Fantasy
Adams, Richard. Watership Down
A group of rabbits leave their home to escape from men. On the journey that follows, they explore strange lands, meet rabbits who live with men, and face various snares and dangers. Eventually, they find a place to build a new warren, and the book traces their transition from wanderers to settlers. Students also recommended Tales from Watership Down. Moderate.Alexander, Lloyd. The Iron Ring
When Tamar, king of Sundari loses a game of dice, he forfeits his life to another king named King Jaya who was stopping by for hospitality. King Jaya puts an iron ring on Tamar’s finger which symbolizes his oath. The next morning he woke up to his kingdom where everyone claimed no king came to Sudari. Tamar thinks that the game of dice with King Jaya was true because the iron ring was still upon his finger. He decides that in order to fufill his dharma and find out what happened, he leaves his kingdom and travels. Along his journey he finds lots of friends and adventures. He is faced with many difficult decisions, one that might break his heart forever. Moderate
Anthony, Piers. On a Pale Horse
A young man shoots the Grim Reaper, assumes his office, and then becomes involved in a war between his conscience and his job. In the end, he must battle Satan himself. "I would not recommend this book for people who are impressionable; it has some far-fetched ideas, some gore, and other odd content." Moderate.
Carroll, Lewis. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
A dream story which relates Alice's adventures down the rabbit hole, including her encounters with such characters as Humpty-Dumpty, the Mad Hatter, the Queen of Hearts, the Cheshire Cat, and the White Knight. Classic. Moderate.
Jacques, Brian. Martin the Warrior
Martin, a young mouse, is begin held a slave along with other animals (moles, hedgehogs, squirrels, etc.) by the merciless stoat tyrant, Badrang. Can Martin and the others escape Badrang's fortress, Marshank? And if they do escape, where will they go? This popular animal fantasy begins the Redwall series. To read the books in the right chronological order, continue with Mossflower, Outcast of Redwall, Mariel of Redwall, The Bellmaker, Salamandastron, Redwall, Mattimeo, Pearls of Lutra, and The Long Patrol. Moderate.
Levine, Gail Carson. Ella Enchanted
Ella of Frell, is a very brave young girl who is put under a spell to be obedient, which is her worst nightmare. She tells her friend who then commands Ella to do things all day long and by the end of the day they aren’t good friends anymore. No matter how extreme the command is (like cutting off her own hand) she still would have to do it. Ella also finds loopholes to get around obeying every command. So, Ella finally goes on a quest to break the spell for good. Easy
Maguire, Gregory. Wicked, the Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
Meet Elphaba, the girl who is believed, even by herself, to be wicked because of an unfortunate birth defect: “verdigree”--greeness. Despite this, she attends school at Shiz, and there meets several lifelong friends, including Glinda and Fiyero, her future lover. The head invites Elphaba, her sister Nessarose, and Glinda to become Adepts to work for the good of Oz. They decline, but Elphaba wonders whether they were hoodwinked into doing it anyway. What will happen to Elphaba following Fiyero’s death? Find out in this tale of love, forgiveness, the soul, and the question of evil. Moderate
McCaffrey, Anne. Dragon Song
Menolly gets very lonely after her friend dies and her parents forbid her from playing music, so she runs away to the cave of the fire lizards. In the meantime, evil flesh-burning thread is falling from the red planet. Moderate.
Rice, Anne. Interview with the Vampire
This book tells the story of a vampire's life, from his first night as vampire (and last as heir to a great Louisiana plantation) to his relationship with a beautiful lost child, and finally to their voyage to Europe where they hope to find others like themselves and answers to why they exist. "I don't even like vampires; it was still good!" Moderate.
Rice, Anne. The Witching Hour
Brought up by her aunt and uncle, Rowan Mayfair never knew of her family's haunting past or of the menacing powers she possess to kill at will. Or of the dangerously beautiful diamon who slowly drove her mother mad, and now comes for her. Michael Curry had everything: his own company and enough money to buy happiness, until he was found dead. Miraculously brought back to life by Rowan, Michael is now plagued by images of the past of everything he touches, and of the thought that he was sent back for one important, urgent purpose...a purpose he can't remember. Together Michael and Rowan are thrown into a disturbing tale of passion, murder, witchcraft and horror. Moderate
Tolkien, J. R. R. The Hobbit
This book tells the story of a "hobbit" named Bilbo Baggins who reluctantly gets involved in an exciting adventure that includes a quest, savage wolves, evil orcs, and other monsters and unknown dangers. Moderate.
Tolkien, J.R.R. Lord of the Rings(Triology includes The Fellowship of the Ring,The Two Towersand The Return of the King.)
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them. In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, The Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell, by chance, into the hands of the hobbit, Bilbo Baggins. From his fastness in the Dark Tower of Mordor, Sauron's power spread far and wide. He gathered all the Great Rings to him, but ever he searched far and wide for the One Ring that would complete his dominion. On his eleventy-first birthday Bilbo disappeared, bequeathing to his young cousin Frodo the Ruling Ring and a perilous quest -- to journey across Middle-earth, deep into the shadow of theDark Lord, and destroy the Ring by casting it into the Cracks of Doom. The Lord of the Rings tells of the great quest undertaken by Frodo and the Fellowship of the Ring: Gandalf the Wizard, Merry, Pippin, and Sam, Gimli the Dwarf, Legolas the Elf, Boromir of Gondor, and a tall, mysterious stranger called Strider. (Book Description from Amazon) Moderate.
Travers, P. L. Mary Poppins
When Mary Poppins comes to visit 17 Cherry Tree Lane, she astonishes Jane and Michael by visiting stores that do not exist, by sliding up banisters, by unpacking belongings from an empty bag, and by giving them medicine that changes flavors. "This was a very descriptive book with not much of a plot, but the fantasies were great." Easy.
Twain, Mark. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
The main character is sent back in time to King Arthur's court, where he introduces various technologies and tries to "civilize" the people. "Whether the boss is making dynamite grenades or teaching the knights to play baseball, this book is sure to please." Students also recommended Pudd'n Head Wilson. Classic. Moderate.
Verne, Jules. Around the World in Eighty Days
Phineas Fogg makes a bet for 20,000 pounds that he can go around the world in eighty days, a feat never before accomplished. He faces many obstacles to his goal, including being charged with a bank robbery, taking a train on an unfinished track, missing scheduled departures and saving an Indian girl. Classic. Moderate.
Adams, Douglas. The Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy
In the beginning, the main character's house is about to be destroyed to make way for a freeway. When the whole earth is destroyed instead, the main character narrowly escapes death by hitching a ride with some intergalactic kooks. A series of adventures ensue, as the main character explores the galaxy in a stolen space ship. "The book was pretty funny, but the plot was kind of thin. Readers who like absurd humor will enjoy this book." Students also recommended Mostly Harmless. Moderate.Adams, Douglas. Mostly Harmless: The Fifth Book in the Increasingly Inaccurately Named Hitchhiker’s Trilogy
Ford Perfect of the planet Betelgeuse, who is trying to keep a new addition of the Hitchhiker’s Guide away from the capitalist Vogons, and Earthling Arthur Dent, who is trying to do nothing in particular, once again goes on an exciting, comedic adventure through the galaxy. The two travel from place to place on the backs of Perfectly Normal Beasts and in odd looking ships in typical hitchhiker’s fashion. When they finally reach their destination, the earth, the completely unexpected happens. The story is one of the dangers of evil capitalism, what you can do with money, and making sandwiches. Moderate
Asimov, Isaac. Forward the Foundation
As the Galactic Empire collapses, Hari Seldon and his group of scientists rush to complete psychohistory, the art of predicting the future of masses with mathematics. Facing drawbacks and financial problems from the empire deteriorating, Hari Seldon doubts he will complete this project in his lifetime. Hari Seldon watches as the emperor is murdered causing the government to be controlled by a ruthless military general. As he fights to keep the empire from controlling psychohistory, Hari Seldon discovers that his granddaughter has a special power that will revolutionize the psychohistory project. Finally Hari Seldon’s dreams and ideas of creating the Foundations can finally come true. Moderate
Asimov, Isaac. The Naked Sun
A thousand years into the future, man has colonized fifty worlds in our galaxy. Billions of Earthpeople live on the earth's surface and underground while only a million or so Spacers live on the fifty colonized worlds. The book focuses on Elija Baley and his robot partner, Daniel Olivaw, who solve a murder mystery concerning Solaria, a Spacer world, and a Solarian who supposedly killed her husband. "The novel is very interesting and imaginative." Students also recommended The Robots of Dawn, Mystery, and Robots and Empire. Moderate.
Bradbury, Ray. The Illustrated Man
There are many ways to predict the future, but no one would ever guess you could see the future just by examining someone. In The Illustrated Man is a story about a man who has illustrations all over his body that tell stories, but only at night. The tattoos on his back not only move, but if you watch them long enough, they will also speak. His stories tell about the future; space travel, nuclear wars, death and peace. Will the observer eventually be told his own fate? Moderate
Bradbury, Ray. The Martian Chronicles
This book comprises a series of stories about different groups of people who explore, live and/or die on Mars. The early stories focus on Mars and Martians. The later stories focus on Earthlings who go to Mars to explore the alien planet, often to be tricked or killed by the Martians, and who eventually settle down there. "The stories go year by year, and it's interesting near the end to look back and see how the atmosphere has changed over time." Moderate.
Braver, Gary. Gray Matter
Rachel and Martin Whitman have it all; good fortune, an easy life, and a son who sang like a bird. However, living in an ambitious world where intelligence means everything, she can’t stand her son having learning disabilities. But when she learns that an operation exists that could greatly increase her son’s IQ, she immediately authenticates the operation. As D-day draws near, Rachel learns about the inevitable side effects, and scatters into a last-minute frenzy to stop the operation. This is a story of motherhood love, inferiority, and how one should "be careful of what they wish for." Moderate
Card, Orson Scott. Enderís Game
Intense is the word for Ender's Game. Aliens have attacked Earth twice and almost destroyed the human species. To make sure humans win the next encounter, the world government has taken to breeding military geniuses -- and then training them in the arts of war... The early training, not surprisingly, takes the form of 'games'... Ender Wiggin is a genius among geniuses; he wins all the games... He is smart enough to know that time is running out. But is he smart enough to save the planet? (from The New York Times) This is the first book in the Enderís Game Series. Moderate.
Card, Orson Scott. Shadow of the Hegemon.
Ender Wiggin’s astuteness helped humans to prevail against the buggers (aliens). In the aftermath of the war, Ender left Earth and the Battle School students returned to their families. No one expected every single Battle School student to evanesce one by one within a matter of days. Bean, however, is prudent enough to avoid capture. Thus Bean finds out Achilles (his only enemy) planned the kidnapping of the Battle School students, by using political tactics. With the help of Peter Wiggin, Ender attempts to terminate Achilles’ plans, and prevent an international disturbance. Moderate
Card, Orson Scott. Speaker for the Dead
This book is the second in the series beginning with Ender's Game. A group of xenobiologists on the planet Lusitania are studying a pre-Industrial race called the Piggies. The Piggies have many strange habits such as leadership by a sterile female, a population of intelligent males and dumb females, and a godly worship for their trees. Ender Wiggin arrives one day and helps unravel the mysteries of the Piggies. "I greatly enjoyed Speaker for the Dead because of its realistic portrayal of a family's conflict." Students also recommend Xenocide, the third book in the series. Moderate.
Crichton, Michael. The Terminal Man
Doctors have figured out how to send electric shock waves into the brains of patients in order to "soothe" them out of violent seizures. Unfortunately Harry Benson, the first to try this treatment, soon learns how to self-administer these shocks so that he can feel relaxation and pleasure at will. After he escapes from the hospital, he soon lapses into murderous rampages. "This book is more proof of Crichton's brilliance in writing science fiction novels so well thought out and so well-explained one just knows it could actually happen." Students have also recommended Airframe, Sphere, The Lost World, Congo, and Rising Sun. Moderate.
Finney, Jack. Time and Again
An illustrator, St. Morley, walks into an apartment one night and finds himself in a completely different world: the same place in New York City but in 1882. After experiencing this phenomenon once, St. Morley wants to try it again. Moderate.
Heinlein, Robert. A Stranger in a Strange Land
Sometime in the future, a man from Mars comes to earth. This book describes his encounter with a whole range of the human habits and characteristics that he does not understand, focusing eventually on his attempts to understand religion. "I would recommend this book only if you want to explore some of the stranger sides of human life." Moderate.
Herbert, Frank. Dune
Paul, son of Duke Leto and the Lady Jessica, leaves his homeworld of Caladan to move to Arrakis, a planet made up entirely of desert. There he faces the native Fremen, sandworms so huge that they can swallow a hundred men in one gulp, and a destiny he cannot avoid. "This book is probably one of the very best in the category of science fiction. A thriller to the end, recommended to anyone." Moderate.
Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World
In the future, all humans are born from genetically-engineered embryos and are separated at birth into different social categories. The humans live happily with days of work, followed by evenings of songs and drugs, until a young savage tries to blend in with the strange civilization. "I liked this book even though it didn't have much action." Moderate.
Le Guin, Ursula K. The Left Hand of Darkness
Fourteen planets have discovered each other and made alliances. When these planets discover a fifteenth, they send the main character to make an alliance with it. While exploring the culture there, he discovers the people do not know whether they are male or female. Then one of the people becomes pregnant. "This book is a wonderful science-fiction adventure with a somewhat riveting ending." Moderate.
L'Engle, Madeleine. Wrinkle in Time
Ten years after her father’s disappearance, Meg Murry has an encounter that changes her life forever. Troubled by feelings of sadness and depression, Meg and her younger genius brother Charles Wallace set out to find answers. When traveling to meet some of Charles Wallace’s new “friends”, they run into a lanky teen named Calvin O’Keefe. Together they set off with the mysterious Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which, to find Meg’s scientist father. But to do so, they have to travel through the fifth dimension, and behind the shadow of an evil power that darkens any planet it encounters. Easy
Luiken, Nicole. Violet Eyes
Angel Eastman is a mediocre student living in Canada in 1987--at least that's what it seems. But in this futuristic novel, nothing is quite what it appears to be. When Angel meets Michael Vallant, a boy she hates without knowing why, the mystery slowly starts to unravel: it's not really 1987, it's 2089; and Michael and Angel are part of the Renaissance Project, an
experiment with genetic engineering. They've been kept as test subjects in a museum that replicates late-twentieth-century. ( from Booklist) The sequel to this book is Silver Eyes. Moderate.
Lowry, Lois. The Third Eye
The main character is born with the gift of seeing things with an inner eye. At first, she does not understand, but then someone makes the mistake of kidnapping her. Eventually, she uses her gift to save herself and other missing children. Students also recommended Find a Stranger, Say Goodbye. Moderate.
Pratchett, Terry. The Color of Magic
Welcome to Discworld, a flat planet carried through space by four elephants and a turtle, where everyone knows the "color of magic" is octarine visible only to wizards like Rincewind. A failure at sorcery, Rincewind has no job until Twoflower, the Discworld’s first-ever tourist, arrives at the city of Ankh-Morpork. Many-legged, mind-of -its-own luggage in tow, he hires Rincewind as a guide. Leaving the city in search of adventure, they encounter Death (who has a personality), magic, and parodied fantasy cliches galore. Weird? Definitely, but if you’re searching for something funny to read, look no further. Moderate
Pratchett, Terry. Witches Abroad
Once upon a time, in the faraway land of Lancre, there lived three witches: Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, and Magrat Garlick. After the death of Desidarata, a fairy godmother, they are left with the godmother’s wand. With this they learn of Desidarata’s partner who is planning a real life fairy tale, including red cloaked girls and bad wolves, princes and princesses, glass slippers, and especially happy endings. Now it’s up to the witches to travel to Genua, a town where the fairy tales are ebbing together, and stop them. After all, a place where animals think they’re human and butchers are thrown away if they aren’t fat and jolly would not be a happy ending. Moderate
Stevenson, Robert Louis. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Believing that there are two beings inside each individual person, Dr. Jekyll makes a potion to convert himself back and forth between his evil and his normal being. Trouble arises when he starts becoming Mr. Hyde involuntarily. "This book should be read by anyone interested in a classic 'horror' story." Classic. Moderate.
Vonnegut, Kurt. Slaughter House Five
A chaplain in World War II, Billy Pilgrim becomes a German prisoner of war and then survives the firebombing of Dresden. An optometrist after the war, he is kidnapped by a flying saucer on the day of his daughter's wedding and taken to the planet Tralfamadore where the natives lock him up with the Hollywood starlet Montana Wildhack. Because he has achieved the fourth dimension, he is able to pass in and out of these different times during his life. Challenging.
Weis, Margaret. Fire Sea: Death Gate #3
Haplo journeys to the barren stone world of Abarrach were he and his companion Alfred encounters a race of people who practice Necromancy, the art of resurrecting the dead. These people found that these mindless dead could be very useful; to reap the few crops, or serve around the house. But when this dangerous ability loses control, creating lazar, the undead with a human soul stuck in the body, Haplo and Alfred must escape from the invulnerable hordes of the dead with only their magic to aid them. This is a story of life, death, and revelation. Moderate
Wells, H. G. The War of the Worlds
Brutal aliens invade the earth from Mars, massacring human forces until they are cut down by diseases to which we have long become immune. Students also recommended The Time Machine.Moderate.