The Hound of Rowan (Henry H. Neff)
Magic, coming of age, the creation of worlds, the destruction of worlds, geo-political strategy, Celtic mythology
The Dark is Rising
Chilling, spine tingling descriptions of fear and horror, without the gore.
Midnight for Charlie Bone
Magic kids in a school, yes. But also, a truly horrifying set of great aunts and a grandmother, a shriveled up evil genius who lurks in the bowels of a castle, and general extreme family dysfunction.
How to train your dragon
Cowell’s prose draws kids in and makes them laugh and laugh, all the while building and layering each image of landscape and character to build to a finish with complexity and depth
