Fantasy Travel Books for Children
Alien Worlds and Magical Adventures Fill These Fun Chapter Books
Mar 31, 2009
It’s no secret that a good book and a great imagination can transport a reader to far off lands and exotic cultures. But when readers get their hands on great fantasy books, their minds can go on voyages to realms no travel agent ever dreamed of!
Here are two great fantasy chapter book series that have excited many young readers.
Young Wizards Series by Diane Duane
Nita Callahan was only trying to hide from some bullies when she ducked into the library that fateful afternoon. She never expected to stumble onto a magic book that inducted her into the world of wizardry. She never expected to meet young wizard Kit Rodriguez and become his partner in magic. And she certainly never expected to travel to an alternate Manhattan to protect another book of wizardry from the evil Lone One.
But Nita’s going to have to learn to expect a lot of strange things – since being a wizard means taking journeys to the most bizarre places, from alternate universes, to the cold depths of the ocean, to the farthest reaches of outer space. With each adventure, Nita and Kit’s expertise with wizardry grows, even as the dangers posed by the Lone Power increase as well.
With characters, magic, and adventures that rival Harry Potter’s, Diane Duane’s Young Wizards Series deliver stories of magical intrigue, friendship, and sacrifice. In a fascinating twist, not all wizards in the Young Wizards Series are human, allowing Nita and Kit to work with whale and dolphin wizards, as well as wizards from alien worlds.
An ongoing series, the Young Wizards books include So You Want to be a Wizard, Deep Wizardry, High Wizardry, A Wizard Abroad, The Wizard’s Dilemma, A Wizard Alone, Wizard’s Holiday, and Wizards at War and makes a good choice for kids looking for fantasy wizards outside the world of Harry Potter.
The Softwire Book Series by PJ Haarsma
Some alien book series explore what it’s like to encounter an alien on Earth. PJ Haarsma’s series The Softwire examines what it’s like to be the only human colony on an alien world that treats humans like second-class citizens.
When thirteen-year-old Johnny Turnbull (JT to his friends) and the rest of the children on the seed ship Renaissance arrive on the bizarre alien world of the Rings of Orbis, they are shocked to discover that they must serve as slaves to repay a debt their parents (who all died on the journey) incurred to be transported to Orbis.
But when the aliens discover JT is a Softwire, or a person who can manipulate computers with his mind, he becomes both a valuable commodity and an object of distrust for the greedy aliens, who believe he has the power to infiltrate their computer-controlled world. As JT adjusts to his new life, he must deal with bigotry and deceit from the aliens – and learn to handle the power of his Softwire skills.
Full of intrigue and exotic alien encounters, The Softwire series also leaves the door open for in-depth discussions on immigration and economic inequality. Fans should be on the lookout for all the books in the series, which include Virus on Orbis 1, Betrayal on Orbis 2, and Wormhole Pirates on Orbis 3.
Duane, Diane. Support Your Local Wizard: So You Want to be a Wizard, Deep Wizardry, High Wizardry. New York: Delacorte Press. 1990. ISBN: 1-56865-010-8
Haarsma, PJ. The Softwire: Virus on Orbis 1. Cambridge: Candlewick Press. 2006. ISBN: 978-0-7636-2709-6
Do you like books with alien encounters and fantasy adventures? Then read Alien Book Series for Kids and Time Travel Books for Kids for more children’s book recommendations.
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