Some of you may have heard us espousing the criteria we use when buying books for Barwon Booksellers: Classic Current or Nowhere. With that as his principle mantra Pete has famously built the two BB stores in Geelong and Queenscliff into wonderlands of diverse material catering for just about any taste and interest. 

Largely due to the 'Classic Current or Nowhere' mantra we have in both stores deep sections of fantasy children’s novels, from the right-now to the mists of yesteryear. Amongst our staff here at BB we also have an equally broad and deep love for such books. Ian and Kate are particularly into the YA fantasy thing, but in quite different ways. So, we thought it might be fun to have Ian don a guernsey in defence of some forgotten classics and Kate the armature of her favourite examples of the genre right now.

IAN – TAKING THE HOG OUT OF HOGWARTS

The Earthsea Sextet by Ursula Le Guin
Before Harry and the current crop of pimply Wizards there was Ged and Earthsea. This sextet is the story of a young mage coming of age. Ged travels through Le Guin’s perfectly realised lands learning the true nature, power and responsibility of his calling.
Deeper and denser than the Potter novels yet written in a beautifully spare language, this is a must for fantasy fans who appreciate genuine mythological lineage and character over adventure-by-numbers and young boys waving sticks around willy-nilly. Oh, and yes, it contains a wizard school and dragons.

Skellig by David Almond - (1998) 
An angel? An animal? A tramp? What is the thing Michael discovers in the dilapidated garage?
Skellig, David Almond’s debut novel from 1998, is a magic realist stunner which delights and intrigues at every turn. It’s also a positive story about childrens’ capacity for compassion, understanding and growth. Read it in a day, then read it again. This book has the ghost of William Blake informing it. Can't recommend highly enough.
(Skellig won the Carnegie Medal and Whitbread Childrens  Book of the Year 1998. The Gabriel Garcia Marquez short story, 'A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings', is acknowledged by Almond as an influence here, and you might also enjoy Skellig’s prequel, Mina)

The Owl Service by Alan Garner (1967)
‘It is always owls, over and over…’
This is a wondrous book for young adults from a fantasist and storyteller whose work mines the depths of folklore and myth. A loose interpretation of the mythical Welsh figure Blodeuwedd, whose story is found in the fourth book of the Mabingnion. Garner’s book finds three teenagers spending three weeks in the Welsh countryside unwittingly reenacting the story.
A woman is created from flowers by a wizard, she then betrays her husband for another man and is turned into an owl for her unfaithfulness, and for inducing her lover to kill her husband. Garner’s is an authentic voice embedded in the Welsh valleys, and lovingly chipped from local rock.

The Stolen Lake by Joan Aiken  (1981)
The fourth in the Wolves of Willoughby Chase series. The indomitable Dido Twite returns in this rip-roaring fantasy of the old school. Basically an alternate history set in a fictionalized 19th century in the reign of King James III, this is quintessential Aiken, full of her trademark humour, breathless melodrama, and faultless ear for dialogue.
The HMS Thrush lands on the coast of New Cumbria, South America, occupied by ancient Celtic colonists, and their queen Ginerva. The tale involves a cannabilistic, vampiric, Guinevere, an incarnation of Arthur (yes that Arthur), who has awoken to be less than impressed at what his ancient wife has become, and of course Dido's cockney urchin temperament and ingenuity. I mean, come on, what’s not to like!
(read also: the first of the Wolves of Willoughby Chase series, Night Birds on Nantucket. The whole series is an absolute hoot!)

KATE – THE FUTURE AND BEYOND

His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman
First off, don’t judge these books by the Golden Compass movie! Apart from being fun they will challenge you to evaluate the motivations and reasons behind your own actions whilst surrounding you with enough suspense and magic to hide the moral lessons you’ve subtly been fed. Love the fiesty lead character as well.

The Keys to the Kingdom by Garth Nix
Seven books based on the seven days of the week, this series just builds and builds with suspense. A little scary near the end, there are great fight scenes and a satisfying ‘crunch-time’. I like how they mingle reality and fantasy worlds, reminding me of the Doctor Who show a bit, but for a younger audience.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
A trilogy currently gaining a real cult following. Adults and kids alike will enjoy this militaristic story of a girl’s journey of survival in a world that has lost it’s compassion and sense of wonder. These books are fantastic examples of how visual the reading experience can be.

The Books of Beginning by John Stephens
Three children are abandoned by their parents and sent to an orphanage without knowing why. We see the children deal with their personality flaws as they come to terms with their abandonment whilst travelling back and forth between the past and present. They meet dwarves, witches, magical atlases, and also touch base with their parents before they were abandoned. This has just been published and it’s great, heady stuff!

The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud
Loud and sassy Bartimaeus is a middle-level demon who has been called forth by a young (and rather painful) magician Nathaniel, to help his blossoming career. In spite of Nathaniel, Bartimaeus manages to bluff his way out of the most terrible situations in an endearing and hilarious manner. From the author of The Amulet of Samarkand, this one has a decidedly 1960s British flavour, with a magical bent.

So there it is. These books are all currently in stock – and if you want to lavish Ian and Kate with approval of their recommendations, or to disagree, discuss or fillet their choices, feel free to come in and do so. Spice of life we say!