Here are 69 books that The Pit Dragon Chronicles fans have personally recommended once you finish the The Pit Dragon Chronicles series.
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My first memories are of sitting in the garden munching strawberries off the vine as my grandfather picked vegetables. Dad’s days off meant a trip to the nature reserve or sledding the town slopes. Vacations were for jumping in waves and exploring tidepools. Mom collected antique children’s books and instilled a passion for reading. When not exploring the woods across the railroad tracks with friends, I was reading. Childhood and my passion for nature intersect in my writing in two of my other books, A Beach Tail and Circles of Hope. Nowadays, my routine includes writing in my woodland cabin and daily hikes with my flat-coated retriever, Lowani.
This book is about nature and winter, about owling and hope. Every page is like a poem, and I can feel the winter gentle, silent as a dream. I love the details that are so real to me: long shadows on snow as white as milk in a cereal bowl.
I hear the train in the distance as farm dogs answer in a song. I can relate so vividly that this book gives me shivers. I know that feeling of a scarf over my mouth, wet and warm and furry. Meant to be read over and over, I still delight in finding animals unexpectedly hidden in the winter night. The subtext about bravery, patience, and hope in the relationship between father and daughter brings tears every time.
Late one winter night a little girl and her father go owling. The trees stand still as statues and the world is silent as a dream. Whoo-whoo-whoo, the father calls to the mysterious nighttime bird.
But there is no answer.
Wordlessly the two companions walk along, for when you go owling you don't need words. You don't need anything but hope. Sometimes there isn't an owl, but sometimes there is.
Distinguished author Jane Yolen has created a gentle, poetic story that lovingly depicts the special companionship of a young child and her father as well as humankind's close relationship to…
My first toy was a plastic dinosaur, which I took to school and it bears my toothmarks on the tail. As a young teenager, I stumbled across the Dragonriders of Pern books, and my allegiance transferred to dragons. I find them fascinating, both beautiful and dangerous, and prefer books in which they have their own cultures and are strong characters in their own right. The novels I’ve recommended have great world building to draw you into the fascinating lives of dragons, and the humans who come to know them.
This is like a Dickens novel, but the characters are dragons rather than humans. All of the elements of a Victorian romance, such as obsession with manners and purity, are present, along with draconic elements like the heirs eating their dead father and parents killing off weak hatchlings. Social class and women’s rights are set in a culture of dragons!
A family of dragons gathers on the occasion of the death of their father, the elder Bon Agornin. As is custom, they must eat the body. But even as Bon's last remains are polished off, his sons and daughters must all jostle for a position in the new hierarchy. While the youngest son seeks greedy remuneration through the courts of law, the eldest son - a dragon of the cloth - agonises over his father's deathbed confession. While one daughter is caught between loyalty to her family by blood and her family by marriage, another daughter follows her heart -…
My first toy was a plastic dinosaur, which I took to school and it bears my toothmarks on the tail. As a young teenager, I stumbled across the Dragonriders of Pern books, and my allegiance transferred to dragons. I find them fascinating, both beautiful and dangerous, and prefer books in which they have their own cultures and are strong characters in their own right. The novels I’ve recommended have great world building to draw you into the fascinating lives of dragons, and the humans who come to know them.
I love all of the Pern novels, but I’ve chosen this one because it features my favorite dragon and human characters. What I enjoy most about the Pern books is their setting in the future, when humans have settled in an alien world.
Some of the humans form a telepathic bond with a native species which look like dragons, and work with their dragons to preserve life on Pern. I would love to live on Pern and to be the rider of a gold dragon!
Let Anne McCaffrey, storyteller extraordinare and New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author, take you on a journey to a whole new world: Pern and discover not only its flora, fauna, population and cultural hierarchy, but the history of an entire civilization. If you like David Eddings, David Gemmell and Douglas Adams, you will love this.
**Finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Novel** ** Winner of the HOMer Award for Science Fiction** **Finalist for the Locus Award for Best Novel**
'Anne McCaffrey, one of the queens of science fiction, knows exactly how to give her public what it…
My first toy was a plastic dinosaur, which I took to school and it bears my toothmarks on the tail. As a young teenager, I stumbled across the Dragonriders of Pern books, and my allegiance transferred to dragons. I find them fascinating, both beautiful and dangerous, and prefer books in which they have their own cultures and are strong characters in their own right. The novels I’ve recommended have great world building to draw you into the fascinating lives of dragons, and the humans who come to know them.
What would it be like to become a dragon? Jim Eckert finds out when his consciousness is projected into a medieval fantasy world, and his mind ends up in a dragon. I loved him working out how to convince people like his girlfriend, Angie, who he is and how others join him on his quest to free Angie after she’s been captured.
The dragon rescuing the lady inverts the normal trope and makes the novel great fun to read.
Through no fault of his own, the once human Jim Eckert had become a dragon. Unfortunately, his beloved Angie had remained human. But in this magical land anything could happen. To make matter worse, Angie had been taken prisoner by an evil dragon and was held captive in the impenetrable Loathly Tower. So in this land where humans were edible and beasts were magical--where spells worked and logic didn't--Jim Eckert had a big, strange problem.
I’m passionate about strong female protagonists in YA and middle grade lit because through example, societies can change. Power dynamics can shift as young women are shown fictional ones whose strength and voice alter their lives and others. Being born in a heavily patriarchal home, I found courage and freedom through the lives of female protagonists in books, especially in series where the journey was long. Today, there are many novels working to right the scale, but here are a few of the first that captured my heart and gave me hope. One note, these works are of a specific time, and the content will reflect that period.
This book was one of my first reads where a woman disguised herself as a man to perform a traditionally male role.
Her strength and bravery were an inspiration to me as she traded places with her brother Thom. Her secret and success as a knight were aspirational. From making allies to dealing with enemies, I could revel in her battles and victories. I felt empowered to enter my own fray and fight for justice.
From Tamora Pierce, the first book in the Song of the Lioness Quartet, honored with the Margaret A. Edwards Award.
“From now on I’m Alan of Trebond, the younger twin. I’ll be a knight.”
In a time when girls are forbidden to be warriors, Alanna of Trebond wants nothing more than to be a knight of the realm of Tortall. So she finds a way to switch places with her twin brother, Thom. Disguised as a boy, Alanna begins her training as a page at the palace of King Roald. But the road to knighthood, as she discovers, is…
My first toy was a plastic dinosaur, which I took to school and it bears my toothmarks on the tail. As a young teenager, I stumbled across the Dragonriders of Pern books, and my allegiance transferred to dragons. I find them fascinating, both beautiful and dangerous, and prefer books in which they have their own cultures and are strong characters in their own right. The novels I’ve recommended have great world building to draw you into the fascinating lives of dragons, and the humans who come to know them.
I like history and dragons, so I was immediately grabbed by a book offering an alternative history with dragons! The story is set during the Napoleonic Wars. Dragons are a major part of the war effort. A dragon chooses his or her captain, and the larger dragons are like warplanes or warships in the air, carrying the captain and a crew, including a medic.
The main human character, naval captain Will Laurence, is picked by a newly hatched dragon, which takes him into Britain’s Aerial Corps. I enjoyed reading how Laurence comes to love Temeraire, and that the dragon is a strong character in his own right.
Naomi Novik's stunning series of novels follow the adventures of Captain William Laurence and his fighting dragon Temeraire as they are thrown together to fight for Britain during the turbulent time of the Napoleonic Wars.
As Napoleon's tenacious infantry rampages across Europe and his armada lies in wait for Nelson's smaller fleet, the war does not rage on land and water alone. Squadrons of aviators swarm the skies - a deadly shield for the cumbersome canon-firing vessels. Raining fire and acid upon their enemies, they engage in a swift, violent combat with flying tooth and claw... for these aviators…
I’m passionate about strong female protagonists in YA and middle grade lit because through example, societies can change. Power dynamics can shift as young women are shown fictional ones whose strength and voice alter their lives and others. Being born in a heavily patriarchal home, I found courage and freedom through the lives of female protagonists in books, especially in series where the journey was long. Today, there are many novels working to right the scale, but here are a few of the first that captured my heart and gave me hope. One note, these works are of a specific time, and the content will reflect that period.
Patricia Wrede’s Dealing With Dragons empowered me to subvert societal roles which are not to my preference.
The fact Princess Cimorene could eschew her given position and become a dragon’s princess, rather than princess to a prince, was incredibly novel. At the time, it was as surprising as the future reveal, eleven years later, of Fiona to Shrek.
Cimorene’s characteristics of being immensely capable and clever, with a refusal to suffer fools, are qualities I continue to admire and aim to cultivate within myself.
Meet Princess Cimorene-a princess who refuses to be proper. She is everything a princess is not supposed to be: headstrong, tomboyish, smart . . . and bored. So bored that she runs away to live with a dragon. And not just any dragon, but Kazul-one of the most powerful and dangerous dragons around. With a new look and new introduction from the author, this story is sure to acquire a new generation of fans. AGES: 10-13 AUTHOR: Patricia C. Wrede has written many novels, including all four books in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles as well as 'Sorcery and Cecilia', 'The…
I’m passionate about strong female protagonists in YA and middle grade lit because through example, societies can change. Power dynamics can shift as young women are shown fictional ones whose strength and voice alter their lives and others. Being born in a heavily patriarchal home, I found courage and freedom through the lives of female protagonists in books, especially in series where the journey was long. Today, there are many novels working to right the scale, but here are a few of the first that captured my heart and gave me hope. One note, these works are of a specific time, and the content will reflect that period.
The Harper Hall of Pern Trilogy was incredibly exciting to me upon its discovery.
To see Menolly, a woman with gifts subverting traditional gender roles, leave her community and eventually excel was inspiring. I found hope that one’s talents might be strongly developed and recognized, eventually. I was fascinated by Menolly’s multi-layered abilities and aspired to grow such.
I learned good community might be found when your current network isn’t nurturing. If only there were tiny fire-lizards one could impress and cohabitate with!
Let Anne McCaffrey, storyteller extraordinare and New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author, take you on a journey to a whole new world: Pern. A world of dragons and other worldly forces; a world of mighty power and ominous threat.. If you like David Eddings, Brandon Sanderson and Douglas Adams, you will love this.
"Anne McCaffrey, one of the queens of science fiction, knows exactly how to give her public what it wants" - THE TIMES "Do yourself a favour and read ANYTHING by this Author, you won't be sorry" -- ***** Reader review "A real page turner" --…
I’m passionate about strong female protagonists in YA and middle grade lit because through example, societies can change. Power dynamics can shift as young women are shown fictional ones whose strength and voice alter their lives and others. Being born in a heavily patriarchal home, I found courage and freedom through the lives of female protagonists in books, especially in series where the journey was long. Today, there are many novels working to right the scale, but here are a few of the first that captured my heart and gave me hope. One note, these works are of a specific time, and the content will reflect that period.
As high priestess to the Nameless Ones, Tenar’s quest to rise up within a patriarchal system and question her given belief system fueled my own journey.
The epic symbol of a labyrinth of tombs below ground, where one is kept in darkness, has resonated through my life since first reading the Earthsea books. One may be born into a weaving darkness that is then embraced. An entire life may be given in service to that system, partly because the person’s been kept from any further knowledge.
Tenar’s tenacity, bravery, openness, and inquisitiveness aided me in seeing that there might be an escape for myself. She encouraged me to walk up into the light.
The second book of Earthsea in a beautiful hardback edition. Complete the collection with A Wizard of Earthsea, The Furthest Shore and Tehanu
With illustrations from Charles Vess
'[This] trilogy made me look at the world in a new way, imbued everything with a magic that was so much deeper than the magic I'd encountered before then. This was a magic of words, a magic of true speaking' Neil Gaiman
'Drink this magic up. Drown in it. Dream it' David Mitchell
In this second novel in the Earthsea series, Tenar is chosen as high priestess to the ancient and nameless…
I grew up on Chicago’s home front during WW2. President Roosevelt wanted everyone—adults and children—to do their part for the war effort. So we neighborhood kids formed a Victory club, where we marched around singing, “Let’s Remember Pearl Harbor,” and other patriotic songs. And though we had fun, we understood the meaning of the gold stars in the windows, and knew that terrible things were happening on the other side of the world. There are so many wonderful books set during this time period, and I can never read enough of them. These books, along with my memories, are what inspire me to write historical fiction of my own.
When you open a door, you might find something unexpected on the other side. And that’s what happens to Hannah Stern when she opens the door to welcome Elijah the prophet to her family’s Passover seder, and finds herself back in time to Nazi-occupied Poland. Hannah has heard the stories of her relatives’ lives during the Holocaust, so now, as she and the other Jews of the town are being rounded up and sent away, she knows where they’re going and what awaits them.
In the camp, Hannah experiences the horrors her relatives lived through. And the next door that opens to her brings her back to the present time, with a greater appreciation and understanding of her Jewish heritage, her family, and the importance of remembering.
30th Anniversary edition with a new introduction from the author
Hannah is tired of holiday gatherings−all her family ever talks about is the past. In fact, it seems to her that's what they do every Jewish holiday. But this year's Passover Seder will be different−Hannah will be mysteriously transported into the past . . . and only she knows the unspeakable horrors that await.
Winner of the National Jewish Book Award
"A triumphantly moving book." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review
