31 Days, 31 Lists: 2024 Fantasy Books for Kids

Here’s where we start to get into semantics. I mean, what really is a “fantasy” picture book anyway? Don’t a lot of books for kids upset reality to a certain extent? How does one go about saying one book with a unicorn is fantasy but another with, say, kids flying in their dreams, isn’t? I dunno. As far as I can tell, certain types of picture books adhere a little more closely to the fantasy aesthetic. I’ve included those, as well as middle grade fiction and graphic novels that stood out particularly to me in 2024. Read ’em! Enjoy ’em! Love ’em one and all!

If you’d like a PDF of today’s list, you can find it here.

Interested in previous years’ fantasy lists? Then just look here:

• 2023
• 2022
• 2021
• 2020

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2024 Fantasy Books for Kids

Younger Readers

Beanie the Bansheenie by Eoin Colfer, ill. Steve McCarthy

Every little banshee (or bansheenie) connects itself to a human so that it can warn it when it’ll die. But when Beanie fails to connect to her girl, she finds herself in the role of protector. A sweet, strange Irish tale. It can get a little squidgey when we try to figure out what precisely constitutes “early chapter” or “easy” titles. This is a book that could probably be best described as a “bedtime book” as it is just a little too long to be a picture book and a little too short to be early chapter. Even so, I’m so charmed by it that I felt I had to at least give it a shot. The whole premise is bizarre but oddly sweet. A banshee accidentally becomes a loving creature with a family, and seeks to protect her charge rather than predict her death. It’s got a nice jot of Irish faerie lore in there (making it more of a folktale/fairytale type of story) and just comes off as so exciting and loving all at once. Gotta love that shot of the banshee at her person’s wedding (100 points to artist Steve McCarthy for the depiction of the priest too). I think you’re going to want to see this. Previously seen on the Fairy Tales, Folk Tales and Religious Tales List.

Drawn Onward by Daniel Nayeri, ill. Matt Rockefeller

Show of hands. Who here is getting Steven Universe vibes from this one? Anyone? Just me? That’s cool. So having captured a Newbery Honor of his very own, Nayeri plunges onward to try his hand at an entirely different kind of book for kids: The epic adventure (with graphic novel elements) picture book. Now I initially (and mistakenly) tried to slot this book into my Wordless Book category, before I remembered that it does indeed have words. In point of fact, it has a narration that carries the reader on throughout the book. But the story, the one that kids are going to consciously pay attention to (the narration will work its way into the nooks and crannies of their own gray matter, don’t you worry) is of a visual storytelling nature. Does his style look familiar to you? That’s probably because he worked on First Second’s 5 Worlds series for quite a while. Here, however, he gets to shine with only a single other collaborator. It must be freeing. He certainly is having a ball with repeated objects (check out how the shot of the house in the beginning compares with the shot of the house at the end), colors, thematic elements, and more. Hand this one to the kids who went goofy for Aaron Becker’s Journey series.

Meeselphe by Claude Ponti, translated by Alyson Waters and Margot Kerlidou

I have long since given up on trying to explain what precisely it is that Claude Ponti does on a page. I’m always attracted to books for young people that completely subsume a person into the mind and thoughts of the author/artist. The kinds of books that literally could not be made by anyone else. Can you imagine AI ever coming up with the kind of stuff that Ponti profligates? I think not. Meeselphe, his latest here in the States, just sort of proves my point on every page. Ostensibly, it’s a quest tale. Picture book quest stories are often so interesting. Think of I Had Trouble Getting to Solla Sollew or pretty much anything Aaron Becker makes. Here, our heroine is a treehouse denizen named Meeselphe. One day she wonders what it’s like on the ground, so she just jumps down, sight unseen. There are a lot of books out in 2024 about people or animals taking leaps into the unknown (have you seen The Bunnybirds?), making me wonder if there’s something bigger going on. Meeselphe herself is an excellent companion in her travels. She loves solving puzzles and riddles, and she’s never in the least bit disturbed by the monsters she encounters. There’s also a nice meta moment where the monsters continually tell her that everything will come to a head on pages 38 and 39. Goofball storytelling with surprising heart and grit. Previously seen on the Unconventional List.

The Most Boring Book Ever by Brandon Sanderson, ill. Kazu Kibuishi

Not a bad pairing with the aforementioned Daniel Nayeri book, Drawn Onward, actually. In both cases you’ve picture books that are inclined to muck around a bit with their own internal structures. The Sanderson title is more interested in breaking down the fourth wall with its premise, but in a way that’s a bit fun. The entire premise is that the narrator is telling one story and the art, provided by Amulet creator Kazu Kibuishi, is simultaneously being faithful to that text while, at the same time, taking it in nutty directions. For example, you have our hapless hero sitting in a chair. When the text informs you that this book must be boring with just someone sitting in a chair, it is not taking into account the fact that said chair has launched itself into the stratosphere where our hero has to fight steampunk villains, the occasional dragon, and even the law of gravity itself. Kibuishi has the difficult task of keeping everything logical and in-line with the narration while, at the same time, giving over to the inevitable chaos-ridden kookiness required to belie the title.

The Teeny-Weeny Unicorn by Shawn Harris

A miniscule unicorn feels completely overlooked by its giant siblings, until it discovers that it’s only small in one sense. And as the book says, “We are all teeny-weeny. We are all giant. And we are all the right size.”  It almost feels like a dare. I like to think that there’s someone out there confronting Caldecott Honor winners, daring them to write amazing unicorn-related picture books. Harris has broken out what looks like his old colored pencils again to write a book that’s basically about relativity (which means this book would pair beautifully with the Mo Willems titles Are You Big? and Are You Small?). We’ve had books before that tell kids that no matter how small they may feel in one sense, they are absolute giants in another. It’s a good strong lesson, and this book conveys that idea beautifully. I just love the shot of the unicorn fitting its hoof into the thoroughly pummeled roadster, with a look of extreme guilt on its face. No one draws a guilty unicorn better than Shawn Harris. Also, I’m already calling my Halloween costume for this year. I wanna be the gnome. She is going to be a LOT of fun to read aloud.

Wacky Witches and Their Peculiar Familiars by April Suddendorf

Okay. Seems to me that if we’re going to talk about Halloweenish picture books then we really ought to discuss those books best suited for the children of hipster parents. Which is to say, picture books that have just a bit more wit and whimsy than the average book. Full credit to the Swiss Suddendorf (who translated this book herself, thank you very much). I know she probably just intended this as a vague witch-related title, but here in the States you probably get more play if you involve a big holiday, so that’s what I’m doing. The book is not what you might call “plot forward”. Rather, it considers a range of fun witches and begins with the dedication, “This is for my parents (whom I love so much) and for anyone who has ever felt a little bit different (and is actually quite happy about that).” One by one we meet a range of witches and their peculiar familiars… in rhyme! There’s Priya, who reclines on a huge snake, a knife sticking out of her thigh garter, and Grand Witch Wu who has a yak of her own. There’s a clear international flavor to these witches, even if it never states where they live. I was getting some serious Little Witch Hazel (by Phoebe Wahl) vibes off of this book, so consider pairing them together if you’re looking for some serious witchy charm for kids. 

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Older Readers

Benji Zeb is a Ravenous Werewolf by Deke Moulton

As if Benji didn’t have enough to worry about! He has to study constantly for his upcoming bar mitzvah, he’s a werewolf in a kibbutz full of other werewolves, and now his frenemy/crush from school Caleb Gao has just shown up as a werewolf too! Well, apparently last year’s vampire/Jewish combo (Don’t Want to Be Your Monster) was just a warm up for Ms. Moulton. This year she has a werewolf/Jewish combo and it is intense! The book runs the usual danger of including almost too much exposition on a SLEW of different topics, but I think the writing and the plotting make up for it. The most touching thing, for me, is how one character has watched someone they loved go down the rabbit-hole of toxic FoxNews b.s. (they never name the station but there is definitely a QAnon character lurking around the pages). It’s a really good character study that touches on everything from anxiety to the history of Chinese workers in America to the logistics of how you precisely turn into a werewolf. And it’s fun! Plus, now I have an excuse to sing 30 Rock‘s “Werewolf Bar Mitzvah” on a loop.

Blood City Rollers by V.P. Anderson, ill. Tatiana Hill

After wiping out in an ice skating competition, Mina finds herself kidnapped by a band of roller derby playing vampires in desperate need of a human player to complete their team. Brings a whole new meaning to the term “found family”. What is it about roller derby and graphic novels? Years ago we saw ROLLER GIRL by Victoria Jamieson win an actual Newbery Honor, and that was a nice book. Thing is, it was more about the characters’ relationships than it was the sport itself. You could come away from that one still not quite understanding the rules. This vampire-infused book, in contrast, really drills down on what the technical aspects of rollerderby entail. I don’t know if I understood every part of it, but I definitely got the gist. Best of all, I really enjoyed the contrast between ice skating as a single endeavor (or, at most, pairs) and roller derby as a group activity. There will definitely be a sequel but I felt it wrapped up nicely and didn’t leave all that many threads hanging. Fun and super sporty! Previously seen on the Graphic Novel List.

Bunnybirds by Natalie Linn

Why are all the bunnybirds missing? Princess Aster seems to be the only one who cares, and finding the rest of her people will mean pairing with exiled thief Carlin and the many footed dog, Feet. Adventure await! I’ll confess that I didn’t expect such a silly looking book to pack as big a punch as this does. The entire plot essentially focuses on what happens when an entire group decides to push down their trauma and, instead of dealing with it, cling to being happy happy happy all the time. Winged bunnies as a concept just sort of sell themselves, but a lot of time and thought and effort went into this title. Legitimately funny (there are some sight gags that had me hooting out loud) and delightfully written. This is a treat! Previously seen on the Graphic Novel List.

The Firelight Apprentice by Bree Paulsen

Trust the woman who came up with the Garlic and the Vampire series to keep thinking up bizarre fantasy worlds entirely of her own making. This book is definitely a little bit less upbeat than good old Garlic, but I wouldn’t call it a downer. In many ways it resembles the film version of Howl’s Moving Castle. Like that movie you’ve a world where wizards are conscripted to work for the rulers in a war. Unlike the movie, you have to deal with the fact that sometimes when wizards are about to die, they instead turn themselves into nasty creatures called lichs and set about sucking up the magic of living wizards. Enter Ada and Safi. The war is over, but their mother died in the conflict and their father is ailing. Safi has developing powers, but without an apprenticeship her magic could potentially hurt her. When some kindly traveling magicians come to town, Ada thinks this may be the answer to their prayers. What she doesn’t realize is that old adage: Nice is different than good. Good strong world building in a succinct package is what Paulsen does best. You believe utterly in this land that she’s conjured up, with all its complexities and politics. Plus there’s a funny old lady who says inappropriate stuff, and haven’t we all known that lady ourselves?  Previously seen on the Graphic Novel List.

A Game of Noctis by Deva Fagan

In the city of Dantessa nothing is more important than games. Now Pia needs to compete in the ultimate challenge if she’s going to save her grandfather from life as a pawn. But when everything’s a game, who do you trust? Look, I’m not gonna say it’s Hunger Games with magic, but I’m not not gonna say it either. I was convinced for quite a while that I’d read a Deva Fagan book, but it turns out I was getting her confused with Jenn Reese (understandable). After getting a good tummy full of trauma in my middle grade fiction this year, I wanted something fun and this book delivered tenfold. It’s an alternative Venice where games are literally everything. Fagan’s having a blast making up games, as well as getting you to fall in love with her characters. It’s short and it’s sweet and it’s a standalone fantasy (which is like a unicorn these days). The cover of the book is brilliant too (I only just noticed that the Noctis board and the final players’ mascots are hidden in the details). If you need a palate cleanser, this is the one to grab.

Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell, ill. Ashley Mackenzie

No list of fantasy middle grade is complete without the inclusion of the biggest fantasy book of the year for kids, bar none. And while I was maybe slightly less taken with it than the hoards of reviewers out there, it’s darn good, no question! Rundell’s great gift is her ability to win over young readers. First off, the book begins with a slam bang beginning that hooks you from page one onward. From there, you follow the adventures and misadventures of the two young heroes. Creating an entirely new fantasy world from scratch without making your book 400 pages long is an art, and Rundell excels in this area of expertise. You’re hooked from page one onward and she doesn’t let go until the end. There’s definitely an element of we-have-to-go-here-to-get-this-to-go-here-then-here to it, but isn’t that what a quest is all about? Fun with a sense of humor and a nice strong finish.

Island of Whispers by Frances Hardinge, ill. Emily Gravett

Milo knows he’s not cut out to be a ferryman like his father, transporting the dead to their next destination, but when tragedy strikes and danger threatens the passengers, it’s up to one dreamy boy to do what’s best for both the living and the deceased. Let it be known that in an era of bloated fantasy novels (I had to put down the 426 page tome I was reading recently because halfway in I realized it just wasn’t any good and that is a LOT of time wasted figuring something like that out!) this slim, sleek little book clocks in a handsome 112 pages, and not a bit of it is bloat. I was already a Hardinge fan, but this is a distinctly different beastie for her. Plotwise it’s very much her thing and full of inventions and internal logics that only she could conjure, but she’s gone a bit younger with it, and that’s impressive. Even so, you have plenty of bad guys, death, and weird bird things with monkey hands for feet. So, y’know, typical Hardinge. I loved the plot, the resolution, and the fact that this woman is just so good at her craft.

Kwame Crashes the Underworld by Craig Kofi Farmer

After a tricky little aboatia steals something precious from him, Kwame takes a dive into the underworld to get it back. Soon he meets figures from Ghanian mythology, and one with diabolical plans. Can Kwame save us all? Funny, fast-paced, but with lots of heart. So how is this the first book Farmer has written? I tell you, writing a book of this sort is an art and Farmer is already a master. Right from the start he does this incredible job of pulling you in and introducing all the emotions and pertinent details as quickly and efficiently as possible. The fantasy world is complex but not overwhelming and doesn’t require 500 pages of exposition. But most importantly is what it’s doing with the character of Kwame. His grief and emotional journey just click. Plus it has one of those prophecies that actually work on the page rather than just annoying you. This is a fascinating pairing with another Ghanian middle grade novel Flying Through Water. The two books couldn’t be more different but they complement one another nicely. Previously seen on the Funny Books for Older Readers List.

The Lumbering Giants of Windy Pines by Mo Netz

Jerry’s mom swears that this will be their last move, but is that true? Adept in her wheelchair, Jerry soon comes to suspect that her mom’s new job is not all that it seems. Particularly when folks have been disappearing in the nearby woods. Well, this is really interesting. When it comes to Jerry, her use of the wheelchair, and her emotional state of being, the book is really strong. And I liked the fantasy elements considerably. Would have loved a little clarification on exactly where her mom got this job. We hear vaguely that it was through an ad, but really? Still, it’s got a fun take on the woods, and you really get to love the characters throughout.

The Night Librarian by Christopher Lincoln

As someone who worked for New York Public Library for more than a decade, I got to know the ins and outs of the Schwarzman Building pretty darn well. So you can imagine what a treat it was to pick up Mr. Lincoln’s book and discover a level of architectural accuracy on its pages that I haven’t seen in a long long time. Boy, he’s packed everything in here! From the ceiling of the Rose Reading Room to the former Children’s Center at 42nd Street (which has sadly moved across the street in recent years) to even the microfiche room (which I used on more than one occasion back in the day). The story involves two kids that are regular attendees of this particular library (never directly named, though Patience and Fortitude are). In this premise, the more books you put together in one place, the more magic they produce. So much so that eventually their characters will try to escape. It’s up to trained Night Librarians to put everyone back where they belong, but recently there have been budget cuts and there’s only a single librarian left. Enter our two heroes, Turner and Paige, who stumble on this world when their dad’s copy of Dracula releases the vampire himself. Getting back to the NYPL accuracy, there are a couple fictional changes to the place, put in there for fun. For example, the book sorting machine is located in Queens at BookOps, not in the Schwarzman. There are no bookmobiles in the main location (it’s a reference library only). And the secret elevator into the forbidden level accessible to only night librarians is less a cage and more a gilded box. Details are everything, after all. Previously seen on the Graphic Novels List.

Plain Jane and the Mermaid by Vera Brosgol

In danger of being homeless upon the death of her parents, Jane proposes to good-looking Peter a marriage of convenience for both of them. But when Peter is kidnapped by an amorous (and hungry) mermaid, it’s up to Jane to step up and rescue him. 2024 is clearly the year of losing your little brother to the sea. We saw it in Next Stop by Debbie Fong and now we’re seeing it in Vera Brosgol’s latest. I am relieved to announce that this book is also delightful. You may feel like that’s a given with Vera Brosgol, but remember that we haven’t seen a comic from her since Be Prepared. This book, as she states in her Author’s Note at the end, is her attempt to upset those Disney princess stories once more. Our heroine is plain. Our villain is beautiful. Our love interest(s) are hot. Oh, and our bad guys sometimes involve Eastern European water demons in bad toupees, which is always a good thing. Definitely fun and one of the strongest of the season. Previously seen on the Graphic Novel List.

Read at Your Own Risk by Remy Lai

Imagine if the Dork Diaries were ghost-written by David Cronenberg. That’s what you find in this body horror-ific tale of blood, teeth, and curses gone awry. It’s a helluva thing. I doubt I’ve ever seen that much blood in a children’s book before. And the whole bugs crawling out of your face element? *chef’s kiss* That said, I do feel like I had to reread the ending twice before it made any kind of sense to me. We’re living in a rather golden era of children’s book horror, and this feels like Remy Lai wanted to push the envelope as far as she possibly could. The end result? Beautifully upsetting.

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And a Special Nonfiction Honor Goes To…

The Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien by John Hendrix

I include this because a whole slew of these fantasy books wouldn’t even exist if it weren’t for these two guys. If you love the Narnia and Lord of the Rings books and want to know the story behind them, look no further! A fascinating dual biography of the best friends who wrote the titles together. This is definitely for the very good readers who peruse our shelves. Honestly, I think this book is ideal not simply for Lord of the Rings and Narnia lovers, but for kids who want to write fantasy. I mean, this is all about the origins of the kinds of fantasy that we love today. Hendrix is one of the very authors I know who can get away with talking about Christianity in non-Christian publisher books, and he does it exceedingly well. This book also does something I haven’t seen since Louis Sachar wrote The Cardturner. He has these long in-depth discussions for older readers that the younger readers can skip if they want to. I’d consider pairing this with Nathan Hale’s Treaties, Trenches, Mud and Blood, since it’s one of the best encapsulations of the inanity of WWI for kids I’ve seen. 

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So with all that in mind, here are the other lists for 2024:

December 1 – Great Board Books

December 2 – Picture Book Readalouds

December 3 – Simple Picture Book Texts

December 4 – Transcendent Holiday Picture Books

December 5 – Rhyming Picture Books

December 6 – Funny Picture Books

December 7 – CaldeNotts

December 8 – Picture Book Reprints

December 9 – Bilingual Books for Kids

December 10 – Math Books for Kids

December 11 – Books with a Message / Social Emotional Learning

December 12 – Fabulous Photography

December 13 – Translated Picture Books

December 14 – Fairy Tales / Folktales / Religious Tales

December 15 – Wordless Picture Books

December 16 – Poetry Books

December 17 – Unconventional Children’s Books

December 18 – Easy Books & Early Chapter Books

December 19 – Comics & Graphic Novels

December 20 – Older Funny Books

December 21 – Science Fiction Books

December 22 – Fantasy Books

December 23 – Informational Fiction

December 24 – Gross Books

December 25 – Science & Nature Books

December 26 – Unique Biographies

December 27 – Blueberry Award Contenders (Celebrating the Environment)

December 28 – Nonfiction Picture Books

December 29 – Nonfiction Books for Older Readers

December 30 – Middle Grade Novels

December 31 – Picture Books

Filed under: 31 Days 31 Lists, Best Books, Best Books of 2024