Mythopoetic Fanstasy Award for Children's Literature
Calhoun, Dia
Aria of the Sea
(no illustrator)
Farrar, Strause and Giroux, 2003
Description: On the island of Normost, in the kingdom of Windward, 13-year-old Cerinthe Gale is a folk healer who dreams of being a dancer. When her mother falls ill, Cerinthe fights to save her — but fails. She blames herself for her mother’s death, gives up healing, and decides to pursue dance. Cerinthe travels across Windward to audition at the School of the Royal Dancers, which accepts her even though she is a commoner. It should be the beginning of a brilliant future, but Cerinthe feels an emptiness she can’t identify. A disagreement with a young man, a conflict with a cruel teacher, a rivalry with an aristocratic classmate, Elliana, and a meeting with a mederi — a healer with magical powers — add to her anguish. When the rivalry between the two girls causes a terrible accident, Elliana’s life hangs in the balance. Cerinthe faces the same awful choice she had faced with her mother: Should she try to heal Elliana herself or hope that the mederi arrives in time? Only the song of the Sea Maid holds the answer.
Recommended Audience: 5th-8th grades
Illustrations: n/a
Activities: This book can be used when talking about fantasies. It is a book about making choices and following your dreams.
Reviews: http://www.amazon.com/Aria-Sea-Dia-Calhoun/dp/B005IUPRPA/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1350508514&sr=1-1&keywords=aria+of+the+sea
Aria of the Sea
(no illustrator)
Farrar, Strause and Giroux, 2003
Description: On the island of Normost, in the kingdom of Windward, 13-year-old Cerinthe Gale is a folk healer who dreams of being a dancer. When her mother falls ill, Cerinthe fights to save her — but fails. She blames herself for her mother’s death, gives up healing, and decides to pursue dance. Cerinthe travels across Windward to audition at the School of the Royal Dancers, which accepts her even though she is a commoner. It should be the beginning of a brilliant future, but Cerinthe feels an emptiness she can’t identify. A disagreement with a young man, a conflict with a cruel teacher, a rivalry with an aristocratic classmate, Elliana, and a meeting with a mederi — a healer with magical powers — add to her anguish. When the rivalry between the two girls causes a terrible accident, Elliana’s life hangs in the balance. Cerinthe faces the same awful choice she had faced with her mother: Should she try to heal Elliana herself or hope that the mederi arrives in time? Only the song of the Sea Maid holds the answer.
Recommended Audience: 5th-8th grades
Illustrations: n/a
Activities: This book can be used when talking about fantasies. It is a book about making choices and following your dreams.
Reviews: http://www.amazon.com/Aria-Sea-Dia-Calhoun/dp/B005IUPRPA/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1350508514&sr=1-1&keywords=aria+of+the+sea
Chabon, Michael
Summerland
Oldenburg, Brandon (illustrator)
Hyperion Books for Children, 2002
Description: Summerland is the story of a young hero on a quest through the strange world of the American Faery. This is a fantasy for readers of all ages, set against the background of the American myth. The Clam Island fairies are in grave peril. War is coming, another battle in an ancient conflict. When the band sends for a champion, they get an 11 year-old boy named Ethan Feld. He hates baseball and wants to quit his losing team, but Jennifer T. Rideout loves baseball and won't let him quit. The two find themselves on a journey that includes zeppelins, werefoxes, Indian mythology, sasquatches, wendigos, and the haunted 161 year old husk of George Armstrong Custer. Finally Ethan becomes who he is: a changeling, a hero, and even a man.
Recommended Audience: 5th-8th grades
Illustrations: The illustrations feature a watercolor design.
Activities: This story can be used when discussing myths and fantasy stories.
Reviews: http://www.amazon.com/Summerland-Michael-Chabon/dp/142313995X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1350507604&sr=1-2&keywords=summerland
Summerland
Oldenburg, Brandon (illustrator)
Hyperion Books for Children, 2002
Description: Summerland is the story of a young hero on a quest through the strange world of the American Faery. This is a fantasy for readers of all ages, set against the background of the American myth. The Clam Island fairies are in grave peril. War is coming, another battle in an ancient conflict. When the band sends for a champion, they get an 11 year-old boy named Ethan Feld. He hates baseball and wants to quit his losing team, but Jennifer T. Rideout loves baseball and won't let him quit. The two find themselves on a journey that includes zeppelins, werefoxes, Indian mythology, sasquatches, wendigos, and the haunted 161 year old husk of George Armstrong Custer. Finally Ethan becomes who he is: a changeling, a hero, and even a man.
Recommended Audience: 5th-8th grades
Illustrations: The illustrations feature a watercolor design.
Activities: This story can be used when discussing myths and fantasy stories.
Reviews: http://www.amazon.com/Summerland-Michael-Chabon/dp/142313995X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1350507604&sr=1-2&keywords=summerland
Lin, Grace
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
Impey, Alison (illustrator)
Hachette Book Group, 2009
Description: In the valley of Fruitless Mountain, a young girl named Minli lives in a ramshackle hut with her parents. In the evenings, her father regales her with old folktales of the Jade Dragon and the Old Man on the Moon, who knows the answers to all of life's questions. Inspired by these stories, Minli sets off on an extraordinary journey to find the Old Man on the Moon to ask him how she can change her family's fortune. She encounters an assorted cast of characters and magical creatures along the way, including a dragon who accompanies her on her quest for the ultimate answer.
Recommended Audience: 3rd-6th grades
Illustrations: The book cover is painted with rich colors that captivate the reader's attention.
Activites: Teaching ideas can be found on the author's website at http://www.gracelin.com/content.php?page=wherethemountainmeetsthemoon&display=activities
Reviews: http://www.amazon.com/Where-Mountain-Meets-Moon-Grace/dp/0316038636/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1350506833&sr=1-1&keywords=where+the+mountain+meets+the+moon
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
Impey, Alison (illustrator)
Hachette Book Group, 2009
Description: In the valley of Fruitless Mountain, a young girl named Minli lives in a ramshackle hut with her parents. In the evenings, her father regales her with old folktales of the Jade Dragon and the Old Man on the Moon, who knows the answers to all of life's questions. Inspired by these stories, Minli sets off on an extraordinary journey to find the Old Man on the Moon to ask him how she can change her family's fortune. She encounters an assorted cast of characters and magical creatures along the way, including a dragon who accompanies her on her quest for the ultimate answer.
Recommended Audience: 3rd-6th grades
Illustrations: The book cover is painted with rich colors that captivate the reader's attention.
Activites: Teaching ideas can be found on the author's website at http://www.gracelin.com/content.php?page=wherethemountainmeetsthemoon&display=activities
Reviews: http://www.amazon.com/Where-Mountain-Meets-Moon-Grace/dp/0316038636/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1350506833&sr=1-1&keywords=where+the+mountain+meets+the+moon