Category Archives: Conditional Recommendation

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

by Kate DiCamillo

Conditional Recommendation: An emotional tale of a self-centered china rabbit who learns to love despite experiencing a harsh world.

Age: Middle Grade
Series: Stand Alone
Pages: 200
Published: 2006
Genre: Fantasy

Awards: Zilveren Griffel (2007), Grand Canyon Reader Award for Intermediate Book (2008), Sunshine State Young Readers Award for Grades 3-5 (2007), Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader’s Choice Award for Junior (2009), Charlie May Simon Children’s Book Award (2009), Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Fiction and Poetry (2006), The Magnolia Award (2010), Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award Nominee (2008), Hea Lasteraamat (2019)

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The Tiger Rising

by Kate DiCamillo

Conditional Recommendation: With the help of a feisty friend and a caged tiger, a 12-year-old boy learns how to process his bottled-up grief.

Age: Middle Grade
Series: Stand Alone
Pages: 128
Published: 2001
Genre: Contemporary

Awards: Charlie May Simon Children’s Book Award Nominee (2004), National Book Award Finalist for Young People’s Literature (2001)

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The Fellowship of the Ring (Lord of the Rings #1)

by J.R.R. Tolkien

Conditional Recommendation: Four hobbits, a dwarf, two men, an elf, and a wizard embark on a quest across Middle-earth with a group of friends to keep the ring of power out of evil hands and reach Mount Doom to destroy it.

Age: Young Adult
Series: The Lord of the Rings, Book One
Pages: 458
Published: 1954

Genre: Fantasy

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Dragon Rider

by Cornelia Funke

Conditional Recommendation: A dragon, a brownie, and a boy set off on a quest to find the Rim of Heaven, a safe place for dragons to live, before humans invade their home or an ancient villain catches them.

Age: Middle Grade
Series: It was a standalone until 2018 when Funke published the companion novel, Dragon Rider: The Griffin’s Feather
Pages: 523
Published: 2005 (English), 1997 (original German)

Genre: Fantasy/Adventure

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The Tower of Geburah (The Archives of Anthropos #1)

by John White

Conditional Recommendation: Three Canadian children fall through television sets to land in a world where they have to escape captivity, help free a king, and defeat the powers of evil.

Age: Middle Grade
Series: The Archives of Anthropos, Book One
Pages: 402
Published: 1978

Genre: Christian Fantasy/Allegory

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The Kings of Clonmel (Ranger’s Apprentice #8)

by John Flanagan

Conditional Recommendation: Will, Horace and Halt travel to neighboring Clonmel to disrupt a religious cult threatening the kingdom.

Age: Young Adult
Series: Ranger’s Apprentice, Book Eight
Pages: 320-400 pages, depending on edition
Published: 2010

Genre: Adventure/Fantasy

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The Oddling Prince

by Nancy Springer

Conditional Recommendation: A tale of a ring of power, a good king corrupted,  a strong bond of two brothers and lives changed by redemptive love set in a world of fantasy and honor.

Age: Young Adult
Series: Stand Alone
Pages: 288
Published: 2018

Genre: Fantasy

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Starclimber (Matt Cruse #3)

by Kenneth Oppel

Conditional Recommendation: Matt, Kate, Captain Walken and a new crew embark on the first expedition to space and on the way discover new celestial life forms and face dangerous odds of making it back to earth.

Age: Young Adult
Series: Matt Cruse, Book Three
Pages: 390
Published: 2009
Genre: Adventure

Award: CLA Book of the Year for Children Award (2009)

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The Lost Heir (Wings of Fire #2)

by Tui T. Sutherland

Conditional Recommendation: Told from the perspective of Tsunami the SeaWing, the five dragonets of the prophecy travel to the kingdom of the sea in search of Tsunami’s parents and discover mystery and intrigue.

Age: Middle Grade
Series: Wings of Fire: The Dragonet Prophecy, Book Two
Pages: 296
Published: 2013

Genre: Fantasy

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Mara, Daughter of the Nile

by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

Conditional Recommendation: A slave girl yearning for freedom plays double spy for two contenders to the Egyptian throne and the political intrigue, clever plot, and sprinkling of romance will satisfy you all the way to the end.

Age: Young Adult
Series: Stand Alone
Pages: 279
Published: 1953

Genre: Historical

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