Bitchin' Blog Posts
Better than Potter
by Candy | by Candy | July 18, 2005 | Monday at 11:10 pm | 61 CommentsAnything that makes people read more makes me happy. Therefore, the Harry Potter phenomenon makes me happy. People are really, really excited! About a book! How fucking cool is that?
But man, I wish people would go nuts over a better book.
Oh yes, that’s right. I think Harry Potter is vastly overrated. The premise is all right, but based on what I read (all of the first book, half of the second) the writing was pedestrian at best, boring at worst, and rife with cliches. Someone I knew wrote this very interesting post about the magic system and pinpointed something else that was bothering me:
Anyway, maybe I’m being picky, but [Candy] is certainly right, the writing is nothing to write home about. But most of all the MAGIC is rather silly.
I’m not even quite sure what I mean by that - but the magic seems kind of spoofy and farcical in nature like - oh, I’m going to go take Magic Charms 101. And then Hagrid is going to move the plot along by doing something stupid. And then I’m going to fly around on a magic broom. And wear an invisibility cloak. Forgive me if I didn’t get past the first book.
And then there’s the division of the kids into 4 types of people: the heroes, the villains, the clumsy idiots, and the smartypants. That irks to no end.
I feel like you can tell a lot about a book or author by the way they use magic. The magic in worlds like Ursula LeGuin’s Earthsea (she should be added to the list by the way) or Tolkien’s Middle Earth is much more part of the fabric of the world, much more natural. C.S. Lewis’ magic is based in Christianity - I think. Diane Duane’s books are much more comparable to Rowling’s world, because they are also set in the “real” world, and the magic there is based on the idea that wizards are fighting against the forces of entropy. And Rowling’s magic is…like I said… silly.
Here are some magical children’s books that I’ve read and loved—books that, in my opinion, are Better than Potter:
- The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White (I made my husband read this a couple of years ago and he e-mailed me at work, essentially saying “Holy shit! Best. Book. Evar.”)
- Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
- Any of the books in the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
- Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
- The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
- The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
- Bedknob and Broomstick by Mary Norton
- Five Children and It, The Phoenix and the Carpet and The Story of the Amulet by E. Nesbit (really, ANYTHING by E. Nesbit is brilliant)
- The Darkangel trilogy by Meredith Ann Pierce (The Darkangel, A Gathering of Gargoyles and The Pearl of the Soul of the World
- Redwall by Brian Jacques (the first book is astonishingly good, but the rest of the series is crrrrrap)
- Anything from the Wizard of Oz series by L. Frank Baum.
- The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (The Lord of the Rings trilogy is a series that I think is somewhat overrated—a lot of the dialogue and ALL of the poetry/songs have literally made me gag, they’re so stilted and awful, though I admit nobody can beat Tolkien when it comes to world-building, and I acknowledge that Tolkien is largely responsible for creating the modern fantasy genre as we know it)
- Anything by Philip Pullman—I have the His Dark Materials trilogy in my TBR stacks, and I’ve heard many, many good things about them, and unlike Harry Potter, I have no doubt that these books will live up to their hype
Feel free to fire away in the comments and tell me what a shitful freak I am. Or if, like me, you’re a fellow children’s book/YA novel reader who just is not impressed with Harry Potter, feel free to speak up in solidarity. Feel free to recommend your favorite children’s books, too—yes, even if they’re Harry Potter novels.
Wendy said on 07.19.05 at 12:29 AM • [link]
I listen to Potter on audio - and frankly I think it’s a richer experience. Jim Dale does such a fantastic job with the narration, that it’s like being transported into a whole other world.
After Harry #1 I thought, “Oh I get it - it’s like Cinderella for boys!” and frankly wasn’t that impressed. But by the end of book #2 I was hooked. Although I’m not quite as obsessed as other Muggles. Heck, my audio copy of Harry #6 is still on order.
I can see your points though, but frankly the librarian in me is so frickin’ geeked that people get this hung up over a book that I don’t quibble. Finally, something that excites children and adults that isn’t a video game, movie or TV show.
fiveandfour said on 07.19.05 at 12:31 AM • [link]
My family knows this little rant by heart: “That woman needs an editor!” which is spoken without fail whenever anything Potter enters the discussion. I read one of the books (forget which) and it was so damned frustrating to be thinking as I read “well, this could go and that could go and it would make it a much better story”. It’s one of my pet peeves that when an author gets some success that suddenly it’s as though every. single. word. is sacred and no one dares to touch them.
Ahem. Rant over.
I would add to your list a couple of things I adored as a child: A Wrinkle in Time and The Watcher in the Woods. I look forward to re-reading these in a few years in advance of sharing them with my daughter.
It seems to me that the best YA fiction makes certain assumptions about the reading audience (i.e. it’s as though the tone is that they are only for the smart and special kids, the ones in the know, that it’s a secret pact between the author and the reader that the reader is dying to share with their friends, but only if they’re the right kind of person) that the Potter books don’t. I don’t know how else to put it except that there’s no *spark* to the Potter books like there is for my favorite so-called children’s books.
fiveandfour said on 07.19.05 at 12:37 AM • [link]
Oh, and as for newer stuff, my daughter and I finished Neil Gaiman’s Coraline recently and we both loved that one.
Jonquil said on 07.19.05 at 01:17 AM • [link]
Diana Wynne Jones, *Fire and Hemlock* or *Dogsbody* or *Charmed Life* or *The Magicians of Caprona*.... you get the idea.
Excellent British author of children’s fantasy who is undeservedly obscure in this country; she shows up on “If you liked Harry Potter, you’ll like…” book dumps.
Anybody who likes E. Nesbit will probably also like Edward Eager, who wrote books about American children having magical adventures in the 1950s. Dry sense of humor, lovely line illustrations, wonderful magic.
Kate R said on 07.19.05 at 01:38 AM • [link]
KIDS’ BOOKS CONTAINING MAGIC OR ODD EVENTS. I am an expert on these. Yessir, stand back, you librarians. The local children’s librarian asks me for recommendations when it comes to boys.
Oh Lordy! Diane Wynne Jones ROCKS. So does Jonathan Stroud’s Bartimaeus trilogy (only two books so far) OOOOo I love them.
Artemis Fowl’s okay and the dopey Series of Unfortunate Events has grown on me. The boys love them. The Thief Lord didn’t grip them, but I liked it fine.
We all loved The Thief by Megan W Turner. And Ear, The Eye and The Arm by Nancy Farmer (set in Africa in the future) was very cool.
Those books are good, but DWJ? She’s the business. The best.
We also have read and re-read and re-re-read Prachett’s Bromeliad series. They’re great and more accessible than the disc world stuff. No footnotes.
And I was just getting all nostalgic about it online somewhere: for younger kids (say eight?) The Animal Family by Randall Jarrell is wonderful.
Maybe I should go look at the bookshelves and post again.
Candy said on 07.19.05 at 01:49 AM • [link]
Ah, dammit, I left Roald Dahl of my list. How could I forget Roald Dahl? The BFG is one of my all-time favorite books.
I will definitely have to check out Diana Wynne Jones.
Oh, and I don’t really get the Lemony Snicket books. I mean, don’t get me wrong, the premise is AWESOME. When I heard the description, I got so excited. Wacky, dark, gothic kiddy novels? Hell yeah. But the execution? Meh. I consistently felt as if the author was watering down the story because it was meant for kids, and that irritates me (hell, it irritated me as a child, too). I read the first book and didn’t bother picking up any others.
Edit to add: I was expecting something Edward Gorey-esque, and instead found Joan Aiken lite.
And Joan Aiken is another brilliant children’s author. Midnight is a Place was sooooooo good.
Oooh, also, Lynne Reid Banks, especially The Indian in the Cupboard. *happy sigh*
Lisa said on 07.19.05 at 02:08 AM • [link]
Wanted to recommend Tamora Pierce - her Alanna books were favorites of mine as a girl and it seems she’s only gotten more popular as time goes on.
And for a surreal-world present-day kind of magic, Francesca Lia Block’s books are a delightful LA-based kind of magical realism…
Lisa said on 07.19.05 at 02:13 AM • [link]
Oh! and the Darkangel trilogy! I loved those books, could find them nowhere, and had to wait ages through interlibrary loan so that I could complete them, but I still remember some of the verse that foretold the story of the books..
Arethusa said on 07.19.05 at 02:13 AM • [link]
I don’t know, I’m reading Chronicles of Narnia and they all—with the glorious exception of Horse and His Boy—seem to be nothing more than thinly veiled Christian parables, overtly preachy and labouring under heavy symbolism that my former Sunday School teacher could have probably churned out on a good day.
And I never liked The Hobbit much either, mostly for it’s annoying “children’s author” tone: In a hole they lived a hobbit. It was such a big hole, with a shiny red door which the sun gleamed on brightly! Yadda yadda yadda. Tolkien commented on it in one of his letters, saying that he regretted it but hey it’s still pretty popular. On the other hand I adore LOTR and The Silmarillion most of all. :)
Phillip Pullman is the awesome. Other recs I’d sugges are
The Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix - It’s darker than the usual children’s/YA fantasy lit. I think and he has excellent female protagonists. Great pacing
The Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper - Another Brit doing her take on the Arthurian fantasies. It shares superficial similarities to Chronicles of Narnia but does it better IMO
The Wind Fire trilogy by William Nicholson - The first depicts a world where everyone in the city is ranked by exam grades and it’s all terribly uniform and conformists. Of course the family at the centre of this story don’t really fit in and the twins get involved in a mission that disrupts the entire city. Great, great books, can’t recommend them enough. :)
I’ve heard a lot about Holly Black, but haven’t read her books yet.
Jorie said on 07.19.05 at 02:23 AM • [link]
As a reader, I don’t feel strongly about Harry Potter, either way. I enjoyed the first four but set aside the fifth out of boredom. I am reading the sixth now and may finish it.
But I have to say there is no other series in the world that my mother, my husband and my children all read with enthusiasm. Obviously, Rowling is doing something right for an awful lot of people.
And, yeah, the excitement about a book release is cool.
Erica said on 07.19.05 at 02:49 AM • [link]
Hello. I’ve been reading this site for a while, but this is my first post.
I couldn’t get past the first chapter of any of the Potter books (I tried all of them to see if starting in the middle might help. It didn’t.) Don’t like Pullman much either. I read “The Golden Compass” but I really did not like it. I liked “The Darkangel” but not the other two books so much. I read “The Hobbit” for school, but haven’t read the LoTRs and I have a feeling I probably won’t be reading them anytime soon, same with the Narnia books.
OTOH, I love Robin McKinley, Diana Wynne Jones, Madeleine L’Engle, Roald Dahl, Cynthia Voight, SE Hinton, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Elizabeth George Speare (Witch of Blackbird Pond), Marguerite Henry, Kate Seredy, “Phantom Tollbooth,” “The Perilous Gard,” “Tam Lin,” “Bridge to Terabithia”...
t-beth said on 07.19.05 at 03:06 AM • [link]
Shoot, someone already mentioned Edward Eager. Oh, well. To the list I’ll add Ruth Chew, then.
THIS! Christine said on 07.19.05 at 03:35 AM • [link]
Holy spankings, Batman! I’m a ‘magic’ reader, not a romance reader. I’ve read just about every book you listed. I never know what the hell you’re talking about when you discuss romance books, cause I HAVEN’t read them.
X
Sharon said on 07.19.05 at 04:16 AM • [link]
My fav childhood book which is based on Christian tenets and offers magic and miracles, is Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time and its sequels.
Lynn M said on 07.19.05 at 04:23 AM • [link]
I struggled to get through the first two or three chapters of The Sorcerer’s Stone, but after that I became a fan, hook, stone and sinker. I’m not saying that the HP books are literary gems by any means, but the story told within the covers keeps me completely captivated.
As for the magic being a bit silly, I guess IMO all magic is a bit silly if you think about it. Once you’ve agreed to accept the general premise, it’s a lot easier to just go along on the ride and not question the magic.
But mostly what I like about the HP books is that JKR does not pander to children. She doesn’t white-wash her world to make everything pristine and happy happy because her audience is young (or rather, was supposed to be young). Bad crap happens to Harry and you can’t help but like the guy because of it.
bookseller chick said on 07.19.05 at 04:44 AM • [link]
I had a math teacher who looked like the BFG. Whenever I would walk into class and catch sight of him in profile (one huge ear, thinning hair, schnoz of epic proportions), I would get the biggest grin on my face, which was something he didn’t see very often in his class (since it was multivariable calculus). No surprise that The BFG was my favorite book as a child.
And Yay! for someone else reading the Bartimaeus Trilogy. It’s a favorite in my store, and infinitely better than Harry in my opinion. How can anyone resist a character who feels the need to footnote his own thoughts?
My favorite series at the moment is The Tales of the Otori. Although written for adults, the books won Best Adult books for Teens from the library journal in 2003 (I believe). Set in a world based on feudal Japan, the books have it all, great fight scenes, high saga, and the characters evolve right before your eyes. If nothing else, go check out Across the Nightingale Floor (the first book). I started reading it because my customers couldn’t seem to stay away from it, and now I’m addicted. All three books in the trilogy are out in trade paperback. Go. Buy. Now!
I could go off on a rant on Harry, and the “right time, right place” luck that made him America’s real sweetheart, but I’m still winding down from having to do one of those damn parties (basically too exhausted for every other word not to be the F word). Glad to hear that others feel the same way,
Bsc
Elaine said on 07.19.05 at 05:00 AM • [link]
Dianne Wynn Jones - another yes! She comes in several flavors, some darker than others. I like that she doesn’t over explain her worlds.
A College of Magic and a Scholar of Magic might work for older YA readers. These books by Caroline Stevermer are set in a pseudo-Victoran, early industrial period in which magic (fairly obscure and suble magic mostly) works. Stevermer’s work always amazes me after my second read of it: I think I just read it too damn fast the first time.
Sarah said on 07.19.05 at 05:01 AM • [link]
Roald Dahl, Roald Dahl. LOVE him. I think my faves were the Witches, and Matilda.
As far as chapter books for kids, stepping outside of magic for a moment, I also liked the simplicity and the comforting familiarity of Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary as a little girl, and the Judy Blumes that were about little kids, not teenagers, and weren’t all about puberty and masturbating - especially the Superfudge series. And, I think I read The One in the Middle is the Green Kangaroo about sixty times.
I’m not saying Blume is high art to the degree of honor to which I hold Dahl, but when I was a little girl, they were like cocoa and flannel in literary form.
Robyn said on 07.19.05 at 05:15 AM • [link]
My kids couldn’t care less about HP, but loved A Wrinkle in Time, The Hobbit, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and the Narnia series.
(BTW, if you haven’t read Narnia, someone made the point that they read like Christian parables. THEY ARE. They were meant to be. C.S. wasn’t trying to fly under the radar.)
They also loved Wizard of Oz and Peter Pan. They’ll be thrilled to check out some of those other titles at the library tomorrow. Thanks!
Arethusa said on 07.19.05 at 05:29 AM • [link]
Bookseller chick I forgot about the Otori series! Oh they’re all absolutely wonderful, I overwhelmingly second that recommendation.
Kel said on 07.19.05 at 05:33 AM • [link]
See now I had this long typed up response but lost it because it didn’t like what I typed I suppose! Grrrrrr
Sigh. Anyway, first time poster here too, but I’ve been lurking and I couldn’t resist the thread.
I see some of the ones I was gonna mention before the post flew off into cyber-ether, Blume and Cleary were already brought up, and they were ones I loved too. (I just read “Runaway Ralph” to my nephew).
I also liked Lois Duncan as a young adult, and a book by some author I can’t remember called “Don’t Hurt Laura”. Cried and Cried and for some reason it still sticks with me.
As a kid I loved Anne of Green Gables and the Little house books, and musta checkd out the original “Boxcar Children” a hundred times from my elememtary school library.
All time faves were my Trixie Bleden mysteries. Still collect those…well, the first editions at least.
I LOVED “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe”, though not so much the rest of the series. (Btw, they’re bringing that out as a live action movie by Christmas, looks fabo too!)
I read and liked Lewis’s three book Sci Fi series, but that was when I was older.
Didn’t like the Hobbit much, thought it was Booor-ring, but I liked the trilogy, when I got older.
By sixth grade I was reading Romance, not long after that literature too, “Ivanhoe” “Of Mice and Men, “Where the Red Fern Grows”, “Flowers for algernon”, though those were homework mostly, however “Pride and Prejudice” is still my all time favorite re-read,
....and now I’m back to Fantasy and Sci Fi, oh and still reading romance too of course.
As far as Potter goes, I haven’t read any of them yet mostly because of the hype, but then I thought, well look at the way I act with Star Wars, Star Trek, and BTVS! If Star Wars isn’t pure hype, I don’t know what is! (The young adult books in these series are just as fun to read too, btw). So I might give it a shot.
Plus I like the movies, AND as someone else said anything that gets kids excited about reading is fine by me too.
Crap. I’ve rambled. How rude of me on my first post. All righty then, move along, nothing to see here, as you were….
Arethusa said on 07.19.05 at 05:36 AM • [link]
Oh Robyn I just read your comment. I’m well-aware that Lewis meant it to be based on Christian principles, but there are lots of other books (like the Wrinkle in Time series, or LOTR for that matter) where the messages serve the story rather than vice versa because then you get the benefits of both. To me Lewis went the other way around and handled it very clumsily, in an incredibly simplified manner and tedious manner (even though each book is so short!). Heck, the Bible featured better stories.
Candy said on 07.19.05 at 05:45 AM • [link]
I don’t know, I’m reading Chronicles of Narnia and they all—with the glorious exception of Horse and His Boy—seem to be nothing more than thinly veiled Christian parables, overtly preachy and labouring under heavy symbolism that my former Sunday School teacher could have probably churned out on a good day.
I read them when I was a young ‘un, and the Christian symbolism flew right over my head. I re-read them when I was a teenager and caught some of the references but deliberately chose to ignore them.
When I re-read the books for the third or fourth time, I’m going to deliberately ignore the symbolism again :lol: . Because honestly, I think the ripping good yarns make up for any uncomfortable preachy bits.
As for the magic being a bit silly, I guess IMO all magic is a bit silly if you think about it.
Yeah, in a way. But some magical systems are COOL, y’know? Like how T.H. White explained why Merlin was prescient in The Sword in the Stone: Merlin was born in the future and lived backwards. How cool is that? And all the spells were old Latin phrases, and funny things happened when Merlin invoked Castor and Pollux while cussing….
Shannon said on 07.19.05 at 05:57 AM • [link]
I love Harry Potter, even though I was a bit disappointed by the last two. They’re campy and fun, and the cheezy verbs and juvenile magic pranks are part of that fun. And if a book entertains me and I have a blast reading it, I don’t care if it’s a prime example of writing how-not-tos.
But I’m one of those freaky people who would rather go on Fear Factor and scarf down raw buffalo balls than read Tolkien. Boooooring and OMG at the style. The last time I tried to read his writing my left eye twitched for two days.
Nat said on 07.19.05 at 06:20 AM • [link]
His Dark Materials is a wonderful trilogy. I read the first two and were blown away by the depth and wonder of Pullman’s writing. I plan to skim through them again so I can finally read book 3.
I agree also on Tamora Pierce. I flew through each book in the Alanna series in one sitting. I plan to read as much of her as I can!!
For a great science fiction book, try the Giver by Lois Lowry. It won the Newbery Award and is simply one of the most amazing books ever.
For a fairy tale spin, try The Tale of Desperaux by Kate DiCamillo. Another Newbery winner, my husband, who is not a reader, enjoyed this book!
I could think of many many more as I am a children’s/YA librarian, but those are the standouts for me.
PS: I am not a big HP fan either. As a fantasy genre reader, I kept thinking “Dahl did this better” and other things like that.
Robin said on 07.19.05 at 06:33 AM • [link]
I’ve read White’s The Once and Future King, but nothing else by him. Is this a prequel or a sequel?? TOAFK is one of my all time favorite books, and I got a great cheapo hardback copy recently from Costco for under 7 bucks. I was so happy to see it’s still in print that I actually whined and clutched it to my chest in the middle of the store—sad but true.
Candy said on 07.19.05 at 06:41 AM • [link]
TOAFK is basically a compendium of four books: The Sword in the Stone, The Queen of Air and Darkness, The Ill-Made Knight and The Candle in the Wind. But the version of The Sword in the Stone that’s in TOAFK is an abridged version; if you get the stand-alone book, it’s got a lot more adventures in it. For instance, Wart encounters a giant and gets turned into a snake, which aren’t included in TOAFK. (I think. It’s been 10 years since I’ve read that book.)
Grrrly said on 07.19.05 at 06:50 AM • [link]
thank you, thank you, thank you, for mentioning five children and an it. i’ve been wanting to read it to my daughter and have spent years looking for it with nothing more to go on then “kids meet snail-thing and get wishes” and the mistaken title of ‘three children and it’. what a relief that this book that no one but i seemed to remember wasn’t the product of my own imagination! :)
i’d also recommend (though they’re quite old and more teen/ya stories than children’s) margaret mahy’s ‘the tricksters’ and ‘the changeover’. ‘the spellkey’ by ann downer was another frequent check-out from the local library. and i just found out she wrote it as a trilogy, so looks like i’ve got some shopping to do. :) for the rest of the books mentioned, looks like rooting through my storage unit is in order, as i recall reading and loving a vast majority of them.
Lisa said on 07.19.05 at 08:23 AM • [link]
It’s times like this that I’m glad for ebooks…Remembering favorites earlier, I downloaded the two newest Tamora Pierce e-books onto my Palm and have been happily reading at a time when all the bookstores are closed. Seriously, I do a lot of my browsing LATE at night and I like instant gratification. If more books were available in e-version, I’d snap them up…I’ve got the YA page open at fictionwise right now :)
Jennifer said on 07.19.05 at 09:47 AM • [link]
I love YA books, especially YA fantasy and science fiction, but the Harry Potter books aren’t among my absolute favorites. I enjoy the Harry Potter series, but I have problems with it.
My favorite YA books are:
The Thief of Always and the Abarat series by Clive Barker
The Blue Sword, The Hero and the Crown, and Beauty by Robin McKinley
the original three Earthsea books by Ursula K. Le Guin
Madeleine L’Engle’s Time Quartet
anything by Tamora Pierce I can get my hands on
The Harper Hall Trilogy by Anne McCaffrey
Summers at Castle Auburn and The Safe-Keeper’s Secret by Sharon Shinn
The Changeover by Margaret Mahy
Weekend, Last Act, Remember Me, and Witch by Christopher Pike
nearly all of Norma Klein’s YA books
Forever by Judy Blume
P.S. I Love You by Barbara Conklin
A Kindred Spirit by Ann Gabhart
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series by Ann Brashares
Sorcery and Cecelia by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer
everything by S. E. Hinton
The Divorce Express and It’s an Aardvark Eat Turtle World by Paula Danziger
Caroline B. Cooney’s YA romances
everything I’ve read by Paul Zindel
Bruce and Carole Hart’s books
Kimmi said on 07.19.05 at 11:24 AM • [link]
I just skimmed through these remarks and would just like to comment that all of you have brilliant taste.
Myself, I love Timora Pierce and Garth Nix. I bought HDM for my 15th birthday, and I don’t regret buying them. The ending especially is quite emotional - in fact I am sure I cried at least once in each book. The villians are some of the best I have read—rich characteristation, and, from what I remember, believable motivation (which is, from what I’ve seen, somewhat a fault of the fantasy in general.).
Semi-spoiler-on-HBP!
One thing that I can say for The Half Blood Prince is that I enjoyed finding out about Tom Riddle (Voldemort)‘s past.
/semi-spolier-on-HBP!
I also have to plug these authors—
Isobelle Carmody—who wrote the Obernewtyn series, post-apolocalyptic setting with characters who use mind-magic. She also wrote the Legendsong trilogy (which is only a duet at the moment), which is my favourite set of books. I’ve bought both of them. I only buy books I’ve read before if I like them muchly (HDM was a gamble that payed off).
Kate Constable—slightly less in-depth triology in a fantasical society where magic is wound into music; singing and to a point, dance. Good magic system—unique, unlike the point-and-spell system used in HP.
(spoiler) I liked the last book especially as it indicates that writing is the greatest magic of all—allowing us to share our thoughts and place them in a place for others to read them. (end spoiler)
Always enjoy your blog, Bitches! (Except I think some in my family were concerned about you name until I showed them you did indeed talk about books. And didn’t just swear. Much.)
Karen Scott said on 07.19.05 at 12:59 PM • [link]
Jonquil, OMG, you just totally took me back to my childhood with Diana Wynne Jones’s Charmed Life, I LOVED THAT FREAKING BOOK!! I haven’t thought about it in over twenty years, and the memories it brought back were just fantastic! Thanks so much for that! I’m now going off to Amazon to buy it!!
AngieW said on 07.19.05 at 02:20 PM • [link]
Most of my favorites have already been mentioned but one fantasy book that I loved as a child was The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Andrews-Edwards.
Also, not in fantasy but I see others kind of went outside that genre as well, The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin.
I need to come back to these comments and right all these books down. I’ve been collecting children’s and YA adults for Brianna that I might no be able to get when she’s at that age!
Michelle K said on 07.19.05 at 02:54 PM • [link]
I’ll speak up and say that I like Harry Potter. But then I read cereal boxes, so you should take that into consideration.
The Harry Potter books are not great—as a fantasy author JKR has nothing on Garth Nix, Phillip Pullman, or Madeline L’Engle—but I do think they’re good. The story is fun, the characters have become multi-dimensional as the series has progressed, and they’re not necessarily happy ending books.
My mother-in-law talks about how my husband wasn’t a reader until he found “choose your own adventure” books. Since then he’s been an avid reader, so if Harry Potter gets more kids reading, then I think they’re fantastic.
Susan said on 07.19.05 at 04:57 PM • [link]
First time poster here…
These aren’t really magical, just fantasy, but one of my favorite series as a child was “The Borrowers” by Mary Norton. There are six books in the series and I just adored them. I can’t wait to introduce by daughter to them. Mary Norton also wrote the “Bedknob and Broomstick” series. I’m sure I read those as well but “The Borrowers” just really stuck with me.
Robin said on 07.19.05 at 05:10 PM • [link]
Oh, thanks, Candy! Now I can hunt for more books I don’t need but must have—like this is different from any other day!
Michelle, the Diva said on 07.19.05 at 08:02 PM • [link]
with the glorious exception of Horse and His Boy
This is definitely my favorite book of the Narnian chronicles, and probably makes into my top 5 of favorite books of any genre.
I find it interesting that you mention it as I just reread it for the gogogazillionth time yesterday afternoon. I still find it charming and fresh, with the quirky plot and changing narrator voice that I’ve always loved.
Regarding the HP phenomenon, I own 4 of the 6 books (bought from a yard sale - 50 cents each and still wondering if I got shafted), and while I find them vaguely entertaining, I just can’t see them as God’s gift to literature. They’re campy and oftentimes trite, and I’d think that they would be better written for all of the buzz they garner.
IMHO, this just shows how “dumbed down” our culture is becoming. It’s a sad little commentary on literature when a poorly written and silly “ooh look, it’s MAGIC” piece gets as much attention as these ones have.
Don’t even GET me started on music.
I’m just grateful that there’s only one (please let this be true) more book in the “popular” HP trainwreck.
Lilith Saintcrow said on 07.19.05 at 08:24 PM • [link]
I happen to like HP, but I can see why others don’t. I just thank the gods the selection of good “children’s” and fantasy literature is so vast as to include Pullman, Rowling, Tolkien, etc., etc.
Jorie said on 07.19.05 at 08:43 PM • [link]
I dunno. Not that anyone has to love HP and not everyone should. No author is going to please every reader. (I didn’t bother finishing the last book, though I will read HP6.) But this talk about poorly written and dumbed down kind of gets my back up. I’m not saying Rowling is the most elegant writer (yes, she overuses adverbs) out there but I’ve read worse, easily.
The fact is even if I get tripped out of the story too often (Dumbledore’s actions and secrets don’t usually make too much sense, for one tiny example), Rowling is an entertaining storyteller for a lot of people, not because they’re dumb, but because they find her fun and her story moves. And a lot of people read it despite the magic, because they like English boarding school stories and Rowling’s sense of humor.
Popular doens’t equal stupid. Nora Roberts doesn’t write the least intelligent romances out there.
Okay, better stop my rant now! Sorry.
sherryfair said on 07.19.05 at 09:53 PM • [link]
I agree, Candy. T.H. White’s “The Once and Future King” (I think “The Sword and the Stone” must be a section in it, when the protagonist still goes by the name of Wart) is one of the best damn books ever.
Mistress Stef said on 07.19.05 at 10:33 PM • [link]
It’s mind candy. It amuses me. That’s pretty much it.
Though if they had been a real Hogwarts when I was a kid, I would have been SO there.
ShannonC said on 07.19.05 at 11:47 PM • [link]
One author not mentioned- and this is adult as well as juvenile, is Terry Pratchett. The Wee Free Men, Hat Full of Stars, The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, Johnny and the Bomb, etc. et al.
Any book featuring the Nac Mac Feegle (tiny blue men in kilts whose main tenants are “drinkin… fightin… and more drinkin!”)is a classic in my household. It’s become a tradition to read the Wee Free Men every year at Christmas time.
Beautifully written, evocative, and magical. The main character in my favorite series is a girl named Tiffany Aching. She’s a witch in training and a maestro at making cheese.
Becca said on 07.20.05 at 01:59 AM • [link]
rats, people mentioned all my favorites: Pratchett, E. Nesbit, Edward Eager, Susan Cooper. If you can get The Dark Is Rising in audio, it’s fantastic.
but I disliked the Pullman books. The first two were excellent, but I thought the ending of the last one was telegraphed and it all fell flat. I was trying to figure out how he was going to get out of the bind he’d plotted himself into, and sure enough he didn’t. bleah. To use a trite phrase, he sold his ending for a plot of message.
Ankah said on 07.20.05 at 03:58 AM • [link]
Don’t forget to include the Abhorsen series by Garth Nix.
The main character in the second book is a Librarian! :)
Katie said on 07.20.05 at 08:02 AM • [link]
As a teacher, I’ve seen students who hate to read pick up Harry Potter and love the books. That right there is magical.
Having read the whole series, let me assure those who stopped after ten pages of the first book that these pages, in fact, are not indicative of everything Rowling has ever written. (The characters grow more complex as Harry gains the maturity to start seeing the world in shades of gray.)
J.K. Rowling does have a meandering style, and she sure needed an editor for book 4… but this latest book has beautiful pacing. Her style also reminds me a lot of Dickens, actually. Rather heavyhanded, humorous, fun, but always with an undercurrent of something darker.
I am not saying we should stick her in a classical canon right this minute, or that we ever should, but I also hesitate to “pan” her work because of all the hype. After all, Shakespeare’s contemporaries called him an ignorant boob because he enjoyed popularity with the masses…
... and I enjoy reading romance novels. It would be ridiculous and hypocritical for me to judge something as “too popular” when I love love LOVE popular fiction.
Danielle said on 07.20.05 at 04:15 PM • [link]
Others have already recommended my favourite YA fantasists (Diana Wynne Jones, Garth Nix, Margaret Mahy). So I’ll restrict myself to adding a few more YA titles that really appeal to kids here who’ve read all the Harry Potter books and are looking for something new at my library.
Cornelia Funke, The Thief Lord, Inkheart, etc
Marcus Sedgwick, The Book of Dead Days
Philip Reeve, Mortal Engines, Predator’s Gold
[These all seem to be very good for attracting/keeping boy readers, like the HP series.]
Marianne McA said on 07.21.05 at 01:57 AM • [link]
Becca, I love you, you’re the first person ever I’ve heard say that. The first two Pullman books are fantastic, and then he completely wimps out on the third - and if you’re going to do that - why bother? But you never hear a bad word said about the series.
[And has anyone else ever wondered why Rowling gets carpeted for irreligiousity, and Pullman gets a bye?]
I’m with you on everything else - loved Susan Cooper, Edward Eager, E.Nesbit and Pratchett, except for his children’s books. [Though I still read those.]
As for the Potter books, I just love them. When I read the first, I felt like I was rereading a book that I’d loved as a child, but entirely forgotten.
sara donati said on 07.21.05 at 03:01 PM • [link]
I’m late to the party as usual, but let me say that Rowlings is a good example of someone who can tell a decent story, but who doesn’t write well at all. Lots of folks out there like that.
People want a GOOD STORY and they are willing to put up with a lot of crap to get one.
Beth said on 07.21.05 at 04:49 PM • [link]
I’m late too, Sara, and totally with you. I don’t think the HP books are God’s gift to literature, but they are a huge gift to the art of storytelling. Ya know - catchy tunes don’t have to be complex to be good. They just have to be catchy. And it’s fun to sing along.
Me? I was sucked into them from the beginning because—well it was like: “Magic wands! Photos that wave back at me! I wanna be the One Who Lived and the mean grown-ups can’t STAND it and for some mysterious reason I am better or stronger or somehow more than everybody in the world and and and and I WANT AN OWL!”
(Note that I don’t pretend to be all that mature, so there ya go.)
Kate R said on 07.21.05 at 05:13 PM • [link]
That’s it! Damn Beth, you’re so smart. Harry Potter as a catchy tune. Something with a quick beat. Not quite Walking on Sunshine (or does that show how really really old I am?)
I want an owl too and I wouldn’t even mind a howler.
Alyssa said on 07.22.05 at 02:09 AM • [link]
I’ve enjoyed reading the recommendations, and I would add Patricia McKillip. I’ve enjoyed several of her books, and The Book of Atrix Wolfe is quite memorable.
I enjoy Harry Potter, but I haven’t read (or bought) book 6 yet. And after book 5, I agree that a good editor would be helpful.
Candy said on 07.22.05 at 04:27 AM • [link]
“I’m late to the party as usual, but let me say that Rowlings is a good example of someone who can tell a decent story, but who doesn’t write well at all.”
I’d say the huge majority of massively bestselling novelists fall into that category. John Grisham, Jackie Collins, Jude Deveraux, Tom Clancy, Robert Ludlum, Olivia Goldsmith—their books usually contain a ripping good yarn, but man, stylistically speaking, they’re Hiroshima (or D-Day, or in the case of a couple of these, sleeping sickness; take your pick).
“Harry Potter as a catchy tune. Something with a quick beat. Not quite Walking on Sunshine (or does that show how really really old I am?)”
Hee hee. The first comparisons that sprang to my mind were songs like “Everybody Dance Now” or the whole Spice Girls catalog. But comparing Harry Potter to the Spice Girls is unkind indeed to J.K. Rowling, since I don’t think the books are THAT bad.
Christine said on 08.01.06 at 09:10 PM • [link]
Becca: I completely agree about Pullman. I felt cheated at the end of that series.
I like the HP books, and I went to see the movies in the theater. (All alone. My boyfriend refused to go, it wasn’t manly enough for him - and even worse, it’s pop culure.) But I have my issues with the books, too. I’m in it for the escapism and jollies.
Speaking of which: I recently re-read Alice in Wonderland. I realize it was unique at the time, but right now, in 2006, I think it seriously sucks.
Aimey said on 08.03.06 at 05:06 PM • [link]
Personally I love the Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede.
JM said on 08.04.06 at 10:55 AM • [link]
Gonna second the motion on Francesca Lia Block - esp. the Weetzie Bat books.
Also, I don’t think anyone’s mentioned Lloyd Alexander - “Chronicles of Prydain”, etc.? Also the series with “The Kestrel”. And he had a sort-of female Indiana Jones series, but I was getting a bit old for it when it came out.
The Caustic Git said on 08.06.06 at 10:02 PM • [link]
Personally, I’m a fan of Rowling. But whatever.
Y’all HAVE to pick up Libba Bray’s first two books. They’re almost YA, but dark. Victorian girl with visions and control of magic… and a super-hot Indian guy. Delish.
Mel said on 09.12.06 at 09:51 AM • [link]
Patricia C. Wrede. Diane Duane- mostly because I like the characters, and the magic/world makes sense. Madeleine L’engle. Trixie Belden. Charlotte Macleod’s We dare not go a’huntin’. Anne of Green Gables and Emily of New Moon. Anything by Terry Pratchett. Some books by Tamora Pierce, but not all. Whoever wrote Matilda! Definitely the Borrowers and Oz. Robin Mckinley- Spindle’s End was my favorite. Pride and prejudice (not really YA, but I read it for the first time in 6th grade). Quite a few others- one series which I can’t remember the name, but one title was “super weasel”- it’s about a kid who decides to do good deeds, but gets into huge amounts of trouble (he dubs his sister “the pest” if that sounds familiar to anyone). CJ cherryh’s Finity’s End.
Cheaper by the dozen and Belles on their toes.
Never really liked Pullman. HP sucks me in with the cute details (photos, owls, etc.) but I detest JK’s writing abilities.
Wow….I’m probably leaving quite a bit out. Oh, well…
imelda said on 11.13.06 at 04:47 AM • [link]
To be fair, how could the Harry Potter books NOT be overrated? Unless they were the greatest books in the history of the world, second only to Shakespeare (which aren’t really books), they HAVE to be overrated, because of their immense popularity.
That being said, I do think they’re pretty good. Nothing genius, or revolutionary; they don’t compare to things like ‘His Dark Materials’. But the HP books are RIVETING. I think JKR is a really funny, clever writer who creates very lovable characters, and, like the best kidslit authors, isn’t afraid to tackle the messy reality of life. And she tells a great story.
As for Philip Pullman, I’m surprised to hear people say that they thought Pullman “wimped out” on the third book. Whoa. Where does that impression come from??? To me it seemed like he really went all out in the third book, took some serious risks, and said his most important ideas.
iffygenia said on 05.25.07 at 05:55 PM • [link]
I read books MUCH better than Harry Potter as a child, but Harry Potter obsession is an opportunity. Get children keen to read, then stuff ‘em with better books.
We just made a list for my niece, so I’m glad to share!
Mary Stewart - The Little Broomstick
A girl and a cat join a school for young magicians. This book obviously influenced JK Rowling!
Susan Cooper - The Dark Is Rising series
Great characters, good/evil, coming of age/into power, and Arthurian legend!
Alan Garner - The Weirdstone of Brisingamen
Wonderful myth-based children’s story!
Gerald Durrell - The Talking Parcel
Children and a parrot try to save the magical land of Mythologia from marauding Cockatrices.
His animals/travels books are wonderful family books as well.
Lucy Boston - the Green Knowe books
Roald Dahl - James and the Giant Peach
Madeleine L’Engle - A Wrinkle in Time
Andre Maurois - Fattypuffs and Thinifers
Beverly Nichols - The Stream That Stood Still
Salman Rushdie - Haroun and the Sea of Stories
A fairytale for children and grownups both!
For younger kids: not exactly magic, but a magical world:
Tove Jansson - the Moomin books
Not fiction, but fictionalized mythologies:
Roger Lancelyn Green - Robin Hood, King Arthur, Greek Heroes, Ancient Egypt, The Tale of Troy
For teens:
Ann Maxwell - Fire Dancer, Timeshadow Rider
TH White - The Sword in the Stone
Mark Twain - A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court
Gwynnywonk said on 01.17.08 at 12:47 PM • [link]
Man, Gerald Morris is one of the funniest arthurian legend interpreters I have ever read, and he hardly ever seems to get press. The guy’s got humor and style, and I find his work funny to this day, even though I first read them when I was twelve or so.
rachel said on 02.21.09 at 03:07 AM • [link]
I love the E. E. Nesbitt, the Susan Cooper books and many of the others recommended in this list. I would strongly recommend
The diamond in the window by Jane Langton ( I almost named my son trebor nosnibor)
The Green Knowe series by L.M. Boston
The wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graehme
The thirteenth Floor by Sid Fleischman
The Red Keep by Allen French (most anything by French is good(good for boys with a kick ass heroine too and written in the 30’s would you believe it.)
Men of Iron , Otto of the silver hand by N. . Wyeth (also good for boys although dated style)
Captain’s Courageous by Rudyard Kipling
Treasure Island still works
The box of delights and The midnight folk by John Masefield excellent
The mary poppins series by P.L. Travers (much darker than the movie)
For memoires
The Dog who wouldn’t be by Farley Mowat
My Family and other animals by Gerald Durrell
White waters and black by Gordon MacCreagh One of the best!(if you wan’t to know the real names of the scientists contact me I have the list and they are all dead now!) This is for YA and adults although younger children might like it as a read out loud. That is how was first introduced to it. Actually to many of these books
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