Here are 100 books that The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles fans have personally recommended if you like
The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles.
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As the saying goes, I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. Ahem. Not actually. Breaking cover doesn't typically demand killing people. But I might lose my security clearance and my diplomatic immunity in Fairy. Which I don't want to do, so shall we say I have a lively imagination and no personal knowledge about spy craft or espionage either in this world or in Fairy? Promise. I know nothing. And anyway, you can't prove it!
This book gets both mine and my eleven-year-old daughter’s vote. My daughter doesn’t like small talk, but when we were reading this adventure, this world got her talking and also imagining fan fiction!
Jessie lives on the Indiana frontier in the 1800s when diphtheria strikes her village, but she finds her way to the modern world in search of a cure. The stakes are high and the story made us feel like we were there!
Return to the classic middle grade time-bending thriller Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix, almost thirty years following its first publication, with this stunning repackage.
Clifton, Indiana, 1840. Jessie Keyser lives with her family in a small log cabin. Her father is a blacksmith and her mother cares for her and her siblings—though, at night, Jessie’s mother also secretly tends anyone who gets sick in their village.
Lately, more and more people have been falling ill. Especially the other kids in Jessie’s one-room schoolhouse. Quarantine signs appear on the local homes. And Jessie’s mother looks worried. Very worried.…
As the saying goes, I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. Ahem. Not actually. Breaking cover doesn't typically demand killing people. But I might lose my security clearance and my diplomatic immunity in Fairy. Which I don't want to do, so shall we say I have a lively imagination and no personal knowledge about spy craft or espionage either in this world or in Fairy? Promise. I know nothing. And anyway, you can't prove it!
I listened to this book in my first interaction with it and I love authors who’s narrative doesn’t talk down to me. Hope Mirlees’ prose is incredibly fun, but subtle. Fairies are real here, with unpredictable ways and alluring fairy fruit.
I loved the exploration of a world of mystery beyond the bounds of human control. Mirlees’ tone reminds me of Susan Collins’ Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, which I also loved.
A true classic - and the 'single most beautiful...and unjustifiably forgotten novel of the twentieth century' Neil Gaiman
Lud-in-the-Mist is a prosperous country town situated where two rivers meet: the Dawl and the Dapple. The Dapple springs from the land of Faerie, and is a great trial to Lud, which rejects anything 'other', preferring to believe only in what is known, what is solid.
Nathaniel Chanticleer, a dreamy, melancholy man, is deliberately ignoring a vital part of his own past; a secret he refuses even to acknowledge. But with the disappearance of his daughter, and a long-overdue desire to protect…
As the saying goes, I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. Ahem. Not actually. Breaking cover doesn't typically demand killing people. But I might lose my security clearance and my diplomatic immunity in Fairy. Which I don't want to do, so shall we say I have a lively imagination and no personal knowledge about spy craft or espionage either in this world or in Fairy? Promise. I know nothing. And anyway, you can't prove it!
This one is a great example of a middle-grade fantasy that deserves more attention. It pulled me right in and wouldn’t let go with its authentic Irish folklore and vivid narrative. Author Pat O’Shea is from Ireland and the sense of place is rich with history and atmosphere.
Brigit’s spunk is a perfect counterpoint to Pidge’s sober personality, and they were my friends. We were on an adventure together.
Set in the world of Irish mythology, The Hounds of the Morrigan tells of the coming of the great queen, the Morrigan, from out of the west to free the snake Olc Glas, and to bring destruction to the world. Two children, Pidge and Brigit, are chosen to thwart the Morrigan.
As the saying goes, I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you. Ahem. Not actually. Breaking cover doesn't typically demand killing people. But I might lose my security clearance and my diplomatic immunity in Fairy. Which I don't want to do, so shall we say I have a lively imagination and no personal knowledge about spy craft or espionage either in this world or in Fairy? Promise. I know nothing. And anyway, you can't prove it!
I adored Howl’s Moving Castle but that novel probably isn’t Diana Wynne Jones’ best book. This compilation includes Charmed Life and The Lives of Christopher Chant in a fantasy world of magicians and bureaucratic management of magic. You would think in a world where magic is real it might get boring, but I trust Jones because she knows how to protect magic from becoming common, always respecting magic's economy.
Surprises abound in these stories, but it's easy to let go of my critical mind and just have fun. Bonus fact: Diana Wynne Jones was a student of JRR Tolkien’s at Oxford. I laughed my head off when I read Wynne’s descriptions of Tolkien’s lectures online. She is fascinating and also hilarious.
In this multiple parallel universes of the Twelve Related Worlds, only an enchanter with nine lives is powerful enough to control the rampant misuse of magic--and to hold the title Chrestomanci...
The Chants are a family strong in magic, but neither Christopher Chant nor Cat Chant can work even the simplest of spells. Who could have dreamed that both Christopher and Cat were born with nine lives--or that they could lose them so quickly?
Growing up as a total tomboy in the early 90s, I naturally gravitated toward traditionally male-dominated sports, jobs, and hobbies throughout my life. Despite encountering instances of sexual harassment and sexism along the way, I had strong role models and books with fierce main characters to turn to for support. I have always been passionate about women claiming their power, which is why I love writing about and reading stories that center on this theme.
I loved how this book portrayed women supporting each other instead of succumbing to hatred and jealousy. The book handled so many delicate topics beautifully. I wish I had the space to share them all.
One such element was the nuanced portrayal of women’s responses to sexual abuse, highlighting the complexities of victimhood and power dynamics. The entire story is profound, thought-provoking, and a must-read for those seeking YA feminist literature.
Each year, eight beautiful girls are chosen as Paper Girls to serve the king. It's the highest honour they could hope for . . . and the most demeaning. This year, there's a ninth.
And instead of paper, she's made of fire.
'A timely reminder that, in the right hands, the fantasy genre has things to say about injustice and abuse of power in the real world' Guardian
Lei is a member of the Paper caste, the lowest and most persecuted class of people in Ikhara. Ten years ago, her mother was snatched by…
Long before I was an author of romantic fantasies, I was an avid reader of all things romance. Genre romance. Fantasy Romance. Romantic Fantasy. Romantic suspense. An adventure where the characters smile at each other for a heartbeat longer than usual. Give me even a hint of attraction between two characters, and I’m hooked. Give me life-or-death stakes and a first kiss that takes hundreds of pages, and I’m addicted. As a psychologist, helping young adults sort through real-life romance dilemmas is one of my favorite parts of the job. Now that I get to write these stories, I’ve made it my mission to devour all the best high-stakes YA romances I can find—or write.
This is one of the most unique Romeo & Juliet retellings I’ve ever read. Set in 1920s Shanghai, the heir and heiress of two rival criminal families were childhood friends, once, before they realized the other’s identity. Now they despise each other—and several times, try to kill each other—while also trying very hard to ignore their growing attraction. Spanning two books and with a found family that tugs at all your heartstrings, the daggers are as shiny as the diamonds in this glittering, high-stakes tale.
I was born and grew up in Seoul. My bestselling debut novel has been longlisted for the 2024 Women’s Prize for Fiction and the 2024 Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize and shortlisted for the 2024 William Saroyan International Prize for Writing. My book is inspired by my great-aunt, one of the oldest women who had escaped alone from North Korea. It is available from Harper Perennial in the U.S. and Virago in the UK. The novel’s translations continue to meet readers worldwide, including in Italy, Romania, Greece, Denmark, Spain, Switzerland, and South Korea.
Eileen is one of the most twisted and unconventional literary heroines I’ve ever read. Behind her quiet demeanor and dull face hides her mind, which is like a killer’s, always furious and seething.
While working at a juvenile correctional facility, Eileen meets Rebecca, another key character far removed from most women of their generation. Seductive and deceitful, Rebecca cajoles Eileen into joining her act of crime–a violent, underhanded plan to restore her idea of justice.
Shortlisted for the 2016 Man Booker Prize and chosen by David Sedaris as his recommended book for his Fall 2016 tour.
So here we are. My name was Eileen Dunlop. Now you know me. I was twenty-four years old then, and had a job that paid fifty-seven dollars a week as a kind of secretary at a private juvenile correctional facility for teenage boys. I think of it now as what it really was for all intents and purposes-a prison for boys. I will call it Moorehead. Delvin Moorehead was a terrible landlord I had years later, and so to…
I enjoy thrillers of all kinds. Creating a good thriller for a middle-grade or young-adult audience is challenging and fun. These stories offer opportunities for unexpected situations, making for an action-packed page-turner full of twists and turns. Creating characters that are full of surprises and promise, with obstacles that unleash mayhem–whether in dreams or reality–the task is to create wonder for the reader. There is plenty to amaze and ways to fill a mind with wonder. Plus, every good narrative includes some educational aspects–about extraordinary things–all of which serve to change the lives or expand the horizons of everyone involved. Here are several stories that did that for me.
The instant I saw the marvelous illustrations of plump little hippo-trolls floating on clouds, I was captivated by their fun-loving world of wonder-full adventures.
This book is about moments of discovery that add richness to our lives–like when Moomintroll ventures to the top of a mountain with his friend, Snufkin, and they discover a hat–the “Hobgoblin’s hat”–which supposedly has magical powers. Or when the Hattifatteners, ghost entities, steal Hemulen’s barometer. Or when everything the moomintrolls need can be found in moominmamma’s purse.
Well, you can imagine the sort of fun and childish interplay of these curious characters as they make enchanting discoveries full of awe and whimsey while spreading kindness and fun-folly in and around Moomintroll Valley.
Special Collectors' Hardback Editions Lovingly Restored to Original Designs
'I love these editions-so beautifully produced, so solid and permanent, just as Tove Jansson deserved.' Philip Pullman
A beautiful collectors' edition of this classic Moomin story, using original 50s and 60s cover artwork, a fold out map and gorgeous endpapers
In case you didn't know, the Moomins are kind, loyal and welcoming creatures with smooth round snouts, who live in a tall blue house shaped like an old stove in a valley in the forests of Finland. They love sunshine and sleep right through the winter, when the snow turns their…
Full disclosure: I don’t know much about swords. But as a children’s author and English teacher, I’ve learnt what makes kids want to pick up a book. In short, make it fun! My teenage membership in the Young Archaeologists Club sparked my love of history and archeology. It wasn’t quite as glamorous as Indiana Jones would have you believe, but the idea that hidden treasures might be lurking under our gardens has fascinated me ever since.
This might be the book that transformed me into a reader.
Masefield, also the UK’s one-time poet laureate, writes a magical Christmas adventure story about a boy called Kay who comes into possession of a magical box that allows the owner to shrink, move quickly, and even travel back in time. It’s full of scenes that stay with me even now and is such a rich, imaginative world. It deserves to be far better known!
And now, Master Harker, now that the Wolves are Running, perhaps you could do something to stop their Bite?'
A magical old man has asked Kay to protect the Box of Delights, a Box with which he can travel through time. But Kay is in danger: Abner Brown will stop at nothing to get his hands on it. The police don't believe Kay, so when his family and the Bishop are scrobbled up just before Christmas, he knows he must act alone ...
John Masefield's classic children's book is considered to be one of the great works of modern children's…
I used to steal Tolkien and Piers Anthony books from my older brother’s bookcase and burn through library world mythology sections like a ravenous beast. When I reached college in the 1990s, I realized “world” mythology had usually meant “Western” myths, and that’s when I became a Japanese Studies major and dove headfirst into feudal Japan: kitsune, dragons, dream-eaters, tengu, and other fantastical creatures. I was in love. Perfectly natural that when I started writing novels, my brain conjured romantic fantasy based on East Asian myths. Hope you’re ready to fall in love as well, with the Japanese version of fox spirits—kitsune!
Do you want a crash course on Japanese yokai and spirits like trickster kitsune fox, grandmother badger, flesh-eating ghosts, tree spirits, and oni demons? Hankering to go along on an adventure tale through samurai-laden alternate historical Japan to find a monk who knows the hidden location of a temple or swoon after a YA romance?
So maybe the story’s main plot is a search for a MacGuffin, and the characters are solid archetypes, but the fun in this book is going along for the crazy ride a la Alice in Wonderland as they meet and defeat various folktale dangers.
'One of my all time favourite fantasy novels!'
Ellen Oh, author of the Prophecy and Spirit Hunters series
The first book in a brand-new series set in ancient Japan from New York Times bestselling author Julie Kagawa.
Enter a beautiful and perilous land of shapeshifters and samurai, kami and legends, humans and demons...a world in which Japanese mythology and imagination blend together
When destiny calls, legends rise.
Every millennium the missing pieces of the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers are hunted, for they hold the power to call the great Kami Dragon from the sea and ask for any one…
