This week: Fantasy For Young Folks Edited by: eyestar~*  
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 Hiya readers. I am happy to be a guest editor this week and it has been awhile! Got my fantasy hat on and dug through piles of magic books in the dusty library below the castle..and shone out a beacon of light!  When did you first learn or read fantasy stuff? Why did you read it? What keeps you reading it? Or writing it? Let's look at kids and fantasy! 
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I just was the new production of Peter Pan as a on line special with Christopher Walken as Captain Hook!  It was marvelous entertainment and still touched my child heart! Who would not love to fly, crow and never grow up, having adventures and a fairy for a friend.   It was timely for a discussion on how Fantasy can be a benefit for young people.
Some would say it is not important and yet the fantastical genre is very popular even for kids.One of the earliest so called Fantasies, Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien was first written for his boys and, in fact, his first publisher gave the story to his own son to read and vet whether it would be good to publish. Lucky for us, he liked it! The Chronicles of Narnia were a favourite with my friend's grade 3 class and lead to some cool writings of their own. That fantasy can foster creativity is so evident. 
Then we have the generations of fairy tales that have guided, warned and entertained us for many years and while some newer versions present idealistic "some day my prince will come" dreams that could feed a false hope, there is still the message that love can win over evil, which is a benevolent belief. Anything is possible.
The fantastical adds a dimension to learning about the real world and even for very young can engage and inspire imagination and stir up curiosity, which are two qualities the world will always need, even more now, to create a better future. Looking at the "what ifs" can be fun to explore. Being encouraged to think outside the box can lead to genius ideas! 
Reading fantasy helps show and enhance problem solving skills and thinking through problems as stories involve adventures and challenges that heroes must face and figure out.
We all love to have heroes who can overcome obstacles...it gives heart to our own hero inside. In stories like Lord of Rings, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson etc ) they can follow the hero, as he also learns who to trust and that is is never alone. There are helpers along the way and detractors as well as ways to feel and how to best deal with them or their consequences. In the real world these are lessons we need to learn as well.
I have seen so many kids, especially some who really do not like reading, choosing to read these kinds of novels even if they are above reading level. Fantasy provides a great opportunity to encourage reading and assist in comprehension as the weird and wonderful worlds and gadgets are appealing. Many of the kids I know have favourite series like Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, Artemis Fowl,
Books and themes that get kids reading, and off of electronics for a bit,is so vital in my book! 
Opening avenues to their own imagination, visioning, rather than just accepting another's interpretation of what the author describes {as in movies, games etc) is an aspect that is exciting and beneficial in developing brain patterns and gifts. It is wonderful to have a strong inner eye...the possibilities are then endless.
I can remember having my own picture of the Black riders (scarey) and the characters in Lord of the Rings! I know many were concerned when the movies came out that they might not fit our own views.  We certainly find out it is ok to have our own points of view.
So fantasy allows readers to experiment with different ways of seeing the world and they can make connections to their own reality. Often fantasy is metaphorical and can lead to query and understanding of and exploration of complex situations in the world from a safe distance. The Giver by Lois Lowry, certainly caused a lot of discussion about freedom, programming people, rules etc. in a grade eight class my friend taught. Even the students who could not read at that level could not wait to attempt to read on their own and listen to the next chapter. Where there is interest, the desire to read is evoked.
Becoming a teenager, rites of passage, facing failure and defeat, coming to terms with betrayal and disappointment need to be faced and coped with. Books like Twilight series and the allegorical story Holes by Louis Sachar are popular perhaps as a place for them to go.
Even as child, one could be scared of monsters under the bed or nervous about things one did not understand, shows an ability for the fantastical and a chance to use fantasy to fill in gaps and put the fears into a story outside reality makes it more fun. In fantasy even where there are broken families, losses, danger, children can learn to cope with feelings and the wide world. It can also provide relaxation and escape (we know that one) for a while into grand adventures or trials, where we can watch others deal with the world...and come out alive.
The potential of fantasy to give hope, humour in the midst of life, ideals of truth, true friendship, love and that outcomes may not always be what we expect, that close ones can leave us and we can still go on, are features that are beneficial. I recall a friend who said that Tolkien's work so enthralled him as it showed him the possibility of creating a world, even down the the language and poetry of it. What if we can go beyond what we think is real!
Fantasy, including sci-fi etc. are just so fun, inspiring sense of wonder, curiosity and the unexpected that keep young readers and old, engaged and even losing our troubles as we get lost in another world. For the future we will need the "out of the old box" thinkers... and fantasy, I think, can be a doorway! I always thought Star Trek was real! And Look at the world changes since and how many were inspired to greatness.
Sky is the limit and I think fantasy for kids is a way to show them they can fly! And crow! And keep the wonder even as they grow!  And... ahem.. fairies are REAL!
Thanks for reading!
eyestar 
Kids Picked:
The Magic Tree House series by Mary Osbourne (great for some historical facts too)
Spiderwick by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black
Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
Eragon by Christopher Paolini
The Lightning Theif by Rick Riordan
Artemis Fowl by Eion Colfer
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
RedWall by Brian Jacques
Tuck Everlasting
Harry Potter Series by
(my 9 year old friend says the books so far are definitely better than the movies..he likes to compare! Has not read all of them yet.}
The Hobbit by Tolkien
If you give a Mouse A cookie by Laura Numeroff
Dragon rider by Cornelia Funke
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Now let's escape...or inspire our sense of wonder:
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 What was the first fantasy book you read yourself as a child?
Thanks for your kind comments on our look at Wonderland in "Fantasy Newsletter (March 4, 2020)"
StephBee 
Thanks for sharing Lewis Carroll with us. Very informative and interesting. What a character!
For sure!
dragonwoman 
I attempting to re-imagine Alice and some of the host of characters from both the Wonderland books. When Alice leaves the book and the library it is kept in, she becomes real when she steps out the door.
s
To me 'Alice In Wonderland' is fantasy. I did read it as a child, but did not understand it until I was an adult. Yes, there are nonsensical elements, but I prefer to think of some of those as abstract. 'Through The Looking Glass' is even weirder with the running and not getting anywhere throughout. I enjoy them both, and maybe they were kids books "back in the day", but I do not think many adults would get into them today, let alone children. I still like them.
I hear you. I don't know of many kids who have read them though some have seen cartoons. And some of the references may indeed be out of time and place. 
BIG BAD WOLF is Howling 
Don't we all write something odd around here?
Good point!
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Fantasy: June 24, 2020 Issue [#10236]
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