Annal:2007 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children’s Literature

Corbenic

Catherine Fisher

• 2007 Mythopoeic-Children winner
• Score: 10.57

It starts when Cal gets off the train at the wrong stop in the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere. He’s stranded.

Following a muddy path leads him to a castle that appears to be deserted. But inside is Corbenic, a magnificent hotel filled with rich people preparing for a banquet&#8212and Cal is their guest of honor. During the meal, he experiences a disturbing vision, but when he is asked to talk about what he has seen, he denies it. What if he’s becoming crazy, like his mother?

When Cal wakes the next morning, the elegant castle turns out to be nothing more than an abandoned ruin. But something inside him has changed&#8212he now knows he needs to right the wrongs in his life. It will be a difficult journey, and if Cal achieves his goal, it will not be without cost. The first step&#8212he must return to Corbenic.

Keturah And Lord Death

Martine Leavitt

• 2007 Mythopoeic-Children finalist
• 2006 NBA–Youth finalist
• Score: 12.57

Keturah follows a legendary hart into the king’s forest, where she becomes hopelessly lost. Her strength diminishes until, finally, she realizes that death is near. Little does she know that he is a young, handsome lord, melancholy and stern. Renowned for her storytelling, Keturah is able to charm Lord Death with a story and thereby gain a reprieve—but only for twenty-four hours. She must find her one true love within that time, or all is lost. Keturah searches desperately while the village prepares for an unexpected visit from the king, and Keturah is thrust into a prominent role as mysterious happenings alarm her friends and neighbors. Lord Death’s presence hovers over all until Keturah confronts him one last time in the harrowing climax.

The Pinhoe Egg: A Chrestomanci Book

Diana Wynne Jones

• 2007 Mythopoeic-Children finalist
• 2009 YRCA-Intermediate nominee
• Score: 10.57

Cat Chant and Marianne Pinhoe have discovered something exciting—something truly precious, very strange, and valuable. An egg.

An egg that has been hidden away in an attic for who-knows-how-many years. An egg protected by some strong “Don’t Notice” spells. An egg that Marianne gives to Cat, even though he lives at nearby Chrestomanci Castle. Chrestomanci himself, the strongest enchanter in the world, is sure to be interested in the egg—and interference from the Big Man is the last thing Marianne’s family of secret rogue witches wants.

But how much longer can the Pinhoes keep their secrets? Gammer, the leader of the clan, has gone mad, a powerful bad luck spell is wreaking havoc, and there’s an unexplained plague of frogs. Not to mention the mysterious barrier Cat finds in the forest.

Marianne and Cat may be the only two who can set things right. But first Marianne must accept her own powerful magic, and Cat must uncover the secrets behind the mystical Pinhoe Egg.

In this new Chrestomanci book, Diana Wynne Jones is at her most magical.

Spirits That Walk in Shadow

Nina Kiriki Hoffman

• 2007 Mythopoeic-Children finalist
• Score: 6.57

Kim and Jaimie are freshman roommates, but their college experience is anything but typical. This is Jaimie’s first time in the “real world,” away from her large, complicated family and their magics and traditions. It’s Kim’s chance to escape her high school reputation. But Jaimie quickly realizes what Kim can’t see—it’s more than just a “reputation.” Kim is being pursued by something that feeds on her emotions. And, just like that, reality reshapes itself, as the two girls—along with Jaimie’s three cousins—try to capture and rout the viri, or soul demon, who is tracking Kim. This utterly original novel combines humor, darkness, and hope, and will spellbind readers.

Wintersmith: Tiffany Aching Adventures - Book 3

Terry Pratchett

• 2007 Mythopoeic-Children finalist
• Score: 6.57

At 9, Tiffany Aching defeated the cruel Queen of Fairyland. At 11, she banished an ancient body-stealing evil. At 13, Tiffany faces a new challenge: a boy. And boys can be a bit of a problem when you’re thirteen….

But the Wintersmith isn’t exactly a boy. He is Winter itself—snow, gales, icicles—all of it. When he has a crush on Tiffany, he may make her roses of ice, but his nature is blizzards and avalanches. And he wants Tiffany to stay in his gleaming, frozen world. Forever.

Tiffany will need all her cunning to make it to Spring. She’ll also need her friends, from junior witches to the legendary Granny Weatherwax. They—

Crivens! Tiffany will need the Wee Free Men, too! She’ll have the help of the bravest, toughest, smelliest pixies ever to be banished from Fairyland—whether she wants it or not. It’s going to be a cold, cold season, because if Tiffany doesn’t survive until Spring—Spring won’t come.