Taran Wanderer by Lloyd Alexander
In this episode of The Chronicles of Prydain, Taran is on a quest to find himself. He wants to find out who his parents were and hopefully if he is of noble birth. He sets off with his faithful companion, Gurgi, and travels first to the Marshes of Morva to find out if the three enchantresses who live there can tell him who his parents were. He then travels throughout many realms of Prydain in search for his identity and has many adventures. He hopes to find the Mirror of Llunet, which may give him the answer he seeks. Does Taran find his identity? Is he of noble birth and thus worthy of the Princess Eilonwy? Will he survive this adventure? Read this exciting adventure to find out!

The Castle of Llyr by Lloyd Alexander
Taran, the Assistant Pig-Keeper, and his companions return in another adventure in The Chronicles of Prydain. This time Taran and Gurgi escort Eilonwy to the Isle of Mona, where she will be trained as a proper princess by King Rhuddlum and Queen Teleria. On the ship to Mona, they meet Prince Rhun, the cheerful but inept son of the king and queen. Once on Mona, Taran finds his old friend Fflewddur Fflam, and meets again Prince Gwydion disguised as a shoemaker. It seems that Gwydion has discovered that the evil enchantress Achren is hunting for Eilonwy. Once again, the companions are called on to fight against evil. Read this episode to find out what happens to Taran and Eilonwy.

The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander
In the second of The Chronicles of Prydain, Taran, the Assistant Pig-Keeper, sets off on another quest to help Gwydion and other warriors to steal the black cauldron from Arawn and destroy it before Arawn can use it to create more invincible Cauldron-born warriors. He is joined again by the dwarf, Doli, the princess Eilonwy, Gurgi, and the bard Fflewddur Fflam. In this story, Taran has the opportunity to wear his first sword. He dreams of showing his mettle and being a hero, but once again things do not go as planned. He meets Ellidyr, the young prince with a thirst for fame, and Adaon, a valiant warrior who is both gentle and brave. If you enjoyed The Book of Three, you will enjoy this continuation of Taran’s adventures.

The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander
This is the first book in The Chronicles of Prydain. We meet Taran, an Assistant Pig-Keeper, who wishes to learn the arts of sword-making and fighting instead of his daily chores of looking after the pig Hen-Wen and assisting with daily chores such as hoeing the garden and feeding the animals. Taran has dreams of being a great hero, but one day when Hen-Wen runs away and he chases after her, he finds that being out in the world on his own is not all that he thought. He meets a rough-looking, ragged man and is surprised to learn that this man is Gwydion, a great war hero. In his adventures as he tries to recover Hen-Wen, Taran meets the Horned King, a part man part beast named Gurgi, Eilonwy, dwarfs, and many other strange and mysterious creatures. He knows that he must return home to Caer Dallben to warn them of the approach of warriors from Annuvin. If you enjoy fantasy and adventure, this is a book for you. There are 4 other books in The Chronicles of Prydain.

Party Shoes by Noel Streatfeild
In another "shoe" book by Noel Streatfeild, we meet Selina and her cousins. Selina has received a gift of a party dress and shoes from her godmother in America. It is near the end of the Second World War in England and there are very few excuses for a girl to wear a party dress. So, Selina and her cousins create a reason: a pageant which she and her cousins will write and produce. As time goes by, the pageant becomes even bigger than originally planned. How will the cousins find costumes for the pageant with rationing still in effect? When the nearby American camp gets involved matters escalate even further. In the meantime, Selina is thinking about her mother and father who are prisoners in Hong Kong, and worrying that she will outgrow the dress and shoes before she has an opportunity to wear them. Read this story to find out how everything works out.

Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild
In this book, we meet Pauline, Petrova, and Posy, three orphans who have been adopted by Great Uncle Matthew and placed under the care of his great niece, Sylvia. The girls decide on the last name of Fossil for themselves, since that is what Great Uncle Matthew collected. Unfortunately, Great Uncle Matthew, or GUM as he was known by the girls, left on another expedition and was gone so long that the money he left began to run out. How was Sylvia going to find the money to keep the house and the girls? How was their education to be paid for? The answers can be found in this charming story about three orphan girls growing up and finding their way in the world.

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

We first meet Eragon as a poor farm boy on a hunting expedition to provide meat for his family. He finds an unusual blue stone on his way and is gratified to realize that it should be worth enough to buy supplies for the family. The butcher in his village will not accept it in payment, so he takes it home where he later discovers that it is not a stone at all but an egg. He determines to keep the dragon that hatches from the egg a secret from his family and forges a close relationship with the dragon, Saphira. The book details the tragedy and adventure that follow as Eragon reaches maturity and realizes that he is fated to be a Dragon Rider. If you enjoy fantasy, dragons, and magic, you will like this exciting story. It is interesting that it was written by Christopher Paolini after he graduated from high school at the age of fifteen after being home-schooled for his entire life. The story continues in Eldest.