Fantasy Books
Books that include elements that couldn't happen in the real world
Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery
By: Deborah and James Howe
This story is told from Harold’s point of view; Harold is the Monroe family’s dog. One day, the family came home with a new addition to their family, a rabbit they named Bunnicula. Chester, the cat, became very suspicious of Bunnicula because strange things have been happening in the house like all of the vegetables in the house turning white ever since the rabbit showed up. Chester believes the rabbit is a vampire, and he wants to get rid of it. Eventually, Harold found out that Chester was starving Bunnicula. He saved the rabbit from Chester and they became good friends.
By: Deborah and James Howe
This story is told from Harold’s point of view; Harold is the Monroe family’s dog. One day, the family came home with a new addition to their family, a rabbit they named Bunnicula. Chester, the cat, became very suspicious of Bunnicula because strange things have been happening in the house like all of the vegetables in the house turning white ever since the rabbit showed up. Chester believes the rabbit is a vampire, and he wants to get rid of it. Eventually, Harold found out that Chester was starving Bunnicula. He saved the rabbit from Chester and they became good friends.
Buz
By: Richard Egielski
A child, who was eating cereal, ate a bug. The child then went to the doctor, who told him he had a “bug.” Meanwhile, Buz ended up looking out of the child through his eye. The doctor gave him some pills to make him feel better. Eventually, the pills caught up to Buz, and the bug got flushed out of the boy’s ear and into the bathtub. At the end, Buz had to go to the doctor because he had a germ inside of him. The bug doctor said that Buz would need some pills too.
By: Richard Egielski
A child, who was eating cereal, ate a bug. The child then went to the doctor, who told him he had a “bug.” Meanwhile, Buz ended up looking out of the child through his eye. The doctor gave him some pills to make him feel better. Eventually, the pills caught up to Buz, and the bug got flushed out of the boy’s ear and into the bathtub. At the end, Buz had to go to the doctor because he had a germ inside of him. The bug doctor said that Buz would need some pills too.
Chocolate Fever
By: Robert Kimmel Smith
Henry Green's favorite thing to eat was chocolate. One day, he went to school, not feeling like his normal self. Henry had strange, brown dots on his skin, and they kept multiplying. He was taken to the hospital, where they called Henry's condition "chocolate fever." He ran out of the hospital, hid, and cried. Henry kept going and hitchhiked with a trucker named Mac. Mac wasn't phased by Henry's skin, and he told him that he was unique. Right when the two were about to call Henry's parents, Lefty and Louie, robbers, wanted to take what was in Mac's truck. When they discovered the truck wasn't filled with precious furs, like they had hoped, they took the truck to their hideout. Dogs came to Henry after smelling his chocolate scent. This was enough of a distraction to save Mac and Henry. Later, Henry met a man named Alfred "Sugar" Cane, who gave him the cure for his chocolate fever.
By: Robert Kimmel Smith
Henry Green's favorite thing to eat was chocolate. One day, he went to school, not feeling like his normal self. Henry had strange, brown dots on his skin, and they kept multiplying. He was taken to the hospital, where they called Henry's condition "chocolate fever." He ran out of the hospital, hid, and cried. Henry kept going and hitchhiked with a trucker named Mac. Mac wasn't phased by Henry's skin, and he told him that he was unique. Right when the two were about to call Henry's parents, Lefty and Louie, robbers, wanted to take what was in Mac's truck. When they discovered the truck wasn't filled with precious furs, like they had hoped, they took the truck to their hideout. Dogs came to Henry after smelling his chocolate scent. This was enough of a distraction to save Mac and Henry. Later, Henry met a man named Alfred "Sugar" Cane, who gave him the cure for his chocolate fever.
Hunger
Games: Catching Fire
By: Suzanne Collins
This is the second book of the Hunger Games trilogy. Katniss Everdeen lived with her mother and her younger sister, Prim, in District 12 in a place called Panem. Earlier, Katniss had taken her sister’s place in the Hunger Games and won, along with her district partner, Peeta, in a scandal. President Snow showed up at her new home, and told her that at her and Peeta’s victory tour, she’d have to prove that they really did love each because that’s what they made everyone believe to win the games. He threatened to kill the ones she loved, including Gale, who she had an undecided romantic relationship with. Then, it was announced that that year would be a special version of the Hunger Games, and the rules made it so that everyone who was in the Hunger Games before could be chosen a second time. Peeta and Katniss had to go back in. She decided that this time, she would let Peeta win the games since there wouldn’t be two people allowed to win. After the tour, the president told Katniss that her attempt wasn’t good enough, and she found out that other districts were starting to rebel. The security in District 12 tightened, and Katniss met people that told her they were going to District 13, a district that was thought to no longer exist.
At the games, Katniss and Peeta teamed up with others. The arena had many horrors and acted like a clock, setting off certain traps at certain times. The games ended in complete chaos. One of Katniss’ group members planned on setting a trap to kill the enemies, but it backfired. He had the hidden agenda to break down the force field that kept them trapped inside the arena, so that they could all escape. Katniss finished the job and broke the force field. She was then rescued by familiar faces. She later found out that Peeta and a few others had been taken by the Capitol, who they were rebelling against. At the very end of the book, Katniss also found out that District 12 had been destroyed.
This book is very action-packed and can provide entertainment. A theme that can be found is this book is to stay strong, even when life gets bad and seems hopeless. This book is less violent than the first and can leave the reader with a yearning for more of the story.
By: Suzanne Collins
This is the second book of the Hunger Games trilogy. Katniss Everdeen lived with her mother and her younger sister, Prim, in District 12 in a place called Panem. Earlier, Katniss had taken her sister’s place in the Hunger Games and won, along with her district partner, Peeta, in a scandal. President Snow showed up at her new home, and told her that at her and Peeta’s victory tour, she’d have to prove that they really did love each because that’s what they made everyone believe to win the games. He threatened to kill the ones she loved, including Gale, who she had an undecided romantic relationship with. Then, it was announced that that year would be a special version of the Hunger Games, and the rules made it so that everyone who was in the Hunger Games before could be chosen a second time. Peeta and Katniss had to go back in. She decided that this time, she would let Peeta win the games since there wouldn’t be two people allowed to win. After the tour, the president told Katniss that her attempt wasn’t good enough, and she found out that other districts were starting to rebel. The security in District 12 tightened, and Katniss met people that told her they were going to District 13, a district that was thought to no longer exist.
At the games, Katniss and Peeta teamed up with others. The arena had many horrors and acted like a clock, setting off certain traps at certain times. The games ended in complete chaos. One of Katniss’ group members planned on setting a trap to kill the enemies, but it backfired. He had the hidden agenda to break down the force field that kept them trapped inside the arena, so that they could all escape. Katniss finished the job and broke the force field. She was then rescued by familiar faces. She later found out that Peeta and a few others had been taken by the Capitol, who they were rebelling against. At the very end of the book, Katniss also found out that District 12 had been destroyed.
This book is very action-packed and can provide entertainment. A theme that can be found is this book is to stay strong, even when life gets bad and seems hopeless. This book is less violent than the first and can leave the reader with a yearning for more of the story.
Hop on Pop
By: Dr. Seuss
This book has a lot of rhyming in it. Rhyming words are emphasized in large, capitalized print. Underneath, the words are used in sentences. Inside of the front and back cover are lists of words that rhyme. This book would be good for beginning readers.
By: Dr. Seuss
This book has a lot of rhyming in it. Rhyming words are emphasized in large, capitalized print. Underneath, the words are used in sentences. Inside of the front and back cover are lists of words that rhyme. This book would be good for beginning readers.
How I Became a Pirate
By: Melinda Long
Illustrated by: David Shannon
Jeremy Jacobs, who is at the beach with his parents, spots a pirate ship. The pirates on the ship tell him that they went the wrong way. Braid Beard, the pirate, was the captain of the ship, and he’s looking to bury their treasure. They told Jeremy to come with. He learned that pirates don’t really have any rules, and he like that until no one would read him a bedtime story; then he felt a little differently about his newly found freedom as a pirate. A storm came, and Jeremy had an idea. He told them where a great spot to hide the treasure was, unknown to them: in his backyard.
By: Melinda Long
Illustrated by: David Shannon
Jeremy Jacobs, who is at the beach with his parents, spots a pirate ship. The pirates on the ship tell him that they went the wrong way. Braid Beard, the pirate, was the captain of the ship, and he’s looking to bury their treasure. They told Jeremy to come with. He learned that pirates don’t really have any rules, and he like that until no one would read him a bedtime story; then he felt a little differently about his newly found freedom as a pirate. A storm came, and Jeremy had an idea. He told them where a great spot to hide the treasure was, unknown to them: in his backyard.
I
Need My Monster
By: Amanda Noll
Ethan went to look for the monster under his bed, but Gabe, his monster, left a note that proclaimed he had gone to fish. Ethan wasn’t able to sleep without his monster being there. Four new monsters showed up under his bed, but they weren’t similar enough to Gabe. Finally, Gabe came back because he said that the fish had scared him. Ethan finally got to go to sleep.
This story puts a new light on monsters being under children’s beds. It brings the fear out of the idea because the child actually needs his monster, in order for him to sleep.
By: Amanda Noll
Ethan went to look for the monster under his bed, but Gabe, his monster, left a note that proclaimed he had gone to fish. Ethan wasn’t able to sleep without his monster being there. Four new monsters showed up under his bed, but they weren’t similar enough to Gabe. Finally, Gabe came back because he said that the fish had scared him. Ethan finally got to go to sleep.
This story puts a new light on monsters being under children’s beds. It brings the fear out of the idea because the child actually needs his monster, in order for him to sleep.
Mrs.
Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
By: Robert O’ Brien
Illustrated by: Zena Bernstein
Mrs. Frisby and her family of mice lived in Mr. Fitzgibbon’s garden during the winter. Her husband had died. Timothy, her son, got so sick that Mrs. Frisby had to go see Mr. Ages, the medicine mouse. He was far away from where they live. Mrs. Frisby traveled to him and found out that her son had pneumonia. On the way home, she saved a crow named Jeremy. When it got warmer, she knew that it was time to move out of the garden soon, or they’d be caught by the farmer’s plow; Timothy was still too weak to move though. Mrs. Frisby went and asked for Jeremy’s help. He told her she should go to the owl. The owl told her to go see the rats, who were very mysterious and suspicious creatures. After some effort, she and Mr. Ages went into the rats’ lair. Mrs. Frisby was surprised because their home had many human advancements. She met a rat named Nicodemus and got a lot of information out of him. The rats told her they could move her house, but Mr. Ages can’t give Dragon, the cat that prowled the farm at night, the sleeping powder because he had a broken leg (he was the mouse that always did this task for the rats when they had plans). Mrs. Frisby offered to take on the task.
Nicodemus told her the story of NIMH and how her husband had come with them and got killed by Dragon. NIMH was a research lab that tested both mice and rats. The injections that they received made them stronger and smarter. They eventually escaped and made it to the garden. Their plan was to move again and become self-sufficient instead of stealing from people.
Soon, Mrs. Frisby went to put the sleeping powder in Dragon’s food. She was caught by the farmer’s son but later escaped with the help of a rat named Justin. During her time being trapped at the house, she learned that the exterminators were coming to get rid of the rats. The rats moved her house to a safe spot, so Mrs. Frisby’s family could stay until Timothy got better, without having to worry about the plow killing them. On the day of the extermination, the rats had a plan to make the exterminators think that the rats were running out of the hole. Some of the rats didn’t make it, but the rest moved on to their new home.
This book contains a lot of foreshadowing. It’s an interesting story, and contains pictures that help the reader envision what’s happening in the story. One of the lessons in this book is to not judge people when you don’t know them. Everyone judged the rats; they ended up being very helpful in the end.
By: Robert O’ Brien
Illustrated by: Zena Bernstein
Mrs. Frisby and her family of mice lived in Mr. Fitzgibbon’s garden during the winter. Her husband had died. Timothy, her son, got so sick that Mrs. Frisby had to go see Mr. Ages, the medicine mouse. He was far away from where they live. Mrs. Frisby traveled to him and found out that her son had pneumonia. On the way home, she saved a crow named Jeremy. When it got warmer, she knew that it was time to move out of the garden soon, or they’d be caught by the farmer’s plow; Timothy was still too weak to move though. Mrs. Frisby went and asked for Jeremy’s help. He told her she should go to the owl. The owl told her to go see the rats, who were very mysterious and suspicious creatures. After some effort, she and Mr. Ages went into the rats’ lair. Mrs. Frisby was surprised because their home had many human advancements. She met a rat named Nicodemus and got a lot of information out of him. The rats told her they could move her house, but Mr. Ages can’t give Dragon, the cat that prowled the farm at night, the sleeping powder because he had a broken leg (he was the mouse that always did this task for the rats when they had plans). Mrs. Frisby offered to take on the task.
Nicodemus told her the story of NIMH and how her husband had come with them and got killed by Dragon. NIMH was a research lab that tested both mice and rats. The injections that they received made them stronger and smarter. They eventually escaped and made it to the garden. Their plan was to move again and become self-sufficient instead of stealing from people.
Soon, Mrs. Frisby went to put the sleeping powder in Dragon’s food. She was caught by the farmer’s son but later escaped with the help of a rat named Justin. During her time being trapped at the house, she learned that the exterminators were coming to get rid of the rats. The rats moved her house to a safe spot, so Mrs. Frisby’s family could stay until Timothy got better, without having to worry about the plow killing them. On the day of the extermination, the rats had a plan to make the exterminators think that the rats were running out of the hole. Some of the rats didn’t make it, but the rest moved on to their new home.
This book contains a lot of foreshadowing. It’s an interesting story, and contains pictures that help the reader envision what’s happening in the story. One of the lessons in this book is to not judge people when you don’t know them. Everyone judged the rats; they ended up being very helpful in the end.
Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes
By: Eric Litwin
Illustrated by: James Dean
Pete had some white shoes that are his favorite, so he sang about it. He stepped in some strawberries that turned his shoes red, blueberries that turned them blue, mud that turned them brown, and then water that turned them white again. He didn’t get mad that his shoes changed colors; he still loved his shoes and sang his song.
By: Eric Litwin
Illustrated by: James Dean
Pete had some white shoes that are his favorite, so he sang about it. He stepped in some strawberries that turned his shoes red, blueberries that turned them blue, mud that turned them brown, and then water that turned them white again. He didn’t get mad that his shoes changed colors; he still loved his shoes and sang his song.
Please Try
to Remember the First of Octember!
By: Dr. Seuss
Illustrated by: Art Cumings
Octember the first is when everyone is supposed to get whatever they want, whether it’s money or trees that grow pickles. This rhyming book goes through the months and says that everyone will just have to wait for Octember to come.
By: Dr. Seuss
Illustrated by: Art Cumings
Octember the first is when everyone is supposed to get whatever they want, whether it’s money or trees that grow pickles. This rhyming book goes through the months and says that everyone will just have to wait for Octember to come.
The Foot Book
By: Dr. Seuss
This book has a rhythm and pattern. It’s about all of the crazy feet that the characters have. They all have feet, but not everyone’s are the same. This book may be good for children just learning how to read because it’s repetitive and can familiarize them with words.
By: Dr. Seuss
This book has a rhythm and pattern. It’s about all of the crazy feet that the characters have. They all have feet, but not everyone’s are the same. This book may be good for children just learning how to read because it’s repetitive and can familiarize them with words.
The
Gruffalo
By: Julia Donaldson
A fox, a snake, and an owl tried to trick the mouse, so they could eat it. The mouse outsmarted them, described a horrifying creature called the Gruffalo to them, and that it would like to eat them. The mouse found this funny because it made the Gruffalo up in his head. Little did it know, but the Gruffalo was real, and it planned on eating the mouse. Now, the mouse came up with a clever way to trick the Gruffalo into thinking the mouse scared all of the animals. When the animals saw the Gruffalo, they were immediately scared, but the Gruffalo thought it was the mouse that was doing the scaring. The mouse then told the Gruffalo that he liked to eat Gruffalo and was safe.
A lesson portrayed in this book is that even if you’re smaller than others, it doesn’t mean you can’t use your brain power against them to get out of tricky situations. In this case, the larger animals could be considered bullies.
By: Julia Donaldson
A fox, a snake, and an owl tried to trick the mouse, so they could eat it. The mouse outsmarted them, described a horrifying creature called the Gruffalo to them, and that it would like to eat them. The mouse found this funny because it made the Gruffalo up in his head. Little did it know, but the Gruffalo was real, and it planned on eating the mouse. Now, the mouse came up with a clever way to trick the Gruffalo into thinking the mouse scared all of the animals. When the animals saw the Gruffalo, they were immediately scared, but the Gruffalo thought it was the mouse that was doing the scaring. The mouse then told the Gruffalo that he liked to eat Gruffalo and was safe.
A lesson portrayed in this book is that even if you’re smaller than others, it doesn’t mean you can’t use your brain power against them to get out of tricky situations. In this case, the larger animals could be considered bullies.
The Hunger Games
By: Suzanne Collins
Katniss Everdeen lived with her mother and sister, Prim, in District 12 of Panem. Every year, one boy and one girl were chosen to enter the arena of the Hunger Games. In this arena, the children were forced to fight the others, until only one child was left. That year, Prim's name was chosen, but Katniss would not let her go into the arena, so she volunteered to go instead. A boy named Peeta was also chosen to go into the arena with her. The two were taken from their homes and families to prepare them for what they were going to face. During the interviews they had before the games, Peeta announced to everyone that he was in love with Katniss.
The two, along with 22 other, tributes suffered many difficulties and casualties throughout the Games. After a while, an announcer told the tributes in the Games that two people could win if they were from the same district, which was playing on the crowd's excitement of the love being portrayed between Katniss and Peeta. Katniss immediately went to Peeta, who was almost dead, and helped keep him alive. When they thought they had won, they heard another announcement saying that there could now only be one winner. Peeta was willing to die to let Katniss win, but she wouldn't have it. She then remembered the poisonous berries that Peeta had picked earlier. She gave some to him and took some herself; she was planning on tricking the Capitol into thinking that there would be no victor because they would die together. The two made it out of the arena alive because the Capitol wanted a victor.
By: Suzanne Collins
Katniss Everdeen lived with her mother and sister, Prim, in District 12 of Panem. Every year, one boy and one girl were chosen to enter the arena of the Hunger Games. In this arena, the children were forced to fight the others, until only one child was left. That year, Prim's name was chosen, but Katniss would not let her go into the arena, so she volunteered to go instead. A boy named Peeta was also chosen to go into the arena with her. The two were taken from their homes and families to prepare them for what they were going to face. During the interviews they had before the games, Peeta announced to everyone that he was in love with Katniss.
The two, along with 22 other, tributes suffered many difficulties and casualties throughout the Games. After a while, an announcer told the tributes in the Games that two people could win if they were from the same district, which was playing on the crowd's excitement of the love being portrayed between Katniss and Peeta. Katniss immediately went to Peeta, who was almost dead, and helped keep him alive. When they thought they had won, they heard another announcement saying that there could now only be one winner. Peeta was willing to die to let Katniss win, but she wouldn't have it. She then remembered the poisonous berries that Peeta had picked earlier. She gave some to him and took some herself; she was planning on tricking the Capitol into thinking that there would be no victor because they would die together. The two made it out of the arena alive because the Capitol wanted a victor.
The
Sneetches
By: Dr. Seuss
This story is about the Star-Belly Sneetches and the Plain-Belly Sneetches. The Plain-Belly Sneetches were upset because the Star-Belly Sneetches would ignore them and wouldn’t invite them to their parties. The Star-Belly Sneetches thought they were the better Sneetches. Sylvester McMonkey McBean had a solution for the Plain-Belly Sneetches: if they paid him and went through his machine, they too, could be Star-Belly Sneetches. They did, but the original Star-Belly Sneetches didn’t like it. Sylvester McMonkey McBean told them they could get their stars removed in his machine. They did, and the cycle continued until all of the Sneetches ran out of money, and no one could tell the difference between the Sneetches. Sylvester McMonkey McBean took off with their money, and the Sneetches actually got along because no matter what, they were all Sneetches.
This story teaches children that even though someone may look different than someone else, everyone is still a human being, who should be treated nicely. It also teaches that it’s not okay to be mean to others because it hurts their feelings.
By: Dr. Seuss
This story is about the Star-Belly Sneetches and the Plain-Belly Sneetches. The Plain-Belly Sneetches were upset because the Star-Belly Sneetches would ignore them and wouldn’t invite them to their parties. The Star-Belly Sneetches thought they were the better Sneetches. Sylvester McMonkey McBean had a solution for the Plain-Belly Sneetches: if they paid him and went through his machine, they too, could be Star-Belly Sneetches. They did, but the original Star-Belly Sneetches didn’t like it. Sylvester McMonkey McBean told them they could get their stars removed in his machine. They did, and the cycle continued until all of the Sneetches ran out of money, and no one could tell the difference between the Sneetches. Sylvester McMonkey McBean took off with their money, and the Sneetches actually got along because no matter what, they were all Sneetches.
This story teaches children that even though someone may look different than someone else, everyone is still a human being, who should be treated nicely. It also teaches that it’s not okay to be mean to others because it hurts their feelings.
The Snow Queen
By: Hans Christian Andersen
A troll made a mirror that would turn evil things beautiful. He wanted to tease the angels with it, but ended up dropping it. It shattered. When snow got in the house, Kai, a young boy becomes distorted, and he was mean to Gerta, his friend. He usually wasn't like this. He left and met a snow queen, who kissed him and made him forget everything. On Gerda's way to find Kai, who had disappeared with the snow queen, she met various people, creatures, and faced various trials. Eventually, she finds the snow queen's palace. Kai had to turn
the ice in the palace into the word "eternity," or he couldn't leave. He did it, and the two went home.
By: Hans Christian Andersen
A troll made a mirror that would turn evil things beautiful. He wanted to tease the angels with it, but ended up dropping it. It shattered. When snow got in the house, Kai, a young boy becomes distorted, and he was mean to Gerta, his friend. He usually wasn't like this. He left and met a snow queen, who kissed him and made him forget everything. On Gerda's way to find Kai, who had disappeared with the snow queen, she met various people, creatures, and faced various trials. Eventually, she finds the snow queen's palace. Kai had to turn
the ice in the palace into the word "eternity," or he couldn't leave. He did it, and the two went home.
What I Saw in the Teacher's Lounge
By: Jerry Pallotta
Illustrated by: Howard McWilliam
A boy looked inside of the teacher's lounge. The teachers inside were doing strange things like skiing and scuba diving. The principal caught the boy, which stopped him. The boy then stated that he wanted to become a teacher.
By: Jerry Pallotta
Illustrated by: Howard McWilliam
A boy looked inside of the teacher's lounge. The teachers inside were doing strange things like skiing and scuba diving. The principal caught the boy, which stopped him. The boy then stated that he wanted to become a teacher.
Where the Wild Things Are
By: Maurice Sendak
A little boy, named Max, put on a wolf consutme. His mom told him he was a "WILD THING!" When he talked back to her, she made him go to his room; his room transformed into a place where wild creatures live. The boy became the king of this place. Although he was having fun, he became lonely and hungry, so he decided it was time to go back to his room and got his dinner.
By: Maurice Sendak
A little boy, named Max, put on a wolf consutme. His mom told him he was a "WILD THING!" When he talked back to her, she made him go to his room; his room transformed into a place where wild creatures live. The boy became the king of this place. Although he was having fun, he became lonely and hungry, so he decided it was time to go back to his room and got his dinner.