Thread: Looking for age appropriate fantasy/quest type books

I'm looking for fantasy quest type books for my son.
He's recently shown a strong intrest in this genre and I'd like to apply that to reading. Something like "Lord of the Rings" on an 8-10 year old level.
He loves Harry Potter (I read to him) but there are two years until the next book comes out and he's not big on rereading.
"Junie B Jones" isn't cutting it either, I have to make him read them and he informed me today that Junie B. Jones is a spoiled brat and he finds her annoying.
We've been playing this computer game "Ahriman's Prophecy" for the last two days and to say he's found a passion is a big understatement. He's more like obsessed. It's a good game, reminiscent of the early Zelda games and I know he's not enamoured by the crude graphics. And he doesn't want to play, he makes ME play (which is why I've not been on the forums much lately) and hounds me about it day and night. So - it's the story line and I need to find more of this (in book form) for his age group.
I'd like to find more mature books that I can read to him, as well as books he can read himself. He's at a 2nd grade reading level, btw, but I'm sure if it's the right kind of book he'll push himself to read above that.
I don't mind a bit of violence either (how else is the hero supposed to conquere the bad guys?), so long as it's not graphic, but I do mind sexually explicit or suggestive content.

Any suggestions?

I'm going to recommend some classic fantasy stuff here, as it was what I was brought up on. The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, and the Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis - as well as Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea cycle. I can remember being absolutely captivated by such books as a child, and they're devoid of any explicit content (as far as I remember - it's been a while since I read any Le Guin), but are exciting and imaginative.

Thanks Lobe, I'll give those a try!

I'll second the opinion on the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and the Magicain's Nephew. I recommend the entire Narnia Chronicle series, by C.S. Lewis. Perfectly clean and appropriate for young children. I practically grew up on them, and still get them out to read maybe once a year.

I agree. The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe and the Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis are great books.
also you might want to try the "a series of unfortunate events" books. there's ten of them (I think) and they are great. if he likes harry potter he'll love lemony snicket's books.

All great suggestions! I'll definately try the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and The Magicians Nephew.
Thanks very much!

Oh, I kept meaning to reply to this but kept forgetting...

First off, the Narnia series is definitely a good one. My mom read it to me every night before I could read—nothing explicit but still all the adventure and mystique a fantasy book can have (although it always put me off how the kids just "forgot" about the place upon reaching a certain age).

My suggestions:

Anything by Lawrence Watt-Evans. He creates fantastic worlds without gory violence or sex.

Anything by Jane Yolen, specifically the Dragon's Blood series. A part in one of the books made me cry because it was so sad (and sad means good).

The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks (a classic—there's violence, but no sex).

The original Magic: The Gathering books (the ones published by Harperprism—not the new ones).

Wait awhile ... I've got one coming!

Seriously ... Try Susan Cooper's "The Dark is Rising" sequence. It's great--one of my favorite series. "The Sea of Trolls" (I don't remember the author) is another good one, though it's a little heavier.

I am sixteen, and I believe I have some books he would like. Any Shannara book will do, but I suggest the Heritage of Shannara series.

Also, The Riftwar Saga (has sexual innuendo, but nothing more)

Do not give him the Serpentwar Saga, as the theme for half of one of the books is sex.

I would also introduce him to Sci-Fi. Try giving him the Crashlander series by Larry Niven. And, thats it for now. PM me if you want more, although most books I read have some sexual content in them.

It might be a little bit of a push (on the age level, not for sex, but there is some violence), but David Eddings' Belgariad series is excellent - 5 books in the first series. I can also second the recommendations of Brooks' Shannara books: Sword of Shannara, etc., of which there are many!

Ehhh...WARCRAFT 3!

Oh, Ilya... *sigh*

How 'bout Pullman's His Dark Materials? They can be viewed from an adult and a child perspective, and especially the first book is great for young audiences, as it is the least pushy in terms of anti-religion (not that there's anything wrong with that, but he goes a little overboard in the third.)

The Belgariad is indeed excellent, but it was primarily written for older audiences. Still, it's a great read.

Anyway, whatever you do, stay away from a book called "Eragon."

What? The warcraft books are not bad at all, and nor is the game, and nor is the manga. Heck, the manga has a hot chick in it that's also a good girl, meaning that not all beautiful girls are mean! ^_^

It's not really Lord of the rings kind of fantasy but if he liked Harry Potter ... Artemis Fowl?

It's fun, really. I kept smiling while I was reading it (although it's a bit (much) underneath my age cathegory, it was nice and light, fun, I've read it in English (my 3th language) about a year ago, to improve my vocabulary).

Pullman's books are really great. I've reread them... alot.