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Children's reading lists

12 magical books for Harry Potter fans

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Best fictional schools in kid’s literature

The First Four Books: A Wizard of Earthsea * The Tombs of Atuan * The Farthest Shore * Tehanu

Earthsea

Discover the late Ursula Le Guin's passionate and enthralling story of a young boy sent to a school of wizardry to learn the ways of magic in the opening quartet of the Earthsea story. 
 
'One of the literary greats' Margaret Atwood 
 
'The deepest and smartest of writers. Her words are always with us. Some of them are written on my soul' Neil Gaiman 
 
A Wizard of Earthsea * The Tombs of Atuan * The Farthest Shore * Tehanu 
 
Ged is but a goatherd on the island of Gont when he comes by his strange powers over nature. Sent to the School of Wizards on Roke, he learns the true way of magic and proves himself a powerful magician. 
 
And it is as the Archmage Sparrowhawk that he helps the High Priestess Tenar escape the labyrinth of darkness. But over the years, Ged witnesses true magic and the ancient ways submit to the forces of evil and death. Will he too succumb, or can he hold them back? 
 
'Superb. One of literature's best-written fantasy worlds. I adored A Wizard of Earthsea, which I read and reread until my ratty old paperback copy required emergency surgery. Le Guin's words are magical. Drink this magic up. Drown in it. Dream it' David Mitchell 
 
'One of the greats. A literary icon' Stephen King 
 
'A colossus of literature, a trailblazer' China Mieville 
 
Previously titled The Earthsea Quartet.

Composed sparely, shaped by narratives so basic they must be inscribed upon our cells, they read as if they were not written but found, dug out like jewels from rock

Ursula Le Guin was born in Berkley, California, in 1929, daughter of the  writer Theodora Krober and the anthropologist Alfred Krober. Her  published work includes twenty-one novels, eleven volumes of short  stories, three collections of essays, twelve books for children, six  volumes of poetry and four of translation. The Earthsea books have been translated into many languages around the world and are global bestsellers.

A Wizard of Earthsea * The Tombs of Atuan * The Farthest Shore * Tehanu 
 
Ged is but a goatherd on the island of Gont when he comes by his strange powers over nature. Sent to the School of Wizards on Roke, he learns the true way of magic and proves himself a powerful magician. 
 
And it is as the Archmage Sparrowhawk that he helps the High Priestess Tenar escape the labyrinth of darkness. But over the years, Ged witnesses true magic and the ancient ways submit to the forces of evil and death. Will he too succumb, or can he hold them back?

A Wizard of Earthsea

'One of the literary greats of the 20th century' Margaret Atwood 
 
The first book of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin is a tale of wizards, dragons and terrifying shadows. 
 
The island of Gont is a land famous for wizards. Of these, some say the greatest - and surely the greatest voyager - is the man called Sparrowhawk. As a reckless, awkward boy, he discovered the great power that was in him - with terrifying consequences. Tempted by pride to try spells beyond his means, Sparrowhawk lets loose an evil shadow-beast in his land. Only he can destroy it, and the quest leads him to the farthest corner of Earthsea.

Ursula Le Guin was born in Berkley, California, in 1929, daughter of the writer Theodora Krober and the anthropologist Alfred Krober. Her published work includes twenty-one novels, eleven volumes of short stories, three collections of essays, twelve books for children, six volumes of poetry and four of translation. Among her novels are the The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed, both winners of the Nebula and Hugo awards, Always Coming Home, winner of the 1985 Kafka Award, and Four Ways to Forgiveness. In 2009 she won her sixth Nebula award for Powers. She died in January 2018 aged 88. 
 
Penguin/Puffin published the first volume of the Earthsea books, A Wizard of Earthsea, in 1971. The Earthsea books have been translated into many languages around the world and are global bestsellers.

The first book of Earthsea is a tale of wizards, dragons and terrifying shadows. 
 
The island of Gont is a land famous for wizards. Of these, some say the greatest - and surely the greatest voyager - is the man called Sparrowhawk. As a reckless, awkward boy, he discovered the great power that was in him - with terrifying consequences. Tempted by pride to try spells beyond his means, Sparrowhawk lets loose an evil shadow-beast in his land. Only he can destroy it, and the quest leads him to the farthest corner of Earthsea. 
 
'One of the literary greats of the 20th century' Margaret Atwood

Ursula Le Guin

Ngadi Smart

'One of the literary greats of the 20th century' - Margaret Atwood 
 
Earthsea: The First Four Books is a collection of one of the most beloved and influential fantasy works of all time. The series follows two main characters: Ged, who grows from an arrogant boy to one of the most powerful mages Earthsea has ever known; and Tenar, who escapes her fate as a child-priestess, and must fight for a life of her own. 
 
Filled with soaring, dangerous and beautifully-spun magic; evocative, sweeping settings; and extraordinarily vivid, emotionally complex characters, once read, the Earthsea series will never be forgotten.

Ursula Le Guin

Earthsea: The First Four Books

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