Enna Burning

Title: Enna Burning

Author: Shannon Hale

Rating: ★★★★★

Age Category: Young Adult

    Back Cover Synopsis: 

      Each time she contemplated fire, she felt surer that she could learn it and felt a place inside her, a place in her chest, yawn eagerly.

    Enna's brother, Leifer, has found the secret to an extraordinary power - to make fire without a spark. He can use the ability for good... if he learns to control it. But Enna can't decide if it's a power she wants for herself, or one that should be extinguished forever.

    When their home country of Bayern goes to war, the choice becomes unbearable. Enna never imagined the warm, life-giving energy of fire could destroy anything she loves, but now she must try to save Bayern and herself  before fire consumes her entirely. 

Clanless

Title: Clanless

Author: Catherine Witzaney

Rating: ★★★★★

Age Category: Middle Grade

    Back Cover Synopsis: 

    Wingless sprite Asher Song feather is adjusting to life in the Bat Colony. To atone for his role in the recent poisoning, he frees a Dragonfly slave girl and vows to reunite her with her sister. But her sister has joined forces with rebel leader Ryn. 

    Halfwing Siobhan Eirwensa is struggling to reconcile the past with her newfound loyalties. When she learns her father is fighting for his life as a captive of the Arena, she is determined to rescue him. But she has much to learn about trust. 

    As Asher and Siobhan work toward solutions, they uncover Ryn's newest plan - one that will lead to full-blown civil war if he isn't stopped. They're running out of time. 

    And beneath it all lurks an unforseen threat that will shatter life as they know it. 

    Clanless is the sequel to Wingless. If you like, you can view that post here. 

The Goose Girl

Title: The Goose Girl

Author: Shannon Hale

Rating: ★★★★★

Age Category: Young Adult

    Back Cover Synopsis: 

      Some people are born with the first word of a language resting on their tongue, though it may take some time before they can taste it.

    Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, Crown Princess of Kildenree, spends the first years of her life listening to her aunt's stories and learning the language of birds, especially swans. As she grows up, Anid evelops the skill of animal speech, but she never feels quite comfortable speaking with people. 

    So when Ani's mother sends her away to be married in a foreign land, she finds herself at the mercy of her silver-tongued lady in waiting, who leads a mutiny that leaves her alone, destitute, and fleeing for her life. To survive, Ani takes on work as a royal goose girl, hiding in plain sight while she develops her forbidden talents and works to discover her own true, powerful voice. 

Into the Land of the Unicorns

Title: Into the Land of the Unicorns

Author: Bruce Coville

Rating: ★★★★☆

Age Category: Middle Grade

    Back Cover Synopsis: 

      Eight!...Nine!...Ten!

    As each bell chime sounds, Cara pushes herself faster up the steep bell tower steps that lead to the roof. Eleven! She must be on the roof when the next bell tolls. As she races up the stairs, Cara can't believe everything that has happened. Wasn't it just a few minutes ago that she and Grandmother Morris were peacefully walking home from the library? When did that mysterious man start to follow them? What does he want? Where did he come from? Who is he? Twelve! The ringing bell brings Cara back to the moment. Gramma told her what she must do! With a deep breath, and only half believing she will be safe, Cara jumps off the church roof and into the adventure of her lifetime - into the Land of Luster, the world of the unicorns.

    In Luster, Cara meets the Dimblethum, the Squijum, and the most magnificent of all the inhabitants, Lightfoot, a rebellious young unicorn. Together the new friends set out on a quest - to reach the Unicorn Queen and prevent the destruction of all unicorns. 

The Battle for Moriah

Title: The Battle for Moriah

Author: Peter van Kampen

Rating: ★★★⯪☆

Age Category: Young Adult/New Adult

    Back Cover Synopsis: 

      The kingdom of Moriah was peaceful under King Melchizedek. But it hadn't always been. Melchizedek had defeated the dragons and their allies, and banished them. Now, Moriah's old enemies have returned, and they've captured the king's daughter, Sarah. This forces Sarah to face hard questions - why had her father hidden the truth from her? Were the dragons the villains she'd been told they were, or should she listen to them?

The Dragons of Blueland

  

Title: The Dragons of Blueland

Author: Ruth Stiles Gannett

Rating: ★★★★☆

Age Category: Middle Grade

    Back Cover Synopsis: 

    "...the last of the books about Elmer Elevator and the flying baby dragon...concerns Elmer's plan to outwit the hunters who have organized an expedition to capture the dragon's family. The plan is ingenious and plausible, the fantasy well sustained, and the lithographs by Ruth Chrisman Gannett even more delightful, if possible, than those in My Father's Dragon." -- Library Journal (starred review)

    "Delectable, straight-faced nonsense." -- Chicago Tribune

Elmer and the Dragon

Title: Elmer and the Dragon

Author: Ruth Stiles Gannett

Rating: ★★★★☆

Age Category: Middle Grade

    Back Cover Synopsis: 

    "The author has produced a sequel to My Father's Dragon that is the equal of that first gem in every respect. Flying back home from Wild Island, Elmer and the dragon are forced down in another land where dwell all the escaped canaries of the world. Rich, humorous, and thoroughly satisfying fare ... Highly recommended." -- Library Journal (starred review)

    "A fresh and original plot, delightfully logical nonsense, appealing characters and irrepressible humor." -- The New York Times

My Father's Dragon

Title: My Father's Dragon

Author: Ruth Stiles Gannett

Rating: ★★★★☆

Age Category: Middle Grade

    Back Cover Synopsis: 

    A group of lazy animals on Wild Island have captured a baby dragon and put him to work. The little dragon can fly, so they are forcing him to act as a flying ferry across a dangerous river. The dragon doesn't like it. 

    So goes the story that reaches a kind-hearted boy named Elmer Elevator ("my father"). Elmer, carrying a bag of most unusual supplies, sets out on a secret journey to rescue the dragon. How Elmer uses these supplies to beguile the nasty inhabitants of Wild Island and free the dragon is one of the most exciting adventures ever. 

Prince Martin Wins His Sword

 

Title: Prince Martin Wins His Sword

Author: Brandon Hale

Rating: ★★★★★

Age Category: Early Readers/Middle Grade

    Back Cover Synopsis: 

    Admiring the ancient steel in the castle armory, Prince Martin longs for a sword of his own. But the King decrees his son must prove himself first. The boy gets his chance when the caw of a crow alerts him to trouble in the forest. From the safety of the trees, he spies four terrifying villains bent on kidnapping an innocent victim! And the only thing standing between predator and prey is a courageous stranger - who could sure use a hand. Armed with only his wood staff and a rock sling, Martin faces the hard choice: Should he help or go home? The boy had to decide! And just how much help could a mere kid provide?

    Featuring stunning illustrations, Prince Martin Wins His Sword is a classic tale about a boy prince's trials and how he learns the true meaning of courage, sacrifice, grit, and friendship.

    With a great quest, high-stakes adventure, lovable heroes, and a mesmerizing cadence, this first entry in the new Prince Martin Epic series is sure to delight!

    

Pinocchio

 

Title: Pinocchio

Author: Carlo Collodi

Rating: ★★★★★

Age Category: Children's Literature/Middle Grade

    Back Cover Synopsis: 

    The hair-raising adventures of a naughty wooden puppet who longs to become a real boy. 

    When the old wood-carver, Geppetto, decides to make a wonderful puppet who can dance and turn somersaults, he has no idea of the trouble in store. For as the puppet takes shape, it gradually comes to life, learning to talk and play pranks. providing a constant source of exasperation and delight.

    This famous Italian story, first published in English in 1892, has been made into an equally famous film and has delighted generations of children. 

The Song Spinner

 

Title: The Song Spinner

Author: Pauline Le Bel

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Ages: 8 - 14

    Back Cover Synopsis: 

    In the land of Pindrop, noise is forbidden. Not even the sweet song of a bird is tolerated. But Aurora hears music in her head. So while she does her whispering exercises like other good children and wears her regulation Hushcloth, she dares to dream of a different life. It's not surprising then that Zantalalia should be the one to offer her more than dreams. Banished to the Water World because she refused to stop singing, Zantalalia has secretly returned to Pindrop in time for the Sunwatch.

    Why has she returned on the eve of the winter festival? What is the Song Spinner? Who has put the songs inside Aurora's head? And what chance do dreamers like Aurora have against Captain Nizzle of the Noise Police, who enforces the Hush Laws at any cost? Aurora is determined to find the answers in this lyrical fantasy with a score of fascinating characters. 

Five Children & It

Title: Five Children & It

Author: Edith Nesbit

Rating: ★★★★☆

Ages: 6 - 16

    Back Cover Synopsis: 

    The five children are Cyril, Anthea, Robert, Jane and the Lamb, their baby brother. And 'It' is the Psammead that lives in the gravel pits. It is furry and fat with hands like a monkey's - and, when it's in the mood, has the power to grant wishes. The children discover that wish-making is fun at first, but sometimes, when wishes come true, fun can soon turn into trouble . . . 

The Little Prince

 

Title: The Little Prince

Author: Antoine de Saint Exupery

Rating: ★★★★★

Ages: 12 - 18+

    The little prince lived alone on a tiny planet no larger than a house. He owned three volcanoes, two active and one extinct. He also owned a flower, unlike any flower in all the galaxy, of great beauty and of inordinate pride. It was this pride that ruined the serenity of the little prince's world and started him on the interplanetary travels that brought him to Earth, where he learned, finally, from a fox, the secret of what is really important in life.

    There are few stories that in some way, in some degree, change the world forever for their readers. This is one.

The Magician's Nephew

 

Title: The Magician's Nephew

Author: C. S. Lewis

Rating: ★★★★☆

Ages: 9 - 15

    Back Cover Synopsis: 

    NARNIA . . . where the woods are thick and cool, where Talking Beasts are called to life . . . a new world where adventure begins. 

    Digory and Polly meet and become friends one cold, wet summer in London. Their lives burst into adventure when Digory's Uncle Andrew, who thinks he is a magician, sends them hurtling to . . . somewhere else. They find their way to Narnia, newborn from the Lion's song, and encounter the evil sorceress Jadis before they finally return home. 

A Wrinkle in Time

 Title: A Wrinkle in Time

Author: Madeleine L'Engle

Rating: ★★★★☆

Ages: 10 - 16

 Back Cover Synopsis: 

    It was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and their mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger. 

    "Wild nights are my glory," the unearthly stranger told them. "I just got caught in a downdraft and blown off course. Let me sit down for a moment, and then I'll be on my way. Speaking of way, by the way, there is such thing as a tesseract."

    A tesseract (in case you don't know) is a wrinkle in time. To tell mroe would spoil your enjoyment of Madeleine L'Engle's unusual book.

Willowmere

 

Title: Willowmere

Author: Andrea Cox Christen

Rating: ★★★★★

Ages: 8 - 16

    Back Cover Synopsis:

    "To Pea, Love Mom" . . . reads the necklace twelve-year-old Pea finds stuck high in the willow tree Mom had planted long ago on their ranch. Pea doesn't know how it got there. If Mom were alive, she would ask her. 

    But when Pea takes the necklace, the tree reveals a secret tunnel to Willowmere - a magical world built by her mom's stories. 

    Pea crawls through the tunnel and realizes that Willowmere is crumbling. Frightening dangers lurk behind each tree, and magic is deteriorating into chaos. All she learns seems to contradict everything she knows. 

    But could Mom still be alive in Willowmere? If Pea can learn to trust her new friends, and harness the power of stories, she might just save the world. 

    But she'll have to save herself first. 

Starship Troopers

 

Title: Starship Troopers

Author: Robert A. Heinlein

Rating: ★★★★★

Ages: 12 - 18+

    Back Cover Synopsis:

    Johnnie Rico never really intended to join up - and definitely not as part of the Mobile Infantry. But now he's in the thick of it, trying to get through combat training that is harder than anything he could have imagined. And he knows everyone in his unit is one bad move away from buying the farm in the interstellar war the Terran Federation is waging against the Arachnids.

    Because everyone in the Infantry fights. And if the training doesn't kill you, the Bugs are more than ready to finish the job . . . 

Out of The Silent Planet

Title: Out of The Silent Planet

Author: C. S. Lewis

Rating: ★★★★★

Ages: 12 - 18+

    Back Cover Synopsis:

    

    The first book in C. S. Lewis' acclaimed Space Trilogy, which continues with Perelandra and That Hideous Strength, Out of the Silent Planet begins the adventures of the remarkable Dr. Ransom. Here, that estimable man is abducted by a megalomaniacle physicist and his accomplice and taken via spaceship to the red planet of Malacandra. The two men are in need of a human sacrifice, and Dr. Ransom would seem to fit the bill. Once on the planet, however, Ransom eludes his captors, risking his life and his chances of returning to Earth, becoming a stranger in a land that is enchanting in its difference from Earth and instructive in its similarity. First published in 1943, Out of the Silent Planet remains a mysterious and suspenseful tour de force.

    If you want to check out my posts on what I thought of this book, check out these two links:

https://rhiannareadsbooks.blogspot.com/2025/04/out-of-silent-planet-chapters-1-13.html

https://rhiannareadsbooks.blogspot.com/2025/04/out-of-silent-planet-chapters-14-21.html

 

The Phantom Tollbooth

Title: The Phantom Tollbooth

Author: Norton Juster

Rating: ★★★★★

Ages: 10 - 18+

    Everything's a bore for Milo. One day, when he receives a large box, he opens it to find a tollbooth ready to assemble. Out of boredome, he sets it up and drives through. On the other side, he finds a completely different world! On the way to rescue the princesses Rhyme and Reason, Milo encounters many interesting characters and fun word play. Meet the Humbug, Watchdog Tock, and many other hilarious characters in this fun jaunt of a novel!

Wingless

 

Title: Wingless

Author: Catherine Witzaney

Ages: 10-16

Rating: ★★★★★

Back Cover Synopsis:

Since being orphaned at a young age, wingless sprite Asher Songfeather has been sure of one thing: Bat sprites aren't to be trusted. The fact that his own mother was one is something Asher does his best to forget.

But when his adoptive sister Carinen falls deathly ill, he'll risk anything to save her, even if it means striking a bargain with a mysterious Bat sprite newcomer. The deal sends Asher on a perilous quest into the heart of the Bat Colony itself, where nothing is as it first appears. Saving his sister will require more than just courage and wits. It will take trust, too. 

If you're looking for a gripping, enchanting fantasy novel, look no further. Witzaney expertly weaves the story together, out of suspence, battles, and magical powers. This is probably the most enthralling and captivating fantasy novel I have ever read. I can't wait for the sequel!