Fantasy

Fantasy is one of the most popular YA genres - it always has been (think Tolkein, Narina, The Water Babies) and in the last decade a 'sub-genre' has emerged which is being called ‘Romantasy’ (because we always need a pithy name for everything) and it has become very commercialised and somewhat formulaic. I think maybe because of that, even though I have discussed specific fantasy books under other themes, I haven’t focused on it as an overall theme for a while. But after reading a particularly good, new middle grade fantasy recently, and with the movie adaptation of a classic children’s fantasy released in the last months, I decided it was time to tackle this theme again.

Please click here to hear me talk to Jesse Mulligan about these books on Radio New Zealand on Tuesday 26 May 2026.

For Ages 6-11+

The Enchanted Wood

(The Magic Far Away Tree Book 1)

(4 books in total)

By Enid Blyton

Published in 1939 (!!)

This book definitely comes under the definition of a ‘Classic’, as we are now approaching 90 years since it was first published, but none of Enid Blyton’s books have ever been out of print and are constantly being reworked into new formats from graphic novels to the most recent adaptation, the movie ‘The Far Away Tree’, released in March.

I won’t deny that, as with many authors from a different era (and many modern ones too!), there is plenty in Blyton’s books to take issue with, but over the decades each new adaptation seems to have taken small, and varied steps towards addressing some of these issues and bring her children’s books in line with the current sensibilities.

But I do think Blyton and authors like her are an important way to start conversations early on about historical narratives and viewpoints and addressing how much the author bias impacts storytelling. Admittedly – that is a large and complex conversation to have with kids in this age bracket, but this is also the age when they are inquisitive, unselfconscious enough to question things and are still able to use their imaginations. Kids are more observant than adults ever give them credit for (because it has been so long since we had that freedom of thought and curiosity) and are totally unfazed by difficult conversations, so it is worth taking the opportunities when they come along.

I’ll admit I am not a huge Enid Blyton fan, I was never into Noddy, The Famous Five or The Secret Seven, but this series … THIS series … was a childhood favourite. I had a big, beautifully illustrated hardback edition that my mum used to read to me until I could read it myself. While I liked the magical characters, I think it was the idea of the opportunity to travel into the unknown that was so appealing.

The story centres around siblings Joe, Beth and Franny (whose names have been changed from the original, to suit modern sensibilities) explore the forest next to their new house, where they stumble across the Magic Faraway Tree, with magical creatures living in its branches. They are even more astonished to discover at the very top of the tree is a gateway to a revolving series of magical worlds. You never know what you are going to get, some are wonderful (The Land of Do-As-You-Please) and some are not (The Land of Dame Slap – although in modern version Dame Slap no longer slaps, she shouts like a sergeant major!). The only rule is you must get back down to the tree before the land moves on or you’ll be trapped.

If kids have been to see the film, this is the perfect opportunity to introduce them to the book, but as someone who grew up with the story in my imagination, I just can’t bring myself to see it, no matter how good everyone says it is.       

For Ages 11/12+

Small Wonder

By Ross Montgomery

Published in 2026

I enjoyed reading this brand-new middle grade fantasy so much, it was so exciting to find something clever, engaging, well-written, with excellent world building and character development, and all judged perfectly for the middle grade/early YA age group. The end felt like it might be the beginning of a series – and I really hope it is!

Tick and his younger brother, Leaf, have lived all their lives with their grandfather and his horse Pebble, isolated in the woods. Grandfather has taught them how to look after themselves and survive and Tick must use all that knowledge after grandfather dies, leaving them alone.

When their secure little home is threatened, Tick must get his brother to safety but as they undertake their journey, they discover the threat is much greater than they could imagine and that grandfather was hiding a lot of secrets!

The story is largely adventure and action, and just enough pitfalls and dangers that it never drags. It also has several clever twists and big reveals, which always make a book more engaging, and it is well-paced, has clever plot devices, and a fierce, clever animal companion (every story needs one!).  A thoroughly excellent story all round – not just for middle grade!

For Ages 13+

A Deadly Education

(The Scholomance Book 1)

By Naomi Novik

Published in 2020

While this book is about a school for magical children, Harry Potter it isn’t! In this school it is not about passing your OWLs or earning house points, the aim is just to survive until the next year and at the end of it all, you either graduate or you die.

In this school the basement is full of magical children eating monsters, who regularly escape to the floors above, devouring as they go. Each year the new class intake take up residence on the top floor, but at the end of the year, the school building shuffles each floor down, until by the time you hit the senior class you are one step up from the basement and the first stop on the menu for the monsters as they escape. In this school there are no teachers, you don’t make friends and you don’t get holidays. If you survive long enough, the graduation ceremony is to make it out through the basement alive. The main character El has a particularly sinister magic power and a chip on her shoulder about how her world works.

The reason I have given this a higher age rating is not because it is particularly explicit or adult, but it is quite complex. The author’s world building is detailed, intricate and nuanced, almost overly so, in fact the detail with which she deals with everything, from battle planning to family histories to the building itself, can be a little overwhelming and make the story drag, but the characters and their relationship make up for it – mostly.

The tough, caustic and – to be honest – pretty unlikeable nature of the protagonist El, sets this book apart and is a welcoming and fun difference from the average YA fantasy. It is challenging and intriguing enough to make you want to carry on with the series, despite an excess of explanation.  

For Ages 14-16+

The Poppy Wars

(Book 1 of a Trilogy)

By R.F. Kuang

Published in 2018

It is worth spending some time talking about this author before we start talking about her book – not yet 30, she has a Masters of Philosophy from Cambridge, a Masters of Science from Oxford and is currently working towards her Ph.D at Yale University, and extraordinarily while doing that, she has managed to write seven novels, all of which have spent time on the Times Bestsellers List (several debuting at number 1) and won several writing awards. Her books are catagorised as Young Adult but the complexity and nuance in each book makes them ideal for adult fans of fantasy too.

This, her debut series, is a military fantasy, but all Kuang’s work tends to be built around a subtle commentary on historical and societal issues – the themes and events in this series clearly draw on Chinese history, with obvious allusion to disruption and impact of Christian missionaries, colonialism, the Opium Wars and the brutal unrest and new regime of the twentieth century.

The book is masterfully written, with intricate and wholly believable world-building. Kuang also writes war very well – the misery, the exhaustion, the brutality but without excessive, drawn-out accounts of battles, combat and weaponry … maybe this is a ‘girl’ thing but I find that so tedious and unnecessary in fantasy books, but never fear, there is still plenty of gore and the tortures Kuang writes are utterly stomach churning (spoiler alert and trigger warning!) but it is well balanced, which is very rare in fantasy writing.

But this isn’t historical fiction, it is fantasy and so there is a magical element, the gods of this world are very … ‘involved’ and certain characters have magical powers. This is another book where the main character, Rin, is extremely unlikeable (she becomes an opium addict and perpetrates genocide just for starters) so making this book readable and engaging shows significant skill. The characters around Rin are what make the story, even if a lot of the time you wonder why they stay, this series very much earns the description of ‘sweeping epic’.  

Click here to access some of my past chats with Jesse on Radio New Zealand.