Kimber here. Letting you know The ‘Ole Curmudgeon is being her curmudgeonly self today. Again. Still. Ya see, we just saw this post somewhere about “50 Most Popular Fantasy Books of the Last 3 years.” Or some such Tom Foolery.

The ‘Ole Curmudgeon: “Three years? Seriously? That’s not even a bat of the eye lash. Especially for those of us who were on a first-name basis with Moses. And eye-witnesses to the Parting of the Red Sea. Sheesh.”

Well. You know Mom.

Kimber Tested, Mom Approved?

So of course we had to come up with our Kimber Tested, Mom Approved List of 25 Best Fantasy Books of All Time. Or maybe that’s Mom Tested, Kimber Approved? Anyway, notice we said “Best.” Not “Most popular.” There’s a diff.

Quality, Not ‘Popularity’

Frankly, a lot of the stuff that ranks high on the “most popular” list I wouldn’t trust with my used chew toy. So we’re lookin’ for quality. Not popularity contests. To make our list, books must be well-written. Have a distinct beginning, middle, and ending. Be enriching. Engaging. Clean. Inspiring and/or entertaining. And leave the reader wanting more. (We cannot abide Stephen King. Sorry. Not sorry. Oh. And Game of Thrones? Barf.)

What Is It?

So, what’s a fantasy story? According to The Oxford Dictionary‘s definition, Fantasy is ‘A genre of imaginative fiction involving magic and adventure, especially in a setting other than the real world.’ Many fantasy novels involve adventure as a key feature. Characters may discover portals to other worlds or discover hidden magic, wonder and surprise in our own world.’

5 elements of fantasy:

• Magic
• Adventure
• Struggle for mastery
• Subgenre and types
• Place/setting and worldbuilding

25 Best

Keeping the above in mind, here’s the Official Kimber and the ‘Ole Curmudgeon’s List of 25 Best Fantasy Books Ever (That We’ve Actually Read. Both children’s and adult books. In no particular order):

1. The Chronicles of Narnia – C.S. Lewis
2. Lord the Rings – J.R.R. Tolkien
3. The Velveteen Rabbit – Margery Williams
4. Tuck Everlasting – Natalie Babbitt
5. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl
6. The Once and Future King – T.H. White
7. The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
8. Where the Wild Things Are – Maurice Sendak
9. Daughter of Smoke and Bone – Laini Taylor (Urban Fantasy)
10. At The Back of The North Wind. – George MacDonald
11. If You give a Mouse a cookie – Laura Numeroff
12. Inkheart – Cornelia Funke
13. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children – Ransom Riggs
14. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs – Judi Barrett
15. The Princess Bride – William Goldman
16. The Pilgrim’s Progress – John Bunyan
17. Peter Pan – J.M. Barrie
18. Mary Poppins – P.L. Travers
19. Bunnicula – James Howe
20. How to Train Your Dragon – Cressida Cowell
21.  Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll
22. The Silver Gate – Kristin Bailey
23. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz – L. Frank Baum
24. An Ember in the Ashes – Sabaa Tahir

25.  The Wonderful, Splendiferous, Fabulous, Fantastic, Totally PAWsome and Immensely Epic Adventures of Kimber the Magnificent, Empress of the World.  Galaxy. Universe.

What?

Wait. Where were we? Oh yeah. Pretty much anything by Dr. Seuss. While his books are a delightful blend of whimsy, imagination, and creativity, they don’t strictly fit the traditional definition of fantasy. But they certainly transport readers to fantastical worlds. 

Also, Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. The first three books were pretty good. We felt the rest of the series started to drag after that.

What would you add?

 

 

 

Magic image credit: Public domain.