Children's books: fantasy
61 hand-picked books from the Bookbear catalogue tagged “fantasy”, with Indian authors first. Each one has an age range, a short description, a heads-up on any sensitive topics and a link to buy in India.
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Jalebi Curls
Ages 4–6Indian author
A Raja who dreams of jalebis in his sleep is in for a bizarre adventure. Curl up with this delicious and silly read-aloud.
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The Pleasant Rakshasa
by Sowmya Rajendran
Ages 4–7Indian author
Karimuga the friendly rakshasa decides to share his beauty with jealous fellow rakshasas. A conversation about sharing and inner beauty.
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Moin and the Monster
Ages 6–9Indian author
Moin and his friends navigate school and life with the help of an unlikely monster companion. Funny, warm, and very Indian.
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Amra and the Witch
by Arefa Tehsin
Ages 6–9Indian author
Amra is transported to the lush villages of Northern India in this thrilling adventure featuring witches, magic, and forests. hOle Book series.
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The Night the Moon Went Missing
by Various
Ages 4–7Indian author
The moon goes missing and everyone searches for it in this charming multilingual story. Free to read on StoryWeaver in English, Hindi, Tamil and more.
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Aru Shah and the End of Time
Ages 10–13Indian author
Aru Shah accidentally releases a demon and discovers she is a Pandava hero. A wildly fun, Rick Riordan Presents novel steeped in Hindu mythology — like Percy Jackson set in India.
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The Serpent's Secret (Kiranmala and the Kingdom Beyond)
by Sayantani DasGupta
Ages 10–12Indian author
On her twelfth birthday, Kiranmala learns she is an Indian princess from another dimension and must battle demons and rakkhosh. Rooted in Bengali folk tales and Hindu mythology.
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Dragon's Ire: An Adventure in Courage and Kindness
by Pooja Nanda
Ages 7–10Indian author
A spirited adventure about facing down a fearsome dragon — and discovering that courage and kindness matter more than brute strength.
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The Gilded Wolves
Ages 14–17Indian author
A charismatic hotelier assembles a crew of talented misfits to pull off a heist in a magical, alternate 1889 Paris.
Heads-up: Violence, Teen crushes & romance
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That Thing about Bollywood
Ages 8–12Indian author
Sonali hides her feelings — until she starts bursting into Bollywood song-and-dance numbers whenever emotions bubble up.
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The Cobra's Song
Ages 8–12Indian author
Ten-year-old Gauri, afraid of almost everything, must face her fears and find her voice in an adventure steeped in Indian folklore.
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Bookasura: The Adventures of Bala and the Book-Eating Monster
Ages 6–9Indian author
While staying with his grandparents, Bala meets Bookasura, a many-headed monster who eats books. Bala keeps him at bay with a steady supply of stories, but what happens when the books run out? A funny celebration of reading and imagination, illustrated by Priya Kuriyan. Winner of the Comic Con India award for best children's publication.
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Koobandhee: The Adventures of Bala and the Book-Barfing Monster
Ages 7–10Indian author
Bala's books are under threat: from a book-chewing baby sister, a strict school librarian, and Koobandhee, a one-eyed monster who barfs up books and blames Bala for her upset stomach. The second Bookasura adventure, full of word play and bookish jokes.
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A Forest Calls
by Shalini Srinivasan
Ages 10–14Indian author
Raksha moves to Basavakere, beside a forest that is waking up. When her friend Pol is kidnapped, she and Savitha brave magical creatures and a vengeful monarch to bring him home.
Heads-up: Mild peril
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The Footballing Fairy
by Elli Woollard
Ages 4–5
Femi the fairy adores football but her shots aren't always on target. A charming book about following your dreams.
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The Café at the Edge of the Woods
by Mikey Please
Ages 4–7
Rene opens a café but her only customer is an ogre! By disguising her food as bats and battered mice she becomes a hit.
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George and the Mini Dragon
by George Webster & Helen Harvey
Ages 5–9
How can George keep his mini dragon secret when she flies about causing chaos? Stars a character with Down syndrome.
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The Moonlight Mystery Agency
by Vashti Hardy
Ages 5–9
Can Hana and her cat friend solve the mystery of the stolen unicorn's birthday cake? Dyslexia-friendly.
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Wild Magic: Legend of the Black Lion
by Abiola Bello
Ages 5–9
Twins Misha and Ziggy have secret superpowers — talking to animals and shapeshifting. Can they save a black lion?
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Boss of the Underworld: Shirley
by Tor Freeman
Ages 8–9
A very funny graphic novel about Shirley's adventures after falling down a manhole into the underworld.
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Hero Wanted!
by Mark Powers
Ages 8–9
A very silly but utterly irresistible fantasy adventure with a subliminal message about the futility of war and discovering empathy.
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The Beanstalk Murder
by P G Bell
Ages 8–9
Two trainee witches find themselves caught up in the hunt for a killer in a land where their suspects could squash them with one footstep.
Heads-up: Crime & murder
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Toby and the Pixies: Worst King Ever
by James Turner
Ages 8–9
Toby discovers an enchanted kingdom in his garden and is crowned King of the Pixies. Laugh-out-loud graphic novel, utterly bonkers.
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How to Train Your Dragon School
by Cressida Cowell
Ages 8–9
Can Hiccup and Toothless save the Bog-Burglars? Action-packed, highly illustrated fun from the author of the beloved series.
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Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China
by Ed Young
Ages 5–8
Three sisters left alone outwit the wolf who pretends to be their grandmother. A Caldecott Medal-winning retelling of a Chinese folk tale, atmospheric and beautiful.
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The Korean Cinderella
by Shirley Climo
Ages 5–8
Pear Blossom is mistreated by her stepmother until magical creatures help her win the favour of the magistrate. A beautifully illustrated Korean folk tale retelling.
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The Crane Wife
by Odds Bodkin (retelling)
Ages 6–9
A wounded crane repays a fisherman's kindness by weaving magnificent cloth — but only if he never watches. A haunting Japanese folk tale about love, trust, and sacrifice.
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My Neighbor Totoro: Picture Book
by Hayao Miyazaki / Studio Ghibli
Ages 4–7
Based on the beloved Studio Ghibli film — two sisters move to the countryside and discover the gentle forest spirit Totoro. Magical, warm, and universally adored.
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El principito / The Little Prince
by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Ages 8–12
The pilot who crashes in the Sahara meets a small prince who has visited many planets. One of the most translated books in history — a meditation on love, loneliness, and what matters.
Heads-up: Death & grief
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Matilda
by Roald Dahl
Ages 7–10
Matilda has a brilliant mind and extraordinary powers — but her dreadful parents and the terrifying Miss Trunchbull want to crush her. One of the greatest children's novels ever written and a love letter to books and readers.
Heads-up: Child abuse & neglect
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The BFG
by Roald Dahl
Ages 7–10
Sophie is snatched from her orphanage bed by a Big Friendly Giant who takes her to Giant Country. Wildly inventive, endlessly funny, and absolutely original — Roald Dahl at his most magical.
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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
by Roald Dahl
Ages 7–10
Five golden tickets. One extraordinary chocolate factory. One very special boy called Charlie Bucket. The most delicious, inventive, anarchic children's story ever put between two covers.
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Fantastic Mr Fox
by Roald Dahl
Ages 5–8
Mr Fox outwits the three most horrible farmers — Boggis, Bunce, and Bean — in a furiously funny underground adventure. A perfect gateway Roald Dahl for younger readers.
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James and the Giant Peach
by Roald Dahl
Ages 6–9
James escapes his horrible aunts inside a giant peach, sailing across the Atlantic with a cast of marvellous insects. One of Roald Dahl's most surreal and joyful adventures.
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Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
by Grace Lin
Ages 8–12
Young Minli leaves her poor village to find the Old Man of the Moon and change her family's fortune. A magical quest woven from Chinese folk tales — full of dragons, legends, and wonder. Newbery Honor.
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Tik-Tik, The Master of Time
by Musharraf Ali Farooqi
Ages 6–10
A whimsical tale about a clockmaker who claims to be able to control time itself.
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House of Salt and Sorrows
by Erin A. Craig
Ages 13–17
Twelve sisters, a haunted mansion, and a string of mysterious deaths — a gothic reimagining of 'The Twelve Dancing Princesses.'
Heads-up: Scary / horror, Death & grief, Violence
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To Kill a Kingdom
by Alexandra Christo
Ages 13–17
A siren princess who collects the hearts of princes falls for the prince-hunting pirate meant to kill her, in a dark twist on The Little Mermaid.
Heads-up: Violence, Teen crushes & romance
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Renegades
Ages 12–16
In a city of superheroes, a girl secretly working with villains to bring the heroes down falls for one of their most powerful members.
Heads-up: Violence, Teen crushes & romance
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Daughter of the Pirate King
by Tricia Levenseller
Ages 12–16
A pirate captain's daughter lets herself get captured by enemy sailors as part of a plan to find a legendary hidden map.
Heads-up: Violence, Teen crushes & romance
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Truthwitch
by Susan Dennard
Ages 13–17
Two best friends — one who can sense truth from lies, one who can control water — flee treacherous forces in a magical world at war.
Heads-up: Violence, War & battle violence
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The Rithmatist
by Brandon Sanderson
Ages 12–16
In a world where certain people can bring chalk drawings to life for defense against deadly creatures, a boy without magical ability is determined to learn the craft anyway.
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Divine Rivals
by Rebecca Ross
Ages 13–17
Two rival teenage journalists competing for the same job begin secretly writing letters to each other through a magical connection — never realizing they're falling for the enemy.
Heads-up: War & battle violence, Death & grief, Teen crushes & romance
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Akata Witch
by Nnedi Okorafor
Ages 12–16
An American-born albino Nigerian girl discovers she has latent magical powers and must master them alongside a group of fellow misfits in this inventive fantasy.
Heads-up: Violence, Crime & murder, Scary / horror
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Welcome to Dead House
by R.L. Stine
Ages 8–12
The Benson family's new house comes with strange neighbours who only come out at night — and a secret that turns out to be much creepier than anyone expected. Goosebumps #1.
Heads-up: Scary / horror
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Coraline
by Neil Gaiman
Ages 8–12
Behind a locked door in Coraline's new home is another world with an Other Mother who wants to sew buttons over her eyes and never let her leave. Eerie, brilliant, and unforgettable.
Heads-up: Scary / horror
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The Graveyard Book
by Neil Gaiman
Ages 9–13
Raised by ghosts in a graveyard after his family is murdered, Nobody Owens grows up learning to fade, haunt, and survive — while the man who killed his family is still hunting him. Newbery and Carnegie Medal winner.
Heads-up: Scary / horror, Violence, Crime & murder
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The Witches
by Roald Dahl
Ages 7–10
A boy and his sharp-witted grandmother go up against a secret society of child-hating witches who are plotting to turn every child in England into a mouse. Delightfully spooky Roald Dahl classic.
Heads-up: Scary / horror
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Small Spaces
by Katherine Arden
Ages 9–12
After finding a mysterious book about a decades-old tragedy, Ollie is drawn into a scarecrow-haunted cornfield where the rule is simple: avoid the small spaces, or else.
Heads-up: Scary / horror, Death & grief
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City of Ghosts
by Victoria Schwab
Ages 8–12
After a near-drowning leaves her able to see ghosts, Cassidy moves to famously haunted Edinburgh, where she and her ghost best friend Jacob must face something much older and darker.
Heads-up: Scary / horror
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Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
by J.K. Rowling
Ages 8–12
On his eleventh birthday, Harry learns he's a wizard and heads to Hogwarts, where friendship, courage and a hidden mystery await. Book one of the series that turned a generation into readers.
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Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief
by Rick Riordan
Ages 9–13
Twelve-year-old Percy discovers he's the son of a Greek god and sets off on a quest to find Zeus's stolen lightning bolt. Funny and fast, with a hero who has ADHD and dyslexia.
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Artemis Fowl
by Eoin Colfer
Ages 10–14
A twelve-year-old criminal genius kidnaps a fairy to steal her people's gold — and meets his match in Captain Holly Short.
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The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
by C.S. Lewis
Ages 8–12
Four siblings step through a wardrobe into Narnia, a land frozen in winter by the White Witch.
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The Hobbit
by J.R.R. Tolkien
Ages 10–14
Home-loving Bilbo Baggins is swept into a quest with thirteen dwarves and a wizard to win back treasure from a dragon.
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Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow
by Jessica Townsend
Ages 9–13
Cursed Morrigan Crow escapes to the magical city of Nevermoor and must pass four trials to join its most prestigious society.
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The Girl Who Drank the Moon
by Kelly Barnhill
Ages 10–13
A girl accidentally fed moonlight as a baby grows up with dangerous magic. Newbery Medal winner about love, family and courage.
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Wings of Fire: The Dragonet Prophecy
by Tui T. Sutherland
Ages 8–12
Five young dragons raised in secret to fulfil a prophecy escape to find their own destinies. Book one of the hugely popular dragon series.
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Magic Tree House: Dinosaurs Before Dark
by Mary Pope Osborne
Ages 6–9
Jack and Annie find a magic tree house full of books that whisks them back to the time of the dinosaurs. The first of a much-loved series.
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Winged Tales
by Vladislav Krapivin (tr. Jan Yevtushenko)
Ages 8–12📱 eBook only in India
Two magical stories from Russia: fifth-grader Alyoshka flies off to the city of Vetrogorsk to find a model clipper ship for his friend Masha, and a ten-year-old and his best friend soar over their town on a flying carpet. Warm tales of kindness, courage and friendship.
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The Nine Moons of Han Yu and Luli
by Karina Yan Glaser
Ages 9–13
In 731 Chang'An, Han Yu sells steamed buns and is rumoured to summon tigers. In 1931 New York Chinatown, Luli dreams on her family's restaurant roof. When hard times strike, both children venture out, and their stories meet.
