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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131 Items found Print
Active Filters: 8th grade (Ages 13-14), Used Books & Materials
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)
$7.99 $4.50 (2 in stock)
Adventures of Pinocchio
Illustrated Junior Library Series 2
by Carlo Collodi, translated by M.A. Murray and illustrated by Fritz Kredel
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 3rd-8th grade
in Illustrated Junior Library (Location: VIN-IJL)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Alice in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass
Windermere Readers #5
by Lewis Carroll, illustrated by Milo Winter
1954 edition from Rand McNally
for 4th-9th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
by Lewis Carroll, illustrated by John Tenniel
from Macmillan
Fantasy for 7th-Adult
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$18.00 (1 in stock)
Arthur
by Stephen R. Lawhead
from Crossway Books
for 8th-12th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Assassination of Brangwain Spurge
by M. T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin
from Candlewick Press
for 5th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Battle for Skandia
Ranger's Apprentice #04
by John A. Flanagan
Reprint from Philomel Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.00 (2 in stock)
Beyond the Reflection's Edge
Echoes From the Edge #1
by Bryan Davis
from Zondervan
for 7th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Black Cauldron
Prydain Chronicles #2
by Lloyd Alexander
from Holt, Rinehart and Winston
Fantasy for 4th-8th grade
1966 Newbery Honor Book
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Blue Sword
by Robin McKinley
from Puffin Books
for 8th-10th grade
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$8.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Book of Merlyn
by T. H. White
from University of Texas Press
Fantasy for 8th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$14.00 (1 in stock)
Camelot
by Jane Yolen
First Edition from Philomel Books
for 6th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$5.00 (2 in stock)
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Pop-Up Book
by Ian Fleming, abridged by Albert G. Miller, illustrated by Gwen Gordon and Dave Chambers
from Random House
for Kindergarten-Adult
in Vintage Picture Books (Location: VIN-PIC)
$25.00 (1 in stock)
Christmas Carol
by Charles Dickens, illustrated by Roberto Innocenti
Unabridged from Stewart, Tabori, & Chang
Fantasy for 6th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Erak's Ransom
Ranger's Apprentice #07
by John A. Flanagan
from Philomel Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Ersatz Elevator
Series of Unfortunate Events #6
by Lemony Snicket
from HarperCollins
Morbid Humor for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Eternity's Edge
Echoes From the Edge #2
by Bryan Davis
from Zondervan
for 7th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm
by Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm, illustrated by Kay Nielsen
from Viking Press
for 3rd-8th grade
$12.00 (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)
$9.99 $5.00 (2 in stock)
Gaal the Conqueror
Archives of Anthropos #2
by John White
from InterVarsity Press
Christian Fantasy for 5th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$11.00 (2 in stock)
Genie of Sutton Place
by George Selden
Third Printing from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for 5th-10th grade
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$8.00 (1 in stock)
Glittering Plain
by William Morris
from Newcastle Publishing Co
for 7th-Adult
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Golden Dream of Carlo Chuchio
by Lloyd Alexander
from Scholastic Press
for 5th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Graveyard Book
by Neil Gaiman
from HarperCollins
for 6th-9th grade
2009 Newbery Medal winner
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Gypsy Rizka
by Lloyd Alexander
from Dutton Children's Books
for 7th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.00 (2 in stock)
Halt's Peril
Ranger's Apprentice #09
by John A. Flanagan
from Philomel Books
for 4th-8th grade
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$10.00 (1 in stock)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Harry Potter Book 7
by J. K. Rowling
1st edition from Arthur A. Levine Books
for 6th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$34.99 $16.00 (1 in stock)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter Book 4
by J. K. Rowling
1st American Edition from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-10th grade
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$29.99 $15.00 (1 in stock)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter Book 6
by J. K. Rowling
1st American Edition from Scholastic Inc.
for 6th-10th grade
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$29.99 $16.00 (1 in stock)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter Book 3
by J.K. Rowling
1st edition from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$29.99 $15.00 (2 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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$8.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Horse and His Boy
Chronicles of Narnia Book 3
by Lewis, C. S.
from HarperCollins
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
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$9.99 $6.00 (4 in stock)
Horse and His Boy
by C. S. Lewis
Reprint from HarperCollins
for 3rd-9th grade
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$10.00 (1 in stock)
Icebound Land
Ranger's Apprentice #03
by John A. Flanagan
from Philomel Books
for 4th-8th grade
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$9.00 (1 in stock)
Invaders
by John A. Flanagan
1st edition from Philomel Books
for 6th-10th grade
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$10.00 (3 in stock)
Journey to the Center of the Earth
by Jules Verne
from Reader's Digest
for 8th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Jungle Book
by Rudyard Kipling
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 4th-8th grade
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$4.50 (1 in stock)
Jungle Book
by Rudyard Kipling, illustrated by Kurt Wiese
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
Animal Stories for 4th-8th grade
$10.00 (1 in stock)
King Arthur and His Knights
Windermere Readers #18
by Philip Schuyler Allen, illustrated by Mead Schaeffer & John R. Neill
1954 Edition, 2nd printing from Rand McNally
for 5th-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$12.00 (2 in stock)
King of Elfland's Daughter
by Lord Dunsany
Fourth Printing from Ballantine Books
for 7th-10th grade
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$3.00 (1 in stock)
Knee-Knock Rise
by Natalie Babbitt
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for 5th-8th grade
1971 Newbery Honor Book
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
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
1956 Carnegie Medal
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.99 $6.00 (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)
$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)
$9.00 (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)
Legend of Luke
Redwall #12
by Brian Jacques
1st Us Edition from Philomel Books
Fantasy for 4th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Legend of the Dagger Prince
from Timotheos Press
for 5th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
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)
Literature Curriculum for The Hobbit
from The Independent Scholar
for 8th-12th grade
in British Literature Curriculum (Location: LITCUR-BRI)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Little Bookroom
by Eleanor Farjeon
from New York Review of Books
for 4th-8th grade
1955 Carnegie Medal
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Little Prince
by Antoine De Saint-Exupery
from Harvest House
Fantasy for 3rd-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$11.99 $7.50 (2 in stock)
Little Prince
by Antoine De Saint-Exupery
from Harvest House
Fantasy for 3rd-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$6.00 (2 in stock)
Little Prince
by Antoine De Saint-Exupery
from Harcourt
Fantasy for 3rd-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Long Patrol
Redwall #10
by Brian Jacques
from Philomel Books
Fantasy for 4th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$12.00 (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)
Lord Foulgrin's Letters
by Randy Alcorn
Revised from Multnomah Books
for 8th-Adult
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Many Waters
Wrinkle in Time Series #4
by Madeleine L'Engle
from Quality Paperback Book Club
Fantasy for 7th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Mary Poppins Opens the Door
Mary Poppins Series #3
by P. L. Travers
from Harcourt
Fantasy for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$3.50 (3 in stock)
Mary Poppins Opens the Door
Mary Poppins Series #3
by P. L. Travers
from Harcourt
Fantasy for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Merlin's Mistake
by Robert Newman, illustrated by Richard Lebenson
First Edition from Atheneum
for 6th-9th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Mio My Son
by Astrid Lindgren, translated by Marianne Turner and illustrated by Ilon Wikland
from Puffin Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Miserable Mill
Series of Unfortunate Events #4
by Lemony Snicket
from HarperCollins
Morbid Humor for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
by Ransom Riggs
Reprint from Quirk Books
for 7th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$5.50 (1 in stock)
Mistress Masham's Repose
by T. H. White
from Berkley Books
Fantasy for 7th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$3.00 (2 in stock)
Mistress Masham's Repose
by T. H. White
from New York Review of Books
Fantasy for 7th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$11.50 (1 in stock)
Mountain of Truth
by Dale Carlson; illustrated by Charles Robinson
from Atheneum
for 7th-10th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$14.00 (1 in stock)
Nightmare's Edge
Echoes From the Edge #3
by Bryan Davis
from Zondervan
for 7th-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats
by T. S. Eliot
from Harcourt
for 7th-Adult
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Patchwork Girl of Oz
Wizard of Oz Book 7
by L. Frank Baum
Reissue from Dover Publications
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$12.95 $7.00 (1 in stock)
Perilous Gard
by Elizabeth Marie Pope
from Scholastic Inc.
Historical Fantasy for 5th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Peter and the Secret of Rundoon
by Dave Barry, Ridley Pearson
1st edition from Hyperion/Madison Press
for 5th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.50 (1 in stock)
Peter Pan
Puffin Classics
by J. M. Barrie
from Puffin Books
Fantasy for 4th-8th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$7.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Peter Pan
Dover Evergreen Classics
by J. M. Barrie
from Dover Publications
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$5.99 $3.00 (1 in stock)
Peter Pan
by J. M. Barrie
from Barnes & Noble
Fantasy for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens
by James M. Barrie, illustrated by Arthur Rackham
from Weathervane Books
for 2nd-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$12.00 (2 in stock)
Phoenix and the Carpet
by E. Nesbit, illustrated by H. R. Millar (uncredited)
from Wordsworth Classics
Fantasy for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Pilgrim's Progress (retold)
by John Bunyan (retold by Gary D. Schmidt)
from Eerdmans
Christian Prose Epic/Allegory for 5th-8th grade
in Action & Adventure Stories (Location: FIC-ADV)
$14.00 (1 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 Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$2.50 (4 in stock)
Pinocchio
by Carlo Collodi, translated by M. A. Murray and illustrated by Greg Hildebrandt
from Unicorn Publishing House
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Pinocchio
Windermere Readers #2
by Carlo Collodi, illustrated by Esther Friend
from Rand McNally
Fantasy for 3rd-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Prince Caspian
by C. S. Lewis
from HarperCollins
for 3rd-12th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
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)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
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)
Princess Academy
by Shannon Hale
from Bloomsbury Publishing
for 5th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Princess and the Goblin
Puffin Classics
by George MacDonald
from Puffin Books
Fantasy for 5th-8th grade
in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$7.99 $4.00 (9 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)
$8.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Rush Revere and the First Patriots
by Rush Limbaugh
1St Edition from Threshold Editions
for 4th-8th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Ryann Watters And The King's Sword
by Eric Reinhold
1st edition from Creation House
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Sampo
by James Baldwin
from Yesterday's Classics
for 5th-8th grade
$14.95 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Siege of Macindaw
Ranger's Apprentice #06
by John A. Flanagan
from Philomel Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Silmarillion
by J. R. R. Tolkien & Christopher Tolkien
from Houghton Mifflin
Fantasy for 8th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Silver Chair
by C. S. Lewis
from HarperCollins
for 3rd-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Silver Chair
by C. S. Lewis, illustrated by Pauline Baynes
from Scholastic Inc.
for 3rd-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Silver Chair
Chronicles of Narnia Book 4
by C. S. Lewis
from Collier Books
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Silver Chair
Chronicles of Narnia Book 4
by C. S. Lewis
from Macmillan
Allegorical Fantasy for 3rd-9th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Silver Crown
by Robert C. O'Brien
from Atheneum
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Smith of Wootton Major and Farmer Giles of Ham
by J. R. R. Tolkien
from Ballantine Books
Fantasy for 4th-10th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Sorcerer of the North
Ranger's Apprentice #05
by John A. Flanagan
from Philomel Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Fantasy Fiction (Location: FIC-FAN)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
String in the Harp
by Nancy Bond
from Atheneum
for 4th-8th grade
1977 Newbery Honor Book
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
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