Juvenile
LE GUIN, Ursula K.
A Wizard of Earthsea (Earthsea, Book 1) 1968 Fantasy
Real sense of magic, depth, legend
LEWIS, C.S.
The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe (Book 2 of the Narnia series) 1950
Fabulous Christian allegory
A Solitary Blue (Tillerman Series #3) 1983 Juvenile (Novel)
Poignant and powerful without shouting. Moreso because it *doesn’t* shout
HARRISON, Harry
A Stainless Steel Rat is Born 1985
Excellent prequel to the consistent humorous series
KIPLING, Rudyard
The Jungle Book 1894
Entertaining, skilful, moving. Profound underlying myth
The Second Jungle Book 1895
Sequel atypically as good as original – ‘Undertakers’ brilliant
LEWIS, C.S.
Prince Caspian (Book 4 of the Narnia series) 1951
‘The Return to Narnia’
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Book 5 of the Narnia series) 1952
Narnia’s Odyssey
The Silver Chair (Book 6 of the Narnia series) 1953
Slightly darker tale of rescue
The Magician’s Nephew (Book 1 of the Narnia series) 1955
Lion, Witch & Wardrobe prequel
The Last Battle (Book 7 of the Narnia series) 1956
Antichrist, eschatology and Armageddon for kids! Courageous undertaking
The Princess and Curdie 1882 Juvenile/Fantasy
Enchanting
The Forests of Silence (Deltora Quest 1) 2000 Fantasy/Juvenile
Enjoyable straight-ahead swords and sorcery for kids
EDDINGS, David
Pawn of Prophecy (Book One of the Belgariad) 1982
Oversimplified, definitively juvenile, pitch perfect for bookish young teens
Queen of Sorcery (Book Two of the Belgariad) 1982
Enjoyable adolescent fluff
FEIST, Raymond E.
Magician 1982
Enjoyable ride and D&D characters, some originality in mixing European and Japanese medieval cultures
FORESTER, C.S.
Enjoyed by parent and child simultaneously
HARRISON, Harry
The Stainless Steel Rat 1961
Enjoyable James Bond/Pimpernel farce in space ships
The Stainless Steel Rat’s Revenge 1970
Enjoyable James Bond/Pimpernel farce in space ships
The Stainless Steel Rat Saves the World 1972
Enjoyable James Bond/Pimpernel farce in space ships
The Princess and the Goblin 1872 Juvenile/Fantasy
Inspiring or elitist? Higher rating for originality rather than ride
Tomorrow, When the War Began 1993 Novel/Action/Teen
Surprisingly workable war and teen romance hybrid; recognisable Oz kids
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone 1997 Fantasy/Juvenile
Enjoyable
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 1998 Fantasy/Juvenile
Still enjoyable
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 1999 Fantasy/Juvenile
OK ride. Morally dubious. Good series structure
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 2000 Fantasy/Juvenile
Fine. Dumb twist. Enticing hints of future developments
Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix 2003 Fantasy/Juvenile
Strengths just about outweigh the weaknesses
Jasper Jones 2009 Novel
Engaging coming of age story, rural 70s Australians amped up to Shakespearian proportions
Dicey’s Song 1982 Juvenile (Novel)
Capable young teen sequel to Homecoming
A Night in the Lonesome October 1993 SF/Juvenile (and adult)
Charming, able – ‘light’ horror?
The Messenger 2006 Novel/Juvenile ((teen) and adult)
Good heart, engaging Australian expression and humour, oversimple
The Gift (The First Book of Pellinor – The Treesong Trilogy) 2002 Fantasy/Juvenile
Competent enough cliché, teen girl daydream, two-dimensional
EDDINGS, David
Magician’s Gambit (Book Three of the Belgariad) 1983?
Some of the tricks are wearing a bit thin
Castle of Wizardry (Book Four of the Belgariad) 1984
Series starting to irritate a bit now – very lazy writing (no editing), repetitive dialogue
The Diamond Throne (Book One of the Elenium) 1989
Satisfactory fare, no surprises
The Ruby Knight (Book Two of the Elenium) 1990
OK, but I don’t recall ever bothering to finish the series
GALLICO, Paul
The Boy Who Invented the Bubble Gun 1974 Novel (Adolescent)
Dated but OK. Troubled teen overcomes angst amidst silly spy shenanigans
KIPLING, Rudyard
Captains Courageous 1897
Ripping yarn of a teen in an ocean fishing vessel
Puck of Pook’s Hill 1906
Glimpses of English historical figures
Rewards and Fairies 1910
Sequel to ‘Puck of Pook’s Hill’
LIVELY, Penelope
The Voyage of QV66 1978
Odd post-apocalyptic setting for talking animals’ adventures
At the back of the North Wind 1870 Juvenile/Fantasy
Too long since I read it – I’m not sure I finished
Eragon 2002 Fantasy/Juvenile
OK if you haven’t read much fantasy before, derivative, some weaknesses
Finders Keepers 1990 Juvenile/SF
OK theme, ideas, execution
WILLIAMS, Tad
Tailchaser's Song 1992 Fantasy / Juvenile (Adolescent)
Pleasant enough fare with poor resolution
EDDINGS, David
Enchanters’ End Game (Book Five of the Belgariad) 1984
The (yawn) climax. No suspense – every second goodie casually granted godlike powers
MUCHAMORE,
Robert
The Recruit (Cherub #1) 2004
Action
Effective YA spy fare: not so much for older (or younger) readers who
want texture in characters and settings
The Dark Griffin 2009 Fantasy
Slightest variation on a
massively over-travelled route. Juvenile. 2D.