Fairy Tales
The Secret History of Tom Trueheart by Ian Beck
While Tom's six older brothers go on adventures in the Land of Stories, Tom has always been the one to stay home with mother. But now Tom's brothers have disappeared and the Story Bureau says it's up to Tom to find them.
A Telling of the Tales : Five Stories by William J. Brooke
These fast-paced funny retellings of old familiar stories are given a modern twist. Sleeping Beauty demands identification from the prince and Cinderella is more interested in having personalities fit than in a shoe fitting a foot. The retellings continue in A Brush with Magic and A Teller of Tales.
The Famous Adventures of Jack by Berlie Doherty
Jill is trying to find the right fairy-tale Jack, a quest that is not easy as she hears from Old Mother Greenwood about the adventures of many different Jacks.
Into The Wild by Sarah Beth Durst
Julie's mother, Rapunzel, escaped from The Wild, the dangerous world of fairy tales. Now The Wild wants her and the other escaped characters back and it seems that only Julie can help them. Julie's adventures continue in Out of The Wild.
Once Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris
Chris has fallen in love with Princess Marigold from afar. Once he gets a job at the castle, he uncovers a plot by the evil Queen to take over the kingdom, even if it means killing the princess.
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
Mo, a bookbinder, has a gift. He can read characters out of stories and make them really come to life. Unfortunately, a villain he read out of a story is now trying to force him to bring another monster to life. When Mo is taken prisoner, his daughter Meggie may be the only one who can rescue him. Their adventures continue in Inkspell and Inkdeath.
The Ugly Princess and the Wise Fool by Margaret Gray
Princess Rose and wise man Jasper, who is masquerading as a fool, are the castle misfits. Together they go on an adventure as Rose tries to become beautiful (courtesy of her fairy godmother) and Jasper attempts to bring true wisdom back to the kingdom.
For Biddle's Sake by Gail Carson Levine
After Bombina loses her temper and turns Parsley into a toad, only a marriage proposal from a human can change her back to her original form. This is one of a series of retold fairy tales by the Newbery Honor author. Other books in this series include: The Fairy's Mistake; The Fairy's Return; Cinderella and the Glass Hill; Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep; The Princess Test.
Storyteller by Edward Myers
Jack sets out to earn his fortune as a storyteller. Soon though, he is forced to work for the evil prince, telling false stories to make the prince look good. This tells a classic tale of good against evil, with lots of adventures before the final "happily ever after."
The Prince of the Pond : Otherwise Known as De Fawg Pin by Donna Jo Napoli
After having been turned into a frog, the prince makes the best of things, and creates a whole new life for himself in the pond. When he is abruptly turned back into a human, his frog son is determined to find his missing father and return him to the pond. The young frog's story continues in Jimmy, the Pickpocket of the Palace.
Dealing with Dragons by Patricia Wrede
Bored with life in the castle, the princess runs away to find a dragon and soon becomes involved in the dragons' fight to save their kingdom. This is the first book in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles which continues with Searching for Dragons; Calling on Dragons; Talking to Dragons.
More Brave Mice
Poppy by Avi
A small deer mouse urges her family to move, but Mr. Ocax, the owl, has other plans in mind for them. Poppy's adventures with her friends and family continue in Poppy and Rye; Ragweed; Ereth's Birthday; Poppy and Ereth.
Tumtum and Nutmeg : Adventures beyond Nutmouse Hall by Emily Bearn
Originally published as multiple books in England, this recounts the adventures of two wealthy mice who try to help two human children who are struggling to make ends meet in a small cottage with their absent-minded father.
Spy Mice : The Black Paw by Heather Frederick
A spy mouse who is on a mobster's hit list and two human children who are having trouble with bullies team up to help each other. You can read other Spy Mice adventures in For Your Paws Only and Goldwhiskers.
Time Stops for No Mouse by Michael Hoeye
Hermux Tantamoq is caught up in his first mystery when the beautiful Linka leaves a watch to be repaired in his shop and then disappears. Hermux continues his adventures in The Sands of Time; No Time Like Show Time; Time to Smell the Roses.
Redwall by Brian Jacques
Cluny, the one-eyed rat, is coming to conquer the peaceful mice who live in the abbey of Redwall. The latest adventure in this multi-volume series, due out in 2010, is The Sable Quean.
The Mouse Family Robinson by Dick King-Smith
A family of mice decides to emigrate after a close call with a resident cat. Also by the same author: The Three Terrible Trins and A Mouse Called Wolf.
The Mousehunter by Alex Milway
Twelve-year-old Emiline is a mousekeeper in a world where there are thousands of species of mice, from the Sharpclaw Mouse, who can slice through almost everything to the rare Golden Mouse with hair of pure gold. Now she is on an adventure to hunt down the dastardly pirate, Mousebeard.
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert O'Brien
Mrs. Frisby, a widowed mouse, joins forces with a group of rats who have escaped from a laboratory to save their homes.
The Secret of Cacklefur Castle by Geronimo Stilton
Intrepid adventurer, Geronimo Stilton, gets mouse-napped by an old friend who needs his help at her spooky ancestral home. This is just one of many mouse-centric adventures starring Geronimo.
The Great Rescue Operation by Jean Van Leeuwen
When one of the mice goes missing from Macy's toy department, Marvin and his protégé Raymond set out to find him. These intrepid mice are also featured in The Great Cheese Conspiracy; The Great Christmas Kidnapping Caper; The Great Summer Camp Catastrophe.
Animal Fantasies and Adventures
The Underneath by Kathi Appelt
An abused hound befriends a stray cat and helps to keep her kittens save under the porch - in the underneath. That is until Gar Face, the hound's abusive owner, discovers them.
Whittington by Alan Armstrong
A ragged tomcat is gradually accepted into a barnyard filled with rescued animals by telling them stories of his famous ancestor's adventures with Dick Whittington.
Vasco : Leader of the Tribe by Anne-Laure Bondoux
Vasco discovers that the humans are determined to kill every rat in the city. He knows to survive the rats must leave and set sail to a new home across the sea.
Kenny and the Dragon by Tony DiTerlizzi
Book-loving Kenny the rabbit is determined to find a way to keep the townspeople and the king's knight from slaying his friend, who happens to be a dragon.
Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat by Lynne Jonell
Emmy seems to have become invisible, especially to her formally attentive parents. Then she is bitten by the classroom rat and suddenly can understand everything he says and is catapulted into an adventure, with a whole new set of animal friends, to thwart the scheme of an evil nanny and rescue her parents.
Varjak Paw by S. F. Said
Varjak Paw, a purebred Mesopotamian blue cat, has never been Outside in his whole pampered life. But now he is forced out of his home by the evil Gentleman and must unravel the mystery of the vanishing cats if he is to save his family.
The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden
Chester the cricket has found a comfortable home in Times Square and has met three good friends: a young boy named Tony, Harry the Cat, and Tucker the Mouse.
Abel's Island by William Steig
When he is cast away to a deserted island, Abel, a very cultured mouse, must use his wits and his ingenuity to survive.
Nurk : The Strange, Surprising Adventures of a (Somewhat) Brave Shrew by Ursula Vernon
Nurk has always wanted an adventure like his legendary aunt. But when he sets off down the river in his shrew-sized boat, he finds more adventure then the bargained for.
Exceptional Princesses and Other Heroines
Davey's Blue-Eyed Frog by Patricia Easton
Davey finds a frog who talks - and who claims to be a princess under a spell. She needs Davey to kiss her so that she can return and save her kingdom. But kiss a frog? No way!
The Courageous Princess by Rod Espinosa
In this graphic novel, Princess Mabelrose is captured by a dragon, escapes, and tries to find her way home with the help of her sidekick, a talking porcupine.
Igraine the Brave by Cornelia Funke
With the family castle under siege and her wizard parents transformed into pigs, it is up to Igraine, who has always wanted to be a knight, to escape from the castle and find help.
Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
Miri loves her mountain village and has never even thought of becoming a princess. But it has been foretold that the prince is destined to marry a girl from Miri's village, so now all the eligible girls must be trained; however, when the academy is taken over by bandits, the girls must band together to save themselves.
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
Ella has been given a gift of obedience by a fairy, but it has turned into more of a curse since Ella must obey any direct order that she is given. She is determined to find a way to break this curse and sets off to find the fairy that gave her this so-called gift.
The Puppeteer's Apprentice by D. Anne Love
Mouse, a young orphan, finds the courage to follow her dream and become the apprentice to a traveling puppeteer.
Bella at Midnight by Diane Stanley
Raised in a small village as a peasant, Bella is amazed to discover she is really the daughter of a knight. She is whisked away to a new life, but finds herself in the middle of a plot to take down the kingdom.
The Great Good Thing by Rod Townley
Nothing ever happens inside the pages of their story for Princess Sylvie, until she discovers that she can join forces with the Reader to make new adventures. The adventure continues in Into the Labyrinth and The Constellation of Sylvie.
Medieval Adventures
Roland Wright : Future Knight by Tony Davis
Roland, the second son of a blacksmith, has a chance to become a knight-in-training, but only if he can beat his older brother in a series of tests.
Digory the Dragon Slayer by Angela McAllister
When Digory finds a dragon's tooth on one of his walks through the forest, the townspeople assume that he has killed a dragon. They make him a knight and send him off to search for more dragons - something Digory doesn't want to do at all! Digory's adventures continue in Digory and the Lost King.
The New Kid at School : Dragon Slayers' Academy by Kate McMullan
After a minstrel predicts that Wiglaf will be a mighty hero, Wiglaf joins the Dragon Slayers' Academy. He is sent off immediately to slay a dragon, with only a cowardly magic sword and one bloodthirsty companion. This humorous adventure series includes, among others, Revenge of the Dragon Lady and Class Trip to the Cave of Doom.
The Adventures of Sir Givret the Short by Gerald Morris
Sir Givret is easily the shortest knight in King Arthur's court and is always being teased. But although Sir Givret may not be the tallest knight, he is certainly the smartest! The same author has also written The Adventures of Sir Lancelot the Great and The Squire's Tale.
The Sword and the Circle by Rosemary Sutcliff
This is a great retelling of the story of King Arthur, Queen Guenevere, and the Knights of the Round Table.
Sword of the Rightful King : A Novel of King Arthur by Jane Yolen
Merlinnus has arranged for Arthur to prove he is the rightful king by pulling the sword from the stone, only someone has gotten there first and already removed the sword.
Nonfiction on Knights and Chivalry
Ms. Frizzle's Adventures : Medieval Castle by Joanna Cole
Join the popular Magic School Bus teacher as she and her student Arnold find themselves in the Twelfth Century.
Knights and Castles : 50 Hands-On Activities to Explore the Middle Ages by Avery Hart
This brief overview of life in the middle ages contains some great ideas for group projects, like building castles, a working catapult, and even making rose petal bread.
You Wouldn't Want to Be a Medieval Knight by Fiona Macdonald
One of a popular series of "You Wouldn't Want to Be" books, this one lets readers in on what live was really like in the middle ages.
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! : Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Schlitz
This Newbery Award book is perfect for a library readers' theater to go with a medieval theme.
