Hooray for Harry

Since Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone burst on the scene in 1998, children's book publishing has never been the same. There's more quality fantasy being published today than ever before, all due, I suspect, to the adventures of the young wizard-in-training. Harry has been in such demand that many bookstores remain open at midnight to launch the latest installment in the series—to long lines of fans wearing their finest Hogwarts fashions. As of last month, thousands of advance orders had already been placed for the next installment, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (all Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine Bks.), which goes on sale July 16 in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. Thanks to Harry, boys and girls are devouring novels as thick as the yellow pages, and fantasy books are flying off library shelves. As a longtime fan of fantasy, all I can say is, "Thank you, J. K. Rowling, from the bottom of my heart." I couldn't be happier.

What recent works of fantasy are must-haves for your collection?

The first to come to mind is The Amber Spyglass (2000), the concluding volume of Philip Pullman's incredible, award-winning trilogy, His Dark Materials. The Amber Spyglass presents a winner-takes-all struggle for world domination between the forces of reason and evil (the latter, in Pullman's epic tale, includes the church). This sophisticated, exquisitely written—and yes, controversial—novel not only has won the Whitbread Children's Book Award, but it's the only work for young people to have been given the Whitbread Book of the Year award, one of Britain's most prestigious literary prizes.

Fantasy lovers will want to start at the beginning, of course, with book one of the series, The Golden Compass (1996), followed by its successor, The Subtle Knife (1997, all Knopf). Eleven-year-old Lyra, one of the stars of the series, lives in a world very much like ours, but with a jaw-dropping difference. In Lyra's world, magic is the stuff of conventional life and people are paired at birth with their own special daemon, a shape-shifting animal who accompanies them on their journey through life.

Australian author Garth Nix exploded on America's teen scene with the 1996 publication of Sabriel, book one of The Abhorsen Trilogy. This superbly crafted dark fantasy follows the adventures of the teenage daughter of a necromancer who must overcome the minions of the dead if she hopes to save her father's life. But the suspense doesn't stop there. Lirael: Daughter of the Clayr (2001) introduces a shy, lonely young girl who bravely comes to Sabriel's aid—and eventually turns into a sword-wielding librarian! In book three, Abhorsen (2003, all HarperCollins), set in Nix's intricately designed universe, the fate of the world hangs in the balance as Lirael and Sabriel's son, Prince Sameth, fight the fiendish necromancer Hedge and the insidious powers of darkness.

Literary fiction doesn't get any better than East (Harcourt, 2003), Edith Pattou's incredibly beautiful retelling of the Scandinavian folktale "East of the Sun, West of the Moon." Rose, the youngest of seven children, is destined to become an obedient, predictable child. At least, that's what Rose's mother would like her daughter to believe. But there's nothing ordinary about Rose, especially after she makes a pact with a great polar bear, which eventually leads her to risk her life to rescue an ensorcelled prince. Pattou conjures up a compelling mix of Norse mythology, fairy tale, and fantasy that's all but impossible to put down.

Many authors of books for grownups are now writing fantasy for younger readers, and one of the best of the bunch is Terry Pratchett. His Discworld novels, written for adults, are as popular with teen readers as they are with their parents, and it's easy to see why. Pratchett is the literary heir of Douglas Adams, justly famous for his inspired lunacy and satire. If you find intelligent, smart-alecky rodents irresistible (and who doesn't?), The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents (2001) is not to be missed. The novel—which earned Pratchett the 2001 Carnegie Medal, England's annual award to the writer of an outstanding children's book—tells the wild, hair-raising, heart-stopping story of a kind but simple-minded pied piper… from the perspective of a talking cat and his educated rat companions. Pratchett's next two works, The Wee Free Men (2003) and its sequel, A Hat Full of Sky (2004, all HarperCollins), chronicle the humorous adventures of nine-year-old Tiffany Aching, a precocious witch-in-training, and the six-inch-high, heavily tattooed blue men who befriend her. After monsters from Fairyland invade the world and her irritating brother vanishes, Tiffany sets off to find him, armed with an iron frying pan. Don't let Tiffany's effete name fool you—there's nothing weak or precious about this plucky, courageous kid.

Most teens know Neil Gaiman as the author of the award-winning graphic-novel series Sandman, which follows the exploits of a family of seven immortals. But Gaiman is also one heck of a novelist, and American Gods (Morrow, 2001), his tale of middle-age, ex-con Shadow Moon's eerie road trip, swept sci-fi and fantasy's triple crown in 2002—winning a Hugo Award as the year's top sci-fi title, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America's Nebula Award for best novel, and the annual Bram Stoker Award for the number-one work of horror. Although American Gods was published for adult readers, it has plenty of teen appeal. In addition, Gaiman wrote Coraline (HarperCollins, 2002), the winner of a Hugo award for best novella, for younger readers. After Coraline opens a mysterious locked door—which usually opens onto a bricked-up passageway—she finds herself in a very dark tunnel. At the other end, her "other" mother and father await with gleaming, black button eyes that are sewed on by thread. They'd love the young girl to stay with them forever, but there's a catch: she must first have her eyes replaced with those gleaming black buttons. As Gaiman traveled the country reading Coraline to groups of children and parents, he discovered that kids responded to the story as a terrific, sitting-on-the-edge-of-their-seat adventure. As for the adults in the audience, Coraline was the stuff of nightmares.

It's tough to think of a wittier or more humorous pair of titles than Jonathan Stroud's The Amulet of Samarkand (2003) and The Golem's Eye (2004, both Hyperion), books one and two of The Bartimaeus Trilogy. Bartimaeus, a 5,000-year-old, not-so-evil Djinni with an attitude, has one of the most inventive narrative voices I've heard in years. How does an ancient being who once conversed with King Solomon get hoodwinked into working for a young boy? Because Nathaniel, a gifted magician's apprentice, is not your average 12-year-old: he's on a deadly quest to get even with Simon Lovelace, the vicious magician who publicly humiliated him.

It won't take readers long to realize why German author Cornelia Funke is one of her nation's most popular writers. The Thief Lord (Scholastic, 2002) is a thoroughly enjoyable Dickensian fantasy that tracks the adventures of two lovable orphans, 12-year-old Prosper and his five-year-old brother, Bo. The boys flee from an unkind aunt (who wants to adopt the younger brother and disown the elder) and escape to Venice, the city their deceased mother always loved. The brothers soon fall in with a gang of street urchins who are cared for by the Thief Lord, a mysterious young stranger who steals from the wealthy to feed and clothe his poor young charges. But everything unravels when the detective who has been hired to find the missing brothers discovers that the Thief Lord is about to heist a magical artifact. The Thief Lord has won many awards, including the 2003 Batchelder Award, honoring an outstanding children's book that has been translated into English. Inkheart (2003) was Funke's second fantasy to be released in the U.S., and it's just as good as the first. Twelve-year-old Maggie's father, Mo, has an unusual gift: when he reads a book aloud, the characters literally come to life. That's not always a good thing, especially when Mo calls forth the sadistic, ink-hearted Capricorn and his villainous minions. Dragon Rider (2004, both Scholastic/Chicken House), which made its American debut last year, is actually one of Funke's earlier works, first published in Germany in 1997. This gentle, light fantasy for younger readers tells the story of Firedrake, a silver dragon who must undertake a perilous journey to the Rim of Heaven in the Himalayas, and Ben, a young orphan who is destined to become a dragon rider.

Tamora Pierce is a one-woman fantasy factory. During the last two decades, Pierce has created a slew of terrific fantasy series, including The Circle of Magic quartet (the saga of four mages-in-training) and the Protector of the Small tetralogy, the story of a girl who attempts to become the first female knight in history. But Pierce's very first fantasy series, the four-volume Song of the Lioness (which begins with Alanna [Atheneum, 1983]), still ranks among her best. Two of Pierce's most recent offerings, Trickster's Choice (2003) and Trickster's Queen (2004, both Random House), return to familiar turf, highlighting the adventures of Alanna's headstrong teenage daughter, Aly. In Trickster's Choice, Aly is captured, sold into slavery, and forced to enter into a pact with the Trickster god, if she hopes to make it back home alive. The delightfully devious Aly has always wanted to be a spy, and in Trickster's Queen, she finally gets her chance. Aly sets up an espionage network to protect a young girl who just might become the future queen of the Copper Isles—if she survives, that is.

Talk about precocious. Christopher Paolini began writing Eragon (Knopf, 2003) when he was just 15 years old, the same age as the poor farm boy who is the hero of his exuberant boy-meets-dragon tale. Paolini's parents were so astonished when they read the manuscript that they decided to self-publish it, and Paolini's father was soon peddling the book out of the back of the family station wagon. Eventually, Carl Hiaasen's son bought a copy, loved it, and insisted that his famous father read it. Hiaasen, in turn, gave the book to his agent, who sold the rights to Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, and the rest, as they say, is history. Eragon is the heartwarming story of a lowly orphan who discovers a mysterious blue stone in the untamed wilds of a magical land. Little does the boy know what a treasure he has found. The polished stone is really a dragon's egg that was stolen by an evil king, and it will soon hatch into a beautiful blue dragon named Saphira. As for Eragon, his life (and the fate of the universe) will never be the same. If you can't wait to read the continuing adventures of this daring young dragon rider, you're in luck. Eldest, the second volume of The Inheritance Trilogy, will be published in August.

Some critics have called Artemis Fowl (2001) a Harry Potter wannabe. I disagree. Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl books have more in common with the Lemony Snickett series—with its dark, irreverent humor—than they do with Harry Potter's less sardonic take on things. Who is Artemis Fowl? He's a 12-year-old genius who is the greatest criminal mastermind the world has ever known. But like most dutiful sons, Artemis loves his dear ailing mother, and he's convinced that there's no better way to help her than to get his hands on a stash of fairy gold. To accomplish his devious plan, Artemis and his sidekicks kidnap Holly Short, one of "The People" (an assortment of elves, fairies, and leprechauns), and hold her for ransom. But even geniuses make mistakes, and the young antihero soon discovers that he's messing with the wrong person. Short happens to be the captain of the LEPrecon (Lower Elements Police Reconnaissance) Unit, and in no time at all, the fairy forces have surrounded Fowl Manor, confident they'll soon have their colleague back. But don't be too quick to count Artemis out—the crafty kid has a plan. The adventures of Artemis and Holly continue in Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident (2002) and Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code (2003, all Hyperion). In book three, Artemis promises his father that he will finally leave his life of crime behind… after one last job.

Bloomsbury has been publishing some remarkable fantasies in recent years, including Herbie Brennan's Faerie Wars (2003) and its sequel, The Purple Emperor (2004). This richly inventive series charts the struggles of young Prince Pyrgus Malvae, son of the Purple Emperor, as he scrambles to save his crown. As Faerie Wars opens, the prince attempts a daring rescue, saving the lives of some kittens. But as a result, he soon finds himself in a heap of trouble with the insidious Faeries of the Night, who want to kill him. To keep their son safe, Pyrgus's parents send him through a doorway that leads from the Faerie realm to the "Analogue World," or Earth. Unfortunately, an act of sabotage causes the prince to shrink in transit, and by the time he arrives in England, he's so small he's able to fit beneath a lawn mower at Mr. Fogerty's house, where he meets Henry Atherton. Pyrgus is so tiny that he will die unless he can quickly find a way to get back home. What's a pint-size Faerie to do? Not to worry. Henry and the eccentric Mr. Fogerty agree to help the prince return to the Purple Kingdom, crush the forces of evil, and reclaim his throne. Teenage Henry returns to the Faerie realm once again in The Purple Emperor, this time to help Pyrgus and his sister, Holly Blue, in their battle to retain their kingdom.

With so many first-rate fantasies available, I've barely scratched the surface. But one thing's for sure: the titles I've recommended are guaranteed to keep young (and not-so-young) readers rushing back for more. I just wish I had more space to tell you about The Oracle Betrayed (Greenwillow, 2004) by Catherine Fisher or Hollow Kingdom (Holt, 2003) by Clare Dunkle—and then there's L. G. Bass's Sign of the Qin (Hyperion, 2004) and Shannon Hale's The Goose Girl (Bloomsbury, 2003) and that remarkable new....