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Hosts Alice Fraser and Chris Skinner bring you the second of two child-friendly World Book Day (UK) episodes of Realms Unknown this week, with today's focusing on children's fantasy and science fiction books for ages 12-17 years old. Part 1, which looked at books for 0-12 years old, is available in your podcast feed and on YouTube. 

Before diving into the many great books in this episode, Chris and Alice recommend some music with a sci-fi/fantasy twist, with Janelle Monáe's 2010 album The ArchAndroid being enjoyed at the family dinner table for Chris, and Alice enjoying the storytelling of LayLow's TRINITY album, released in 2020.

In this episode’s Trope on a Rope, Alice brings the use of parental neglect to the table, preferring the loving and engaged parenting in books like The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik, while Chris bemoans beings magically being able to just learn a language at a speed unfamiliar to a Duolingo user like himself.

Chris and Alice then enthuse over a number of fantasy and sci-fi books that shaped them as teenagers, which you can find listed below and can buy in our Bookshop affiliate store, which supports your local bookshops.

Age 12-17 books

Loving and engaged parents

The Golden Enclaves - Naomi Novik

Sibling adventures

Magic Faraway Tree - Enid Blyton

The Dark is Rising - Susan Cooper

Narnia series - CS Lewis

Gillian Rubinstein - Space Demons

The Storm Keeper’s Island - Catherine Doyle

Why teenagers should read fantasy

Phillip Pullman - His Dark Materials

Phillip Pullman - The Ruby in the Smoke

Phillip Pullman - The Book of Dust

Sabriel series - Garth Nix

Lioness series - Tamora Pierce

Terry Pratchett - Mort

Terry Pratchett - Eric

Galax-Arena - Gillian Rubinstein

Short stories

Dangerous Women - George R R Martin & Gardner Dozois

More to explore

Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card

Dune - Frank Herbert

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Produced by Chris Skinner and Ped Hunter. Hosted by Alice Fraser and Chris Skinner.

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