Since I've already written about my love for detective fiction, I would now like to look at another favorite–fantasy. In particular, Children's Fantasy, and two books that illustrate what I like and dislike in the genre.
The books in question are; The Singer of All Songs, by Kate Constable, and the Pendragon Series, by D. J. McHale.
My biggest peeve with some fantasy is the phenomenon of the reluctant hero. You know, the guy/girl with the powers he didn't know he had, who whines and whimpers his way through umpteen chapters of monotonous self-discovery before finally coming to grips with (and learning to appreciate) his Specialness in the last split second before his griping brings destruction to his planet/alternate universe. I want strong central characters who use their abilities with confidence and skill; a protagonist that the reader can aspire towards.
Bobby Pendragon discovers at 16 that he is a Traveller, burdened with the responsibility of fighting against the evil Saint Dain and his attempts to bring destruction to Halla. His character reacts with a mixture of irritation, depression and homesickness. He never quite descends to a masochistic rejection of his lot in life, but his attitude makes me uncomfortable. I enjoyed the series despite this issue (it's a good plot and decent characterization), but would likely not steer my daughter towards these books for those reasons. Attitudes can rub off on you…
The Singer of all Songs is the first in a trilogy I am excited about! Here we have many character traits I want my daughter to emulate. Calwyn is a Chanter, a singer of magic. She pursues bad guys and rights wrongs with spunk, determination and style. She has, like any of us, her moments of indecision, but in general she is confident and eager. Her friends are loyal and gritty as she is. As a bonus, many of them also have Powers that they use wisely and confidently.
Kids learn so much more about character and behavior from the books they read than we realize. It's important to me to provide them with examples of courage, strength and wisdom, even in their Fantasy fiction.
Photo credit: Tempe Library
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Elisa reads, writes, crafts, brags about her babies and occasionally waxes eloquent about life and other important things at her blog, Herb of Grace.
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A group of fantasy books that I absolutely loved growing up is The Song of the Lioness quartet (the first book is Alanna: The First Adventure) by Tamora Pierce.
Elisa, thanks for this; it's nice to have an idea of what is in a book, especially during gift season. Would Calvin Miller's series work for a 16-year old?
Jendeis, I'll have to check those out! I keep getting such awesome recommendations when I post these book reviews
Keep 'em coming!
Holly, I'm a little confused by your reference to Colvin Miller? But anyway, I think a sixteen-year-old who enjoys fantasy would love the Kate Constable books. I'm less certain about how important gender would be? I loved books with guy protagonists as a teen, but perhaps some guys would be bored with a girl protagonist and vise versa.
Thanks for the suggestion of the Chanter series. I have a voracious reading girl who loves fantasy books and I am always looking for a new set for her.