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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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)
$3.40 $2.00 (1 in stock)
Aesop's Fables
by Aesop, edited by Ann McGovern
from Scholastic Inc.
for Nursery-2nd grade
$2.00 (3 in stock)
Aesop's Fables
by Aesop
from Wordsworth Classics
for Nursery-2nd grade
$2.40 (1 in stock)
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
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)
Bargain for Frances
An I Can Read Book Level 2
by Russell & Lillian Hoban
from HarperCollins
Animal Fantasy for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in I Can Read Books (Location: EAR-ICR)
$5.09 $2.40 (1 in stock)
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)
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)
Cat Who Went to Heaven
by Elizabeth Coatsworth
from Aladdin Paperbacks
Eastern Fairy Tale for 3rd-6th grade
1931 Newbery Medal winner
$2.00 (3 in stock)
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)
Edward, Hoppy and Joe
by Robert Lawson
1972 Printing from Dell Yearling
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Fables
by Arnold Lobel
from HarperCollins
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for Preschool-3rd grade
1981 Caldecott Medal winner
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$8.49 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Fantastic Mr. Fox
by Roald Dahl
from Puffin Books
Animal Fantasy for 2nd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.79 $2.80 (1 in stock)
Farthest Shore
Earthsea #3
by Ursula K. Le Guin
from Simon Pulse
Fantasy for 7th-Adult
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.34 $4.00 (2 in stock)
Farthest Shore
by Ursula K. Le Guin
11th Printing from Bantam Books
for 1st-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Flat Stanley
by Jeff Brown
from Scholastic Inc.
for 1st-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Fledgling
by Jane Langton
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
1981 Newbery Honor Book
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Franklin Endicott and the Third Key
Tales from Deckawoo Drive Book 6
by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Chris Van Dusen
from Candlewick Press
for 1st-4th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$5.94 $3.20 (1 in stock)
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)
$5.09 $2.80 (1 in stock)
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)
$5.09 $2.40 (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)
$5.09 $2.40 (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)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
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)
$9.34 $3.60 (1 in stock)
Happy Day
by Ruth Krauss; illustrated by Marc Simont
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$1.20 (2 in stock)
Hobbit
by J.R.R. Tolkien
17th Printing from Ballantine Books
for 9th-Adult
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Horse and His Boy
Chronicles of Narnia Book 3
by C. S. Lewis
from HarperCollins
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.34 $3.60 (2 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)
$6.79 $3.60 (1 in stock)
Key to the Indian
by Lynne Banks
from HarperCollins
Fantasy for 4th-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$5.94 $2.80 (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)
$8.49 $4.00 (3 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)
$4.40 (1 in stock)
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)
$9.34 $4.40 (1 in stock)
Lord Foulgrin's Letters
by Randy Alcorn
from Multnomah Books
for 8th-12th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
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)
$2.00 (3 in stock)
Mistress Masham's Repose
by T. H. White
from Berkley Books
Fantasy for 7th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$2.40 (2 in stock)
Moorchild
by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 4th-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
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)
$8.49 $3.20 (1 in stock)
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)
$5.09 $2.40 (2 in stock)
Mr. Popper's Penguins
by Richard & Florence Atwater
from Scholastic Inc.
Humorous Fiction for 3rd-6th grade
1939 Newbery Honor Book
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
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)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Mystery of the Cupboard
by Lynne Banks
from HarperCollins
Fantasy for 4th-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$5.94 $2.40 (1 in stock)
One and Only Ivan
by Katherine Applegate
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-7th grade
2013 Newbery Award Winner
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$3.60 (1 in stock)
Ordinary Princess
by M. M. Kaye
from Puffin Books
Fairy Tales, Fables, and Legends for 2nd-6th grade
$6.79 $2.80 (1 in stock)
Outcast of Redwall
Redwall #8
by Brian Jacques
from ACE Publishing
Fantasy for 4th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.79 $3.20 (1 in stock)
Pinocchio
Dover Evergreen Classics
by Carlo Collodi, translated by Sidney G. Firman
from Dover Publications
Fantasy for 3rd-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$2.80 (1 in stock)
Pippi Longstocking
Pippi Longstocking #1
by Astrid Lindgren
from Puffin Books
Humor for 2nd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.00 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Pippi Longstocking
Pippi Longstocking #1
by Astrid Lindgren
from Scholastic Inc.
Humor for 2nd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$1.60 (4 in stock)
Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver
by E. L. Konigsburg
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 7th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.64 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Ranger in Time: Long Road to Freedom
by Kate Messner
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$2.40 (2 in stock)
Salamandastron
Redwall #5
by Brian Jacques
from ACE Publishing
Fantasy for 4th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.64 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Secret of the Indian
by Lynne Banks
from HarperCollins
Fantasy for 4th-6th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Stardust
by Neil Gaiman
from HarperCollins
for 11th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Story of Doctor Dolittle
by Hugh Lofting
from Yearling
Animal Fantasy for 3rd-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.79 $3.20 (1 in stock)
String in the Harp
by Nancy Bond
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-8th grade
1977 Newbery Honor Book
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Sword of Camelot
Seven Sleepers Series #3
by Gilbert L. Morris
from Moody Press
for 4th-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$2.80 (1 in stock)
Tehanu
by Ursula K. Le Guin
1st edition from Simon Pulse
for 7th-Adult
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.34 $4.80 (1 in stock)
Troll King
by John Vornholt
from Aladdin Paperbacks
for 4th-7th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Water Babies (abridged)
Puffin Classics
by Charles Kingsley
from Puffin Books
Fantasy for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Whipping Boy
by Sid Fleischman
from HarperCollins
Realistic Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1987 Newbery Medal winner
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$7.64 $3.60 (2 in stock)
White Sea Horse
by Helen Cresswell, illustrated by Robin Jacques
1970 printing from Dell Yearling
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$2.40 (1 in stock)
Wind in the Door
Wrinkle in Time Series #2
by Madeleine L'Engle
from Square Fish Publishing
Fantasy for 4th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.64 $3.60 (1 in stock)
Wizard of Oz
Puffin Classics
by L. Frank Baum
from Puffin Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$6.79 $3.60 (1 in stock)