Junior Fiction Genres: Fantasy

A most magical girl by Karen Foxlee Annabel Grey is primed for a proper life as a young lady in Victorian England. But when her mother disappears, she's put in the care of two eccentric aunts who thrust her into a decidedly un-ladylike life, full of potions and flying broomsticks. Swept up in an urgent quest, Annabel is pitted against another young witch, Kitty, to rescue the sacred Moreover Wand from the dangerous underworld that exists beneath London. The two girls outsmart trolls, find passage through a wall of faerie bones, and narrowly escape a dragon, but it doesn't take long for Annabel to see that the most dangerous part is her decision to trust this wild, magical girl.

A very unusual pursuit by Catherine Jinks Monsters have been infesting London's dark places for centuries, eating any child who gets too close. That's why ten-year-old Birdie McAdam works for Alfred Bruce, the bogler. With her beautiful voice and dainty looks, Birdie is the bait that draws bogles from their lairs so Alfred can kill them. One life-changing day, Alfred and Birdie are approached by two very different women. Sarah Pickles runs a local gang of pickpockets, Edith Eames is studying the mythical beasts of English folklore. Both of them threaten the only life Birdie has ever known. Series: City of Angels

The Girl who circumnavigated Fairyland in a ship of her own making by Catherynne M Valente September's ordinary life in Omaha turns to adventure when a Green Wind takes her to Fairyland to retrieve a talisman the new and fickle Marquess wants from the enchanted woods.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling; Mary GrandPré (Illustrator) Harry Potter thinks he is an ordinary boy until he is rescued by an owl, taken to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, learns to play Quidditch and does battle in a deadly duel. The Reason: HARRY POTTER IS A WIZARD! Series: Harry Potter

The tail of Emily Windsnap by Liz Kessler Emily Windsnap lives on a boat, but her mother has always been oddly anxious to keep her out of the water. It is only when Emily has her first school swimming lesson that she discovers why: as soon as she gets into the water, she grows a tail! Soon Emily discovers a glorious underwater world of fishes, coral, shipwrecks and mermaids, and, best of all, she finds a best friend! With mermaid Shona Silkfin by her side, Emily uncovers a surprising family secret and embarks on a quest to reunite her mum and dad. This enchanting fantasy deals with universal themes of family, friendship, love and justice - all handled with the lightness of touch for which Liz Kessler is so well known.

Dragonkeeper by Carole Wilkinson Ping is a slave in a little-used royal palace on the edge of the Emperor's kingdom. Her tyrannic master is a cruel drunk who neglects his duties as Imperial Dragonkeeper and under his watch the Emperor's dragons have dwindled from a magnificent dozen to a miserable two. When one dragon dies, only the ancient and wise Long Danzi remains. His fate seems sealed - until Ping comes to his rescue in a moment of startling bravery that reveals her destiny as a Dragonkeeper.

The trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend Morrigan Crow is cursed. Having been born on Eventide, the unluckiest day for any child to be born, she's blamed for all local misfortunes, from hailstorms to heart attacks - and, worst of all, the curse means that Morrigan is doomed to die at midnight on her eleventh birthday. But as Morrigan awaits her fate, a strange and remarkable man named Jupiter North appears. Chased by black-smoke hounds and shadowy hunters on horseback, he whisks her away into the safety of a secret, magical city called Nevermoor. Series: Nevermoor

Dragonfly Song by Wendy Orr Abandoned by the priestess of the island at birth, Aissa is an outcast, surviving by her wits - until she joins the acrobatic bull dancers who are sent away to compete on the island of the Bull King. There are two ways of looking at Aissa's story. She's the miracle girl who escaped the raiders. Or she's the cursed child who called the Bull King's ship to the island. The firstborn daughter of a priestess is cast out as a baby, and after raiders kill her adopted family, she is abandoned at the gates of the Great Hall, anonymous and mute. Called No-Name, the cursed child, she is raised a slave, and not until she is twelve does she learn her name is Aissa: the dragonfly. Now every year the Bull King takes a tribute from the island: two thirteen-year-old children to brave the bloody bull dances in his royal court. None have ever returned - but for Aissa it is the only escape. Aissa is resilient, resourceful, and fast - but to survive the bull ring, she will have to learn the mystery of her true nature.

Wicked Like a Wildfire by Lana Popovic Twins Iris and Malina have been born with a gleam-- a unique way of using magic to manipulate beauty. Iris sees flowers as fractals and turns her kaleidoscope visions into glasswork, while Malina interprets moods as music. They must keep their gifts a secret, and are not allowed to share their magic with anyone. Above all, they are forbidden from falling in love. When their mother is mysteriously attacked, the sisters discover a wicked curse that haunts their family line. And the very magic that bonds them together may be destined to tear them apart forever.

The Sisters Grimm: the Fairytale detectives by Michael Buckley For Sabrina and Daphne Grimm, life has not been a fairy tale. After the mysterious disappearance of their parents, the sisters are sent to live with their grandmother--a woman they believed was dead! Granny Relda reveals that the girls have two famous ancestors, the Brothers Grimm, whose classic book of fairy tales is actually a collection of case files of magical mischief. Now the girls must take on the family responsibility of being fairy tale detectives.

Withering-by-sea: a Stella Montgomery intrigue by Judith Rossell High on a cliff above the gloomy coastal town of Withering-by-Sea stands the Hotel Majestic. Inside the walls of the damp, dull hotel, eleven-year-old orphan Stella Montgomery leads a miserable life with her three dreadful aunts. But one night, Stella sees something she shouldn't have seen, something that will set in motion an adventure more terrifying and more wonderful than she could ever have hoped for. Series: Stella Montgomery intrigue

The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely travelling further than the pantry of his hobbit-hole in Bag End. But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard, Gandalf, and a company of thirteen dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an unexpected journey there and back again . They have a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon.

The Robe of skulls by Vivian French All is not well in the crumbling castle high above the mountain village of Fracture. The sorceress Lady Lamorna has her heart set on a new robe. A very expensive new robe. To get the cash she will stop at nothing, including kidnapping, blackmail and more than a little black magic.