$5.99
Just So Stories
Puffin Classics
by Rudyard Kipling
from Puffin Books
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Just So Stories
Puffin Classics
by Rudyard Kipling
from Puffin Books
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 1st-6th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$7.99
Last Battle
Chronicles of Narnia Book 7
by C. S. Lewis
from HarperCollins
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
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$8.99 $5.00 (5 in stock)
Last Battle
Chronicles of Narnia Book 7
by C. S. Lewis
from HarperCollins
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Last Battle
Chronicles of Narnia Book 7
by C. S. Lewis
from HarperCollins
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Leroy Ninker Saddles Up
Tales from Deckawoo Drive Book 1
by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Chris Van Dusen
from Candlewick Press
for 1st-4th grade
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$6.99
Light Princess
by George MacDonald, illustrated by Craig Yoe
from William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
Fantasy for 2nd-5th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Chronicles of Narnia Book 2
by C. S. Lewis
from HarperCollins
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.99
Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Chronicles of Narnia Book 2
by C. S. Lewis, illustrated by Pauline Baynes
from HarperCollins
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Littles
by John Peterson
from Scholastic Inc.
Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
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$4.99 $3.00 (4 in stock)
Magic of Oz
Wizard of Oz Book 13
by L. Frank Baum
Unabridged from Dover Publications
for 2nd-5th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$10.95
Magic Tree House #45 (Merlin Mission #17)
Magic Tree House
by Mary Pope Osborne
FIRST SCHOLASTIC PRINTING from Scholastic Inc.
in Magic Tree House (Location: SER-MTH)
Magic Tree House #46 (Merlin Mission #18)
Magic Tree House
by Mary Pope Osborne
First Scholastic Edition from Scholastic Inc.
in Magic Tree House (Location: SER-MTH)
Magic Tree House #46 (Merlin Mission #18)
Magic Tree House
by Mary Pope Osborne
from Random House
in Magic Tree House (Location: SER-MTH)
Magic Tree House #46 (Merlin Mission #18) - Fact Tracker
Magic Tree House
by Mary Pope Osborne
from Random House
in Magic Tree House (Location: SER-MTH)
Magic Tree House #47 (Merlin Mission #19)
Magic Tree House
by Mary Pope Osborne
First Scholastic Edition from Random House
in Magic Tree House (Location: SER-MTH)
Magician's Nephew
Chronicles of Narnia Book 1
by C. S. Lewis
from HarperCollins
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
Martin's Mice
by Dick King-Smith
from Yearling
Animal Stories: Fantasy for 3rd-4th grade
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$6.99
McBroom's Wonderful One-Acre Farm
by Sid Fleischman
from Greenwillow Books
Fantasy for 2nd-5th Grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Miss Hickory
by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey
from Puffin Books
Personification story for 3rd-7th grade
1947 Newbery Medal winner
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$2.50 (3 in stock)
Miss Pickerell Goes to the Artic
by Ellen MacGregor
from Scholastic Inc.
for 2nd-5th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Mouse and the Motorcycle
Mouse & the Motorcycle #1
by Beverly Cleary
Reissue from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for 2nd-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.99
Mouse Tales
An I Can Read Book Level 2
by Arnold Lobel
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for Preschool-3rd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
Mr. Popper's Penguins
by Richard & Florence Atwater, illustrated by Jim Madsen
from Little, Brown & Company
Humorous Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
1939 Newbery Honor Book
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
Mr. Popper's Penguins
by Richard & Florence Atwater, illustrated by Robert Lawson
from Little, Brown & Company
Humorous Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
1939 Newbery Honor Book
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Mr. Pudgins
by Ruth Christoffer Carlsen, illustrated by Margaret Bradfield
1973 Printing from Scholastic Book Services
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Mr. Revere and I
by Robert Lawson
from Little, Brown & Company
Humor/historical fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.99
Mr. Revere and I
by Robert Lawson
from Little, Brown & Company
Humor/historical fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle #1
by Betty MacDonald
from HarperCollins
for 1st-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Farm
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle #4
by Betty MacDonald
from HarperCollins
for 1st-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's Magic
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle #3
by Betty MacDonald
from HarperCollins
for 1st-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.99
No Fighting, No Biting!
An I Can Read Book Level 2
by Else Minarik & Maurice Sendak
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for 1st-3rd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
Now We Are Six
by A. A. Milne
from Puffin Books
Poetry for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.99
Ordinary Princess
by M. M. Kaye
from Puffin Books
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 2nd-6th grade
$7.99
Outlaws of Time 2
by N. D. Wilson
from Katherine Tegen Books
for 3rd-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
Paddington Abroad
by Michael Bond
from HarperCollins
for 2nd-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.99
Pinocchio
Puffin Classics
by Carlo Collodi, translated by E. Hardin and illustrated by Gioia Fiammenghi
from Puffin Books
Fantasy for 3rd-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$2.50 (4 in stock)
Pinocchio
Puffin Classics
by Carlo Collodi, translated by E. Hardin and illustrated by Gioia Fiammenghi
from Puffin Books
Fantasy for 3rd-8th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$7.99
Pippi Goes on Board
Pippi Longstocking #2
by Astrid Lindgren
from Puffin Books
Humor for 2nd-6th grade
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$7.99
Pippi in the South Seas
Pippi Longstocking #3
by Astrid Lindgren
from Puffin Books
Humor for 2nd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.99
Pippi Longstocking
Pippi Longstocking #1
by Astrid Lindgren
from Puffin Books
Humor for 2nd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.99
Pippi Longstocking
Pippi Longstocking #1
by Astrid Lindgren
from Scholastic Inc.
Humor for 2nd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$2.00 (11 in stock)
Pippi Longstocking
by Astrid Lindgren
from Puffin Books
for 2nd-5th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$7.99
Prince Caspian
Chronicles of Narnia Book 4
by C. S. Lewis
from HarperCollins
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
Prince Caspian
by C. S. Lewis
from HarperCollins
for 2nd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99
Prince Caspian
Chronicles of Narnia Book 2
by C. S. Lewis
1972 Printing from Collier Books
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Rabbit Hill
Puffin Newbery Library
by Robert Lawson
from Puffin Books
for 3rd-6th grade
1945 Newbery Medal winner
in Animal Stories (Location: FIC-ANI)
$7.99
Rabbit Hill
Puffin Modern Classics
by Robert Lawson
from Puffin Books
for 3rd-6th grade
1945 Newbery Medal winner
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$7.99
Ralph S. Mouse
Mouse & the Motorcycle #3
by Beverly Cleary
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for 2nd-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.99
Ralph S. Mouse
Mouse & the Motorcycle #3
by Beverly Cleary
from Scholastic Inc.
Animal Fantasy for 2nd-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$2.40 (2 in stock)
Redwall Set (Mass-market paperbacks)
by Brian Jacques
from ACE Publishing
Fantasy for 3rd-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
12