Clean Books for Picky Readers, Part 1

    If you know me, then you know that I am an extremely picky reader. As a strongly conservative Christian, I am diametrically opposed to a lot of the content that can be found in modern YA fantasy, and many a book has found itself figuratively thrown across the room because the author decided to add in something that goes against my morals.

    In my opinion, the YA genre has gone down in moral quality a lot in the last decade. It used to be that a young person with a good vocabulary could read teen and young adult fiction without too much concern; I myself was introduced to the genre at the ripe old age of seven via Shannon Hale's Books of Bayern series. Back then, parents didn't have to worry nearly as much about what their kids were reading from the YA shelves.

    Nowadays, it's almost impossible to find a decent-quality novel on the bookstore or library shelves. It's almost like you have the choice of a well-written book or a morally clean book, pick one and only one. This is actually a big part of the reason I write stories; I believe that you shouldn't have to choose between a well-written story and one that you can trust around your kids.

    Because story quality has dropped off so drastically, and because it's getting harder and harder to find decent--and safe--YA books, I've compiled a list of some of my favorite fantasy novels and series. You may have already read some or heard of others, but hopefully, over the course of this series of blog posts, you'll find something you've never heard of before, a new read that can spark your imagination and bring you much delight.

    I'm going to recommend these books in increments of five so that it doesn't feel too overwhelming, and I'll try to intersperse the entries in this series with posts about other things. All the first entries in this series will be full of books that are safe for readers middle-grade and upward (and frequently for kiddos younger than that, too), and I'll warn you when we start getting into the books with more mature content. (I will also warn you when we hit the Brandon Sanderson deluge, because those books will probably take three or four blog posts in and of themselves.)

    So, without further ado, here are the first five:

Entry #1: Winnie-The-Pooh, by A.A. Milne

    This book is a classic. It shares the title of My First Introduction to Story with the next entry on my list, because the audiobook version was playing virtually every day of my early childhood life. I listened to these stories so many times as a kid that I still have lines memorized, and it never got old; this is partially because of the narrator, Peter Dennis, and partially because the stories are just that good. My kids will definitely be listening to these growing up, just like I did.

Entry #2: Narnia, by C.S. Lewis

    Narnia is the other entry that holds the title of My First Introduction to Story, because it was on the CD player all the time, right along with Winnie-The-Pooh. I learned these stories like kids in bilingual homes learn their parents' languages--side by side, all at once, at the same time.

    If you like Christian themes in your books, Narnia has got them, and it doesn't shout them at you, either. It's just a quiet little seven-story allegory, and is a fun and entertaining way to get kids familiar with the basic concept of Christianity.

Entry #3: Fablehaven, by Brandon Mull

    Fablehaven was my first real introduction to the realm of fantasy. Because it takes place in our world, it isn't nearly as much of a strangeness shock to a young reader as many other fantasy series, which makes it an excellent first dip into the genre.

    Some other praise I have for the series is that the characters are incredibly well-written for a middle-grade fantasy series (many others I've read had some of the flattest characters you can imagine); the magic and worldbuilding elements, much as it has, are consistent; and there are plenty of cool fight scenes and dangerous puzzles to keep a young mind busy.

Entry #4: Dragonwatch, by Brandon Mull

    The sequel series to Fablehaven, Dragonwatch gets much the same praise from me as its sister series. Perhaps the sub-plots are not as complex or intertwined as the original series, but the characters are still fantastic and the stories are still entertaining.

Entry #5: The Books of Bayern Series, by Shannon Hale

    I love these books.

    Sorry, that doesn't make the emotion come across right.

    I. Love. These books.

    I love these books so much that I've read each one straight through at least fifteen times, and I think I've read the fourth book closer to thirty times. I love these books so much that they inspired me to start writing my own stories.

    The series starts with a classic fairy tale, then spins off into its own beast in book two. The characters you get to know and love in previous books return as secondary characters in the following books, and each character has their own real, believable emotional arc.

    The Books of Bayern are classified as YA fantasy, but believe me when I say that they're clean enough that kiddos eight to twelve can read them, too, assuming they have the attention span for it. I mean, I did. And granted, Book 1 gets off to a kind of slow start, which might deter some younger readers, but once you get past the beginning, it's well worth the wait!

    So, there you go. Five of my favorite series, to get you started on your reading journey. These books are great ways to get going in the fantasy genre, since they're believable, well-written, and don't have too steep of learning curves when it comes to getting used to the world.

    I hope you enjoy these books, and I hope this series is a helpful way to satiate readers hungry for some decent reading material.

    Good luck on your journey!