8 Children’s Books That Are Better Than They Get Credit For

Children’s literature is filled with brilliant books that don’t always receive the recognition they deserve. Alongside blockbusters like Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, there are plenty of equally imaginative stories that either attracted smaller audiences or gradually faded from the spotlight.

These under-sung gems are the focus of this list. While most of them aren’t that obscure, they’re still the kinds of books that even many bookworms might not have gotten round to reading yet. They include mythological stories, dragon-riding adventures, and a coming-of-age story set in a cemetery.

8

‘The Serpents of Arakesh’ (2003)

Image via Gardners Books

“Appearances, like many things, can be deceptive.” The first installment in the Karazan Quartet, this book focuses on Adam Equinox, a twelve-year-old orphan whose life takes an unexpected turn when he enters a competition organized by the mysterious software genius Quentin Quested. Alongside several other children, he soon embarks on a dangerous journey into Karazan, an dvancec computer game that has morphed into its own parallel world.

There, they must seek out and get past the fearsome Serpents themselves, which stand guard over a Healing Potion, the only potential cure that can save one of their friends. Along the way, the book throws together fantasy and sci-fi tropes with elements drawn from videogames, making for a fun and very ‘2000s’ kids’ adventure. Nevertheless, despite launching a four-book series and earning recognition in its native New Zealand, The Serpents of Arakesh remains relatively obscure internationally.

7

‘The Amulet of Samarkand’ (2003)

Image via Doubleday

“Minor magicians take pains to fit this traditional wizardly bill.” This gem offers a wonderfully cynical alternative to more conventional stories about young magicians. Set in an alternate version of London dominated by sorcerers, it follows Nathaniel, an ambitious apprentice who summons a sarcastic, centuries-old djinni named Bartimaeus. Determined to take revenge on a magician who humiliated him, Nathaniel orders Bartimaeus to steal the valuable Amulet of Samarkand.

Unfortunately, the theft draws both characters into a conspiracy involving corruption in Britain’s magical establishment, and deadly antagonists are soon on their trail. The world-building here is sophisticated, loaded with historical references and boasting an intricate magic system that involves summoning and binding spirits, creating tense power dynamics between masters and servants. That said, the highlight is the protagonists themselves, particularly the sardonic and sarcastic Bartimaeus.

6

‘Over Sea, Under Stone’ (1965)

“All knowledge is sacred, but it should not be secret.” Over Sea, Under Stone is technically the first entry in The Dark is Rising series, though it stands apart from the rest because it was published a decade before others and was intended as a standalone book. It’s more of a mystery than a fantasy adventure, though it’s definitely still enjoyable. The plot revolves around three siblings, Simon, Jane, and Barney Drew, who travel to Cornwall for a family holiday, only to find a manuscript containing clues to the location of a legendary grail.

However, their innocent treasure hunt soon becomes a dangerous investigation as they realize that sinister individuals are also searching for the artifact. Eventually, the siblings are entangled in an ancient struggle between the forces of Light and Dark. From there, the narrative plays out as a classic, old-fashioned detective-esque story, but with a Cornish fantasy flavor.

5

‘The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel’ (2007)

“At the heart of every legend there is a grain of truth.” Not to be confused with the Paulo Coelho bestseller, The Alchemyst is a fast-paced adventure that charmingly mashes together various mythologies and fictionalized versions of historical figures. The main characters are teenage twins Sophie and Josh Newman, who cross paths with Nicholas Flamel, a centuries-old alchemist who has achieved immortality through the secrets contained in an ancient magical text.

When the sinister Dr. John Dee steals the book, Sophie and Josh become caught up in the consequences. During the quest that follows, we meet the three-faced goddess Hekate and the cat-headed got Bastet, as well as the deathly Morrigan and a millennia-old warrior named Scathach. There’s also a really cool elemental magic system involving auras and elemental powers (earth, air, fire, water, and aether), which leads to some emotional conflict when Sophie’s powers are awakened but Josh’s aren’t.

4

‘Wintersmith’ (2006)

“Even if it’s not your fault, it’s your responsibility.” Terry Pratchett has written dozens of fantasy classics, and the Tiffany Aching story arc, aimed at younger readers, is one of his very best. Its third installment follows the apprentice witch as she continues learning the responsibilities of witchcraft. Unfortunately, her curiosity gets the better of her when she joins a mysterious seasonal dance and accidentally attracts the attention of the Wintersmith, the supernatural embodiment of winter.

It’s up to Tiffany to put right the ensuing disruptions to the natural order and stop winter from overwhelming the world. As one would expect from a Discworld book, the story is colorful and packed with charming fantasy elements as well as a ton of sly comedy. The book gets pretty wise, too, with a lot to say about duty and mortality.

3

‘Dragon Rider’ (1997)

“The world is a much bigger place than you can imagine.” This is a wonderful book by author Cornelia Funke, known as the ‘German J.K. Rowling‘, who also wrote The Thief Lord and Inkheart. Dragon Rider centers on Firedrake, a young silver dragon who learns that humans are threatening the peaceful valley where his kind has lived for generations. Determined to find a legendary sanctuary known as the Rim of Heaven, Firedrake embarks on a journey accompanied by the lonely boy Ben and the sharp-tongued brownie Sorrel.

Their mission becomes increasingly perilous when they attract the attention of Nettlebrand, a terrifying golden dragon-like creature determined to hunt down the remaining silver dragons. Despite the menacing villain, Dragon Rider feels like a classic fairy-tale road trip told with the comforting tone of a bedtime story, elevated by the author’s own illustrations.

2

‘The Graveyard Book’ (2008)

Image via HarperCollins

“You’re alive, Bod. That means you have infinite potential.” The Graveyard Book essentially relocated The Jungle Book to, well, a graveyard, and the result is a surprisingly touching coming-of-age story filled to the brim with delectably macabre imagery. The protagonist is Bod Owens, whose family is murdered by a mysterious assassin. After escaping into a nearby cemetery, he is adopted by its ghostly inhabitants, who raise him as one of their own.

Under the watchful guidance of his enigmatic guardian, Silas, Bod learns about the strange customs of the dead while gradually discovering the dangers that await him beyond the cemetery gates. The prose is phenomenal the whole way through (starting with the epic opening line “There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife”) and the narrative structure is great, essentially a series of self-contained episodes that all come together in the finale.

1

‘Midnight Over Sanctaphrax’ (2000)

Image via Corgi

“Storms are dangerous things. But sometimes they’re the only way forward.” The Edge Chronicles, written by Paul Stewart and illustrated by Chris Riddell, ranks among the greatest children’s fantasy series of the 2000s, and this is perhaps its very best entry. With the floating city of Sanctaphrax facing an extraordinary threat, our young hero Twig becomes involved in a desperate mission connected to the mysterious Mother Storm, a colossal weather phenomenon whose movements could determine the fate of the entire world.

His journey takes him through treacherous environments populated by bizarre creatures and eccentric individuals. The sheer creativity of the setting is off the charts. We get sky pirates and flying ships, feuding academics and crystallized lightning, woodtrolls and hammerhead goblins, massive, shaggy banderbears and vulture-like Shrykes, all of it rendered in exquisite drawings. Essential reading for young fantasy fans.