If your child (or you!) loved Wildwood by Colin Meloy, and illustrated by Carson Ellis, and want to further their reading, there is no shortage of imaginative tales to choose from.
Wildwood follows the journey of Prue and Curtis as they venture into a magical wilderness in an effort to find Prue's brother, who was stolen by crows. It is a tale about courage, finding oneself, and freedom–all themes that appeal to middle grade readers. When your kids have finished the three Wildwood Chronicle books, pick up one of these equally compelling books.
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Wildwood Chronicles
Books for Fans of Wildwood
The Chime Seekers (series) by Ross Montgomery
Fans of Wildwood will also love this adventure mixed with humor. Yanni is not impressed with his family's new, crooked house in the country and to make this worse, an evil faerie tricks Yanni into trading his baby sister for a changeling. Yanni and his cousin, Amy, set out into a fantastical world full of folklore-ish creatures and magic spells to try and retrieve his sister. Ages 9 and up.
Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu
Breadcrumbs is a retelling by Hans Christian Andersson's The Snow Queen. Hazel and Jack are friends, but one day when Jack gets a piece of glass in his eye he is whisked away by a strange, evil woman to a land of snow. Hazel sets out on a journey to find her friend and return home. Ages 8 and up.
MORE: Wintery novels to read aloud
The Strange Disappearance of Imogen Good by Kirsty Applebaum
Fran has come to stay with relatives, but she isn't happy about seeing her cousin Imogen, who has a history of bullying her. Upon arrival she finds Imogen missing, but no one seems to be aware that Imogen ever existed. Fran decides to find out what happened, discovering a mysterious walled statue garden and teasing out a long-lost tale about a magical wishing flower. Ages 9 and up.
MORE: Gigantic list of adventure books
The Barren Grounds (The Misewa Saga series) by David A. Robertson
Morgan and Eli are Cree children living with White foster parents in Winnipeg. They feel the cultural disconnect between their living situation and their cultural ancestry. After an argument with their well-meaning but misguided foster parents, the two find solace in the attic where Eli's drawing becomes a portal to AskÃ, a wintery world where time passes differently. In AskÃ, they meet Ochek, a hunter along with Arik the squirrel, and together they set out to save the Misewa community. Ages 9 and up.
Lark and the Wild Hunt by Jennifer Adam
Every year the Wild Hunt helps forge the alliance and boundary between the human world and that of the fae. But after the last hunt, Lark's brother, Galin went missing. Lark is determined to find out what happened to him and bring him back, and although fae and humans aren't supposed to fraternize outside of pre-set conditions, she makes friends with a young fae who gives her clues as to how to reassemble the moonclock, a magical timepiece that holds the secret to finding Galin and restoring the balance between the worlds. Ages 9 and up.
MORE: Huge list of fantasy novels, ages 8 and up
The Accidental Apprentice (Wilderlore series) by Amanda Foody
Mushroom farmer apprentice, Barclay Thorne, lives in Dullshire. He's a hard worker and tries to avoid trouble. One day he accidentally bonds with a wolfish Beast in the nearby magic forest. Lore Keepers, those who bond with magic animals, are reviled and the villagers run him out of town. His plan is to find a way to break the bond, but the journey helps him embrace his true self. Ages 9 and up.
MORE: See all our read-alike book lists!
The School Between Winter and Fairyland by Heather Fawcett
Autumn Malog is a beastkeeper on the grounds of a castle, the Inglenook School of Magic. Autumn's twin brother, Winter, has gone missing and although everyone else has given up, Autumn believes he is somehow magically trapped inside the castle. Magic student, Cai, whom everyone believes to be a hero named in a prophecy, but who is secretly afraid of dragons, agrees to help Autumn rescue her brother. Ages 9 and up.
MORE: Dragon books and series for ages 8 and up
The Clockwork Crow (series) by Catherine Fisher
While 12-year-old orphan, Seren Rhys, waits for the train to her new home, a man leaves a mysterious box with her for safekeeping. He also gives her a warning: don't assemble the contents. (You know she obviously will!) Seren's new home in Wales is a rambling manor, abandoned by the family after the mysterious disappearance of their son. Despite the housekeeper's sharp admonitions, Seren is determined to find the missing boy, along with the help of the newly assembled Clockwork Crow. Ages 8 and up.
The Door by the Staircase by Katherine Marsh
This suspense-filled novelization of the Baba Yaga folk tale will keep your tween turning pages long into the night. 12-year-old Mary is taken away from her orphanage by the mysterious Madame Z. Madame Z is full of secrets and lives in a curious house. In town, Mary befriends Jacob, a magician's assistant. When they learn the true identity of Madame Z they must work together to escape her power. Ages 9 and up
MORE: Fantastical fairy tale retellings
Sisters of the Lost Marsh by Lucy Strange
Sisters of the Lost Marsh is teeming with atmosphere, mystery and folk legend. In the marshlands of southern England, Willa and her five sisters live with a father who believes the family is cursed and that each of his daughters must fulfill a specific destiny. After her oldest sister, Grace, disappears, Willa believes Grace has run away from her unpleasant fiancé to join the Full Moon Fayre. But a more sinister force is at work and Willa is determined to save her sister. Ages 9 and up
The Wonderling by Mira Bartók
Bartók creates a marvelous world that draws upon the familiar and fantastical. The protagonist is a "groundling," a fox-like creature who escapes with his bird-friend, Trinket, from a grim orphanage to head out on an adventure. Their adventure circles round and they plan to rescue the other orphans. There is something very Dickensian about the story, and unlike some books set in strange hybrid worlds, Bartók's incredible descriptions and use of language, along with her illustrations build a fully-realized, fascinating universe. Ages 8 and up.
MORE: Books like Alice in Wonderland
Windswept by Margi Preus
Preus draws upon Norse folklore and other fairy tales to create a wholly original story. In Tag's village, adults require that "youngers" stay indoors until they are 15-years-old, lest they disappear in the mysterious snow squalls that appear without warning. After Tag's three older sisters are "windswept," she is determined to venture outside and find them. She and a small group of other youngers set out to the mountains to find the lost children. Along the way, and with the help of the eccentric people she meets, Tag discovers strength she did not know she had. Marvelous. Ages 10 and up.
Eagle Drums by Nasuġraq Rainey Hopson
In this page-turner, Hopson tells the Iñupiaq Messenger Feast origin story. Piŋa has grown up with the knowledge that his two brothers vanished on the mountain which he must now climb to collect obsidian. On the mountain he meets the eagle god, Savik, who presents him with an impossible choice. Piŋa chooses to become Savik's captive, setting him on a journey that is terrifying but teaches him valuable lessons. Ages 8 and up.
MORE: Mythology-inspired middle grade novels
The Strangers (series) by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Mystery and science fiction fans will be sucked into the Greystone Secrets series. Siblings Chess, Emma and Finn hear a report of three kidnapped siblings with their exact first and middle names, and birthdays. Then their mother mysteriously disappears and all the signs and clues point to the existence of a parallel world! Haddix switches the narration among the three siblings, and chapters are short, hurdling the reader towards a cliffhanger so dramatic they will be relieved to know all three books are now available.
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