Here is part two of my wholesome fantasy books for preteens post, which is next in my wholesome books for preteens series. If you didn’t catch the intro post, I’m creating this series in order to give parents (and teachers) suggestions for tweens and preteens of quality, interesting books that don’t involve “typical” drama and steamy romance that they’re not ready for. Goodness knows, let’s let kids be kids as long as possible!
This post may contain affiliate links to bookstores, which means, at no extra cost to you, I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links. Please read full disclosure for more information.
Stand-alone fantasy books
Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman delighted me with this short, yet somehow intricately-detailed story a dad told to his kids about the milk and all the ways it saved the world between him buying it for Saturday morning cereal and when he returned home from the grocery store. Aka, it took forever for him to get home with the milk they needed for breakfast. But he had a whopper of a time-traveling tale to relay to his kids.
The main thing I remember thinking when I picked this up was a dubious, “Wow, this looks weird,” which quickly transformed into being captivated by this tale. It’s hilarious! It has some challenging vocabulary, and sometimes you have to reread parts to understand what happened in what order. However, given the illustrations and the repetition of “fortunately, the milk!,” readers won’t have any issue enjoying this tale. While preteens can easily read it on their own, I also would recommend this for even younger kids, perhaps as a read-aloud.
The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine
Though there is some romance in this book, the main focus is on a pair of sisters, one in particular, which is why it earned a place in this wholesome book series.
Gail Carson Levine is a fabulous writer. In fact, another of her books is featured below. This book, though, focuses on Princess Addie’s character development as she must overcome her shy and fearful nature to rescue her sister and save her kingdom from a terrible fate.
The story is set in an obviously different universe, given the peek into the after-life-type situation at the end and the creatures they battle against in their attempts to keep their kingdom safe. It is an adventure-filled, heart-racing tale as Addie struggles to find the cure in time to save her sister. I thoroughly relished the way that Addie grew as a person throughout the book by facing her fears and the way sisterly love was portrayed in this magical tale.
Sisters of Sword and Song by Rebecca Ross
I happened upon this lovely-looking book in the YA section of my county library. The cover was beautiful, the alliterative title alluring, and the synopsis refreshingly free of romance and teen drama.
It did not disappoint! As the title suggests, the book focuses on two sisters. The older sister has been serving in the army for the past eight years. She arrives home a day early, and the younger sister knows something is wrong.
It turns out that Halcyon has been accused of a horrible crime, but Evadne knows that there’s no way her sister committed it. She embarks on a quest to clear her sister’s name – a dangerous quest, fraught with all kinds of danger, including treachery. Who can be trusted?
Content caveat: This is a “know your reader” type book. It does have some content warnings, especially things like death and physical punishment/torture, due to the military and kingdom-level nature of the intrigue. If your reader isn’t ready for those themes, steer clear!
Why would I include this book in the “wholesome” category then? The beauty of two sisters fighting for each other, truth being revealed after falsehood, and good winning over evil are just a few reasons.
Pages and Co.: The Bookwanderers by Anna James
Another mind-bending – and heart-warming – tale, Tilly and the Bookwanderers brings characters from classic books to life when they start appearing in the bookstore where Tilly lives with her grandparents. Her mom disappeared years ago, and she’s stayed with them ever since. When she discovers these characters, she also uncovers a mysterious ability to enter into books herself. Maybe she’ll discover what happened to her mother so long ago . . .
Particularly for book-lovers, they’ll get a small thrill as I did when one of their favorite classics is mentioned within this tale. Even if a reader doesn’t know all of the books mentioned, it may spark a desire to enter the world’s of those characters. I know it did for me! I had never actually read Alice in Wonderland all the way through until my curiosity was piqued by this book.
Though the main character is a girl, I don’t think boys would have any issue being drawn in by this story, especially if they make it to the adventurous, dangerous, mystery-solving part. I hope you or your preteen try this one!
P.S. – technically it’s part of a series. I haven’t read the others, and was satisfied by how it ended, so I haven’t even picked up any of the other books. I suppose this could have gone in my fantasy part 1 post, but oh well. Here is where I put it! 🙂
The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Andrews Edwards
Would any post about fantasy books be complete without me mentioning The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles? I think not. If you’ve followed by blog for any time at all, you’ll know that this is my all-time favorite read-aloud book. Ever ever ever. Ever. Of course I have to talk about it!
Ben, Tom, and Lindy are a sibling trio who wind up meeting the famous Professor Savant, who is foremost in the field of genetics and cloning.
After he gets to know them a bit, he invites them to train with him to help him reach the elusive Whangdoodle, king of Whangdoodleland. Going to Whangdoodleland requires an intense exertion of imagination, hence the training. They are hindered, though, by the Prock, the prime minister of the land, whose goal is to keep humans from his king at all costs, and while traveling through this fantastical land, the children and professor learn all sorts of life lessons that are applicable back in the real world.
The fodder for conversation and critical thinking are endless with this book, along with rich vocabulary and the reader needing to use his/her imagination too! I particularly love this book for kids who have spent too much of their young lives on screens and need some help using their own imaginations. I have anecdotal evidence from students who say that this book, indeed, helped them learn to use and delight in their imagination.
Whether your tween reads it on their own or its a read-aloud, I can 98% guarantee you’ll all love it. Very precise statistic that ^.
Fantasy with a bit more emphasis on Romance
…which all just happen to be retellings of well-known fairytales
The Princess Game: A Reimagining of Sleeping Beauty by Melanie Cellier
Okay. This one technically is part of a series of fairytale retellings, BUT I read this one as a stand-alone. There were really just a couple of references to other stories, and if your reader knows traditional fairytales, they won’t have an issue. I will say that I did not read this with pre-teens in mind; however, I don’t remember anything that would be inappropriate for that age.
What I loved about this retelling: it turns Sleeping Beauty’s “sleep” from a literal years-long snooze into a more realistic (maybe?) curse where, since her 16th birthday, she is unable to show her intelligence. She is simply seen for her beauty – sleeping . . . beauty. Get it? 🙂
The rest of her family mourns the loss of her intelligence, and try to compensate for her silly foolishness. However, she is still perfectly capable of rational, logical, analytical, and tactical thought, and she has found a way to help her kingdom in secrecy.
Of course, there is a romantic side to this story – it’s a fairytale, after all – but I loved the strong female lead, whose intelligence is worth far more than her beauty. And boy oh boy is she intelligent! Just writing this snippet about the book is making me want to reread this one. You won’t regret losing yourself in the danger, adventure, and, of course, the {chaste} true love of this story.
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
Oh Ms. Levine, if you only knew how much you touched my very heart and soul with this now-famous book of yours, Ella Enchanted. READERS: the book is FAR BETTER than the movie! I can’t begin to tell you how far short the movie falls from doing this story justice.
Ella Enchanted is a Cinderella retelling. What I often love about retellings is how much more developed the stories compared to the Disney versions. This one fits that bill.
Ella as been cursed with obedience since childhood. If someone gives her a direct command, she has to obey it or she suffers from terrible headaches until she does. When the wrong people figure out her curse, they cause her all kinds of grief. When she comes to know the prince, the stakes are even higher. Will she be able to overcome the curse? And how? She’s tried everything she can think of!
Without saying any spoilers, I’ll say that one of the reasons this book went so deep for me was because I am a rule-follower, and as a kid this was sometimes to a fault. Seeing how Ella dealt with her curse, both throughout the book and at the climax, was heartening for me. Even if you don’t identify with Ella in this way, you’ll still have all sorts of fun reading this story!
The Storyteller’s Daughter by Victoria McCombs
The Storyteller’s Daughter retells the story of Rumpelstiltskin – not a common tale to retell. Yet McCombs does this admirably, making Rumpelstiltskin not a weird/bad guy, and adding heart and depth to this tale.
As with The Princess Game, I did not read this with pre-teens in mind; however, I don’t remember anything that would be inappropriate for that age.
Of course, Rumpel still does the spinning of straw into gold, but for a different motivation – especially as he gets to know the young lady who is pretending to do the spinning. They’re both caught in some curses and magic, and both striving to break free.
Apparently when it comes to retellings, I am drawn to the ones that involve characters overcoming curses through creative and loophole-finding means. This story is fun, chaste, and light, adding interest to an otherwise strange fairytale.
What stand-alone fantasy books would you recommend to a preteen? Share in the comments, because this is by no means an exhaustive list!
a Look at a Book 
Leave a comment