Branching Out: Books for Fans of His Dark Materials

Take everything you think you know about unicorns and discard it. They are not the shiny, mythical creatures that you believe you know. They are ferocious, magical and deadly creatures who are very much real. Each year, mainland children hope to pass the Hatchery exam to become unicorn riders. Thirteen-year-old Skandar Smith is no different. He wants to be a hero.

When it is finally Skandar’s time to realise his dreams, everything seems to turn against him. The Island’s most powerful unicorn is missing after being stolen by a haunting enemy that has returned with a vengeance and Skandar discovers a secret that could change everything and crush his dreams forever.

Similar to the Percy Jackson series, Skandar and the Unicorn Thief has enough magic and fantasy to engage children without it becoming too immature for older children. It would make the perfect read-aloud and could inspire lots of writing, although it is most suitable for children in Upper KS2 and beyond with well-developed reading stamina. It would be a great addition to any school or class library, especially for those more confident readers to get their teeth into.

This book is part of Jonathan Stroud’s brilliantly action-packed and suspenseful series about paranormal investigators Lockwood & Co – set in a witty world where ghosts and detectives collide.

Set in an alternate London plagued by terrifying supernatural forces, the book will send genuine shivers up your spine. In The Screaming Staircase, which is the first of the series, Lucy Carlyle finds a job at Lockwood & Co, a psychic detective agency run by the mysterious Anthony Lockwood. But can his ramshackle gang of young ghost-hunters survive the night in one of the most haunted houses in England?

Wildly popular and not for the faint hearted, this is a real page-turner best suited to readers aged 12 plus.

The central character in this debut fantasy novel by Alexander Armstrong is Sam, who lives with his father in Durham – an interesting historical city with many legends going back to the Vikings. Sam’s mother died in a mysterious crash some years earlier and Sam feels responsible for his father, who has struggled to cope since.

Sam discovers that his family was once at the heart of a secret society – The Order of the Evening – that had long protected the world. As the story progresses we discover what the long-buried secrets of Sam’s family are, and we are drawn into a battle between forces, dark and light, with a gathering of characters calling themselves the ‘Elver’ setting off on a march through England to protect ‘The Tempest’, and a sinister billionaire father-son plot to eliminate the same Tempest and steal his powers to control Bellasis, the Order’s hidden palace and the source of its powerful magic, the óthr.

Sam’s deep friendship with best friend Ish is very believable and central to the story, and it is Ish’s family who provides the support Sam needs to manage both his home life and accomplish his mission, whilst the developing friendship with Goz adds another thread to the storyline.

This is a sophisticated fantasy book at just under 400 pages and the writing and storylines are complex, with storytelling, symbolism and a fast-paced plot, so it would provide a compelling read for those children who are advanced readers and aged 10+. Highly recommended for readers who like fantasy, magic, intrigue and adventure.

Fans of Katherine Rundell‘s previous books will have high hopes for this, and dare I say it may be her best yet.

Full of adventure, mythical creatures and character growth, it is perfect for a school library. The story follows a boy’s adventures when he discovers a cluster of magical islands on which all sorts of mythical creatures are really alive. He teams up with a local girl on a magical quest to save the islands.

The two main characters have a lot of grit, and their adventure would be appealing to a lot of readers. It is an emotional journey, but one I think children would enjoy.

The world-building is exceptional, with detailed descriptions of the different creatures and exciting descriptions of the places along the journey,  allowing you to picture the settings in your mind. This is the kind of book that feeds children’s imaginations with wonderful and exciting ideas in a way that only the best children’s stories can do.

Ann Sei Lin’s Rebel Skies is a thrilling and imaginative fantasy story with a unique world inspired by Asian mysticism and a fast-paced adventure plot. It is recommended for Y8 readers and above.

Set among flying ships and sky cities, the story follows Kurara, an ordinary servant who discovers she is a Crafter, able to bring paper to life. This newfound ability draws her into a world of powerful paper spirits, imperial intrigue, mysterious creatures and a quest to uncover the truth, making for a fast-paced and engaging fantasy read. Any readers who have enjoyed the creative pursuit of origami will never quite see it in the same way again!

The novel’s original concept, blending fantasy with elements reminiscent of steampunk and Japanese mythology, provides a refreshing and exciting experience. Two further adventures follow in the same series.

An exciting novel set in the snowy northern forests of a prehistoric world. This fantastic adventure story is an exciting read and could be a great hook into a new series for children who love fantasy and adventure!

Twelve is a fierce hunter, and she has given up her name to train in the art of fighting monsters, and she won’t choose a new one until she has earned it. As her friend is taken, Twelve sets off on a dangerous journey to rescue her. Teaming up with Dog, the stone Guardian of the Hunting Lodge, Twelve ends up on an epic adventure that will change her life, her name – and her entire world.

This book was instrumental for me, too – a frankly terrifying story of a boy being pulled into an ancient, mythic battle fought in the land right before us, which we cannot see but whose outcome affects us enormously. The way Cooper summons up the sense of being outside on a winter day is just perfect: special and liberating and sinister and silent all at once. The figure of The Black Rider was a huge inspiration for the character of The Midwinter King in The Midnight Guardians – in the first draft, Col was pursued not by the Lord of all Darkness, but by a sort of bounty hunter figure.

Hark and his best friend Jelt live on the island of Lady’s Crave where they scavenge, scam and sell their finds.

The land they live in is shadowed in the past where people worshipped the Undersea Gods who thrived on the fear of the people. Hark finds himself indentured to Dr Vyne after being caught as part of one of Jelt’s plans with a local gang. He is given the task of looking after the ancient priests and finding out their secrets to be able to find out the secrets of the past Gods. Dr Vyne is trying to unravel the secrets of the gods, how they disappeared, what they looked like and how to best use god glass (old parts of the gods recovered from the Undersea).

Hark and Jelt quickly find themselves in possession of a most valuable piece of god glass, but it is not as lucky as they first think and they are soon in a very dangerous situation. What does this mean for the best friends, the people of Lady’s Crave and the surrounding islands?

‘Deeplight’ is a story full of imagination, mythological themes and adventures in the sea, which focuses on the importance of friendship and also treachery. The main characters are complex, but as the story unfolds, you feel that you really get to know them. It also includes a deaf character who lost her hearing after a diving incident. She gains her title of being ‘Sea-kissed’ and has to learn to communicate with her gang members by sign. It is refreshing to see a main character who signs.

An intriguing fantasy story recommended for secondary school children.

This is the first book in Philip Reeve’s award-winning sci-fi quartet, Mortal Engines, in which entire cities are motorised on wheels and frequently fight each other for survival.

Set in a distant, dystopian future, the predatory traction city of London is a terrible place, with the richest living in luxury on the top tiers and the poorest living in squalor far down below. But there is another, more hopeful city in Reeve’s book. Batmunkh Gompa is beautiful, carved from rock with tiers of terraces and balconies, sparkling lakes, lush gardens, and brightly coloured taxi balloons. With its slogan ‘we shall make the world green again’, this is the utopian dream – and definitely the one readers would prefer to live in.

This gripping, post-apocalyptic thriller will have young sci-fi lovers in Year 7 and above on the edge of their seats.