Hello, people! Isabelle Knight here again, and today, I’ll be sharing my top recommendations for MG Fantasy books with diversity! MG Fantasy is honestly, just such an amazing genre with so much to explore – amazing characters, magical worlds – and it really lets your imagination run wild! I, personally, think that diversity in MG Fantasy is super important. There are a lot of people in this world, and we want our readers to be able to see themselves in the book world, to be able to relate to someone who’s like them! And I could go on and on and on, but I think you – and I – already know what you’re here for.
So look no further, because I am a TOTAL bookworm, have read over 500 books in a year, and a lot of them have PLENTY of diversity! So here are all my recommendations for brilliant MG Fantasy (or MG Adventure. Sometimes I’ll throw in a few that are less fantasy, more contemporary but… mostly MG Fantasy) books with diversity where readers can relate to the characters and really just see themselves in the pages!
1. Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B Alston
I love this book. That’s what I have to say. It is EVERYTHING I love in MG Fantasy, BRILLIANT, AMAZING, RICH world-building, relatable characters with all their flaws, quirks, and personalities, and of course… (my personal favorite) betrayals. This is definitely one of the best MG Fantasy books with diversity out there with an African-American female protagonist. There’s really that Black Girl Magic vibe going on here, and there are just SO MANY ELEMENTS of MG Fantasy that I really love!
Amari and the Night brothers follows the adventures of an African-American girl, Amari Peters, in this stunning MG fantasy/sci-fi book! Amari’s brother, Quinton Peters, has gone missing, but Amari has never stopped believing in him. When she finds a sort of ticket in Quinton Peter’s closet, she is suddenly sucked into (figuratively. No literal sucking like in Enchantria here) a brand new world of fairies, magic, and all things supernatural. Now she has to compete for a spot in a secretive organization that might hold the key to rescuing Quinton. But that’s going to be harder than it looks, especially when all the kids around her have known magic their whole lives, and it’s made even harder when her supernaturally enhanced ability is deemed illegal. But she has to pass the tryouts to find out what happened to Quinton.
I’m bad at book summarization, so sorry if that was a messy attempt. But anyway, I absolutely love this book! It definitely has a lot of Black Girl Magic here, and right now, I’d say it would best be described as Artemis Fowl meets Nevermoor. There are a bunch of sci-fi elements involved here, especially with the organization, but at the same time, there’s a lot of magic, wonder, sort of whimsy, like Nevermoor. And it is a PERFECT combination and is so well-done. I love it, and I definitely recommend it!
2. Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
I love this book so much! It has a lot of Native American mythology with a female Native American protagonist! It gives you a look into the really deep and rich history of Native Americans and their mythology. Plus, it has an amazing, relatable protagonist!
This book follows the adventures of a Native American girl, Nizhoni Begay. Ever since she was young, she and her brother have been able to see strange things. Things no one else notices. Monsters. And when her father’s new about-to-be boss turns out to be a monster and no one believes her and her father goes missing, the two siblings have to set out on a quest to rescue him, with their friend David. But they need the help of the Diné Holy People, and their aid comes at a price. The three friends/siblings will have to face a series of trials to reach the Sun House where they will find a bunch of weapons to help them defeat the ancient monsters…
Sounds amazing, right? And the writing style of this book (chef’s kiss). Absolutely amazing! I felt like I was right there in the story along with Nizhoni, going along all of her crazy adventures. There’s a lot of humor in this book and it has a relatively quick pace, which is great for holding the attention of young readers like me! It’s got everything I love, and all the characters are just so relatable with their own flaws, problems, quirks, and everything! I really love how Nizhoni’s stuffed horned toad comes alive!
3. Winston Chu vs. the Whimsies by Stacey Lee
I have heard of this book and the way it really incorporated Chinese mythology, and I have seen it pop up in my recommended books tons of times! I finally found time to read it, and I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed it! I am Chinese so… The book has a lot of humor, and it’s just so well written in a way that instantly hooks you in and leaves you wanting more!
The book is about a boy named Winston Chu (as seen in the title) who goes to a cooking academy. While skateboarding home from school, he stops a robbery (gasp) at Mr. Pangs Whimsies, an oddities shop in Chinatown. And then Mr. Pang invites Winston to choose any item in his shop ass a reward. But he warns Winston to browse carefully. Because the first thing he touches will be the thing he gets. But then a magpie shows up, flies under a shelf, and he gets an old broom to sweep it out. You guessed it. He got the broom. Along with the dustpan that goes with it. But when he gets home and shoves the broom and dustpan into the closet, a bunch of his beloved posessions go missing. And the first thing he thinks of are the broom and dustpan. And how maybe… they might’ve taken his stuff. But it’s not just stuff anymore. Because… surprise, A PERSON GOES MISSING! Winston and his friends will have to fight magic with magic in this stunning, hilarious, well-written MG Fantasy!
The book is humorous and extremely well written, and I really loved all the characters and how the author really succeeds in building up a whole lot of tension and intrigue through the book! I definitely recommend it for fans of Percy Jackson! The whole book is based off a Chinese folk tale (I think it was a folk tale), so if you’re interested in that definitely go check it out!
4. The Last Fallen Star by Graci Kim
Read it. Re-read it. LOVED IT! This is one of my favorite books, and for good reason! It is just so amazing and focuses on Korean mythology. I just love this book so much!
The book is about a Korean girl named Riley Oh who is adopted. Her sister is about to be initiated into the Gom clan which is a powerful lineage of Korean healing witches. Her sister will earn her Gi bracelet and be able to cast lots of spells. And Riley wants to do the same when she turns thirteen. But she’s a saram, a person without magic. She’s studied and memorized EVERY SINGLE healing spell she’s ever heard, but she doesn’t have any magic. But when Hattie gets an idea – one that involves the two of them casting a spell that would let Riley share her magic, they decide to perform the spell at her initiation ceremony. If it works… well, everything will be fixed. But instead, thigns gake a turn for the worse, and the two of them end up violating the laws of the Godrealm. Hattie’s life is now hanging in the balance, and to save her, Riley must find the last fallen star. But it’s an impossible task. Especially since she doesn’t even know what the fallen star is. But if she fails, Hattie dies.
I absolutely LOVE this book! The author does a brilliant job of building an amazing world, crafting relatable characters with all their struggles and flaws. I especially love the world-building. There’s a ton of Korean mythology here and so much magic, fantasy, and everything I LOVE! There are such strong themes here which, again, I also love. The themes such as family, belonging, etc. just really made me love this book! It’s also part of a series, so if you love this book, well, there are two more books in the series for you to enjoy!
5. Paola Santiago and the River of Tears by Tehlor Kay Mejia
Wow. That is the very first thing I have to say about this book. Paola Santiago and the River Tears is an amazing book with a strong female protagonist! I think she’s of Spanish/Mexican heritage, but it’s been a while since I read the book, and my memory’s cluttered. So I apologize beforehand if I get her heritage wrong here.
The book is about twelve-year-old Paola Santiago. She has to best friends, Emma and Dante. And ever since a classmate of theirs drowned a year ago, they’ve only heard this one rule. Stay. Away. From. The River. But for Paola, it’s not just because her schoolmate drowned. It’s because her mother is always warning her about La Llonora, a – no, the – wailing ghost woman who wanders the banks of the Gila at night. Looking for people to drown. Paola hates her mother’s superstitions and she knows that she and her friends aren’t going to go into the water. So she decides to arrange a meet-up to test her new telescope in the best stargazing spot – near the Gila. But her friend, Emma never arrives and Pao (this is her nickname, and it’s easier to type, so I’ll just be calling her Pao) sees a shadowy figure in the weeds/reeds, she suspects that her mother was right. She’s always just relied on hard facts and science. That’s the world she’s known. But if she wants to find Emma, she’s going to have to enter the world of her nightmares – mist, monsters, etc. Oh, and did I mention the ghost woman? Oh, and warriors and GHOSTS.
This book literally gave me chills, and I finished it in a single day – no, scratch that. At dinner and then later, up in my room – because I just had to find out what happened next. This author’s writing style is exactly the kind that will pull you straight into the story and leave you wanting more with every single page. I just couldn’t stop. I absolutely love this book, and Pao is just a really relatable protagonist with her own personality. Plus, this incorporates a bunch of Spanish/Mexican folk tales! Definitely a must-read for MG Fantasy with a few chills.
6. Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi
I’ve mentioned this book a couple times before, and I’ll mention it again. I LOVE THIS BOOK! It is just so awesome, amazing, and I absolutely love Aru and all the characters here! I read the first book on Kindle Unlimited and just had to read the rest of it, so I bought the series in paperback form. They are currently sitting proudly on my bookshelf.
The book is about twelve-year-old Aru Shah who lives in the Museum of Indian Art and Culture with her mother. She doesn’t have a lot of money, and while her classmates have a lot of it and are jetting off to a bunch of cool places for vacations, she’s stuck at the museum. So is it a wonder that she often… ‘exaggerates’ a few details at school? But one day, her classmates show up at her doorstep and catch her in a lie. They don’t believe her claims that the Lamp of Bharata – a lamp at the museum – is cursed. And they dare Aru to prove it. So Aru does it. But when she lights the lamp, she accidentally frees the Sleeper, an ancient demon to plan to wake the God of Destruction and bring an end to time. Her classmates and mother are frozen in time, and when a pigeon named Boo shows up (yeah, yeah, long story), Aru discovers that she is one of the reincarnations of the five legendary Pandava brothers, the protagonists of the Hindu epic poem, the Mahabharata. With her brand-new soul sister, Mini, Aru has to journey through the Kingdom of Death to find their weapons and stop the Sleeper. Preferably before he destroys time.
This book is absolutely beautiful, and I loved it so much! I actually cried during the fifth book. Again, just like with Paola Santiago and the River of Tears, Roshani Chokshi’s writing is the kind that pulls you straight into the story and leaves you wanting more with every page. The book is relatively fast-paced, which holds the reader’s attention really well, and there’s just so much humor. I laughed SO HARD while reading this book, I actually gave myself a stomachache. A DEFINITE must-read, especially for those looking for books with diversity (Aru Shah has an Indian heritage) and fans of MG Fantasy. And I will NOT TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER. This is a DEFINITE must-read. Like a DEFINITE must-read. Put this on your to be read list or else.
7. The Girl Who Looked Beyond the Stars by L.B Anne
I honestly just picked up this book because of its cover (it’s got an AMAZING cover), and I’m really glad I did! This is an MG Fantasy, and I’d say it’s fairly religious (Christian), so just keep that in mind. But the plot was intriguing, and I really liked the MC! It’s been a while since I read this, so my memory’s a little fuzzy, and I’ve had to refer to the book blurb.
This book is about a girl named Sheena Meyer, and it is a Christian science-fiction-fantasy with a whole bunch of mystery. Sheena Meyer is the kind of girl who’s friendly and curious, questioning and investigating everything. It drives her parents and tecahers nuts. She’s spent her whole life waiting for a grand event to happen and change her life. But little does she know, an evil called the Murk is coming for her because of a gift she knows nothing about.
Long ago (nine years ago) an angel appeared in front of a few children all over the world. It happened to Sheena Meyer. She was four years old. She was the only child who saw it. Now she’s thirteen and haslong since forgotten what she saw. But when her father is in a terrible accident, she sees a supernatural being save him. And that one event… well, let’s just say it sets off a whole bunch of things, and Sheena Meyer will be swept into an adventure and change the world.
Honestly, this is a pretty good book, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Sheena Meyer is a very relatable and strong character, and there is a lot of humor in this book! It has a quick pace, and it really held my attention. I actually finished the whole series and may have shed a few tears along the way… As I said, it is a Christian MG Fantasy book, so if you are interested in that, then DEFINITELY go check this out!
Conclusion
So those are all my book recs for MG Fantasy with diversity! Also, I know there are WAAAY more but I either haven’t read them, didn’t really enjoy them, and also, I’m pretty tired from writing this blog post. But if you would like to look for more MG Fantasy books on Diversity, then I definitely recommend all the Rick Riordan Presents books!
If you don’t know what that is, Rick Riordan Presents is a branch of Disney Hyperion that aims to publish books (mostly children’s, but they also do adults’ and YA) sort of with diversity. It gives authors a chance to publish books based on their own background and mythology which I think is amazing, so if you would like to find some more books, definitely go check those out! So yeah, I think this wraps up this post for now!
Thank you all so much for coming, and I’ll see you again in the next post! Also, don’t forget to follow up on updates on my YouTube channel and this blog for news and teasers on the release of book three!!! And yes, there is a book three. Did you miss the announcement? So yeah, cheerio, adios, and I shall see you in a few!! Byeee!!!!!
Isabelle
P.S. Feel free to comment on my blog to ask me a few questions (I plan to do a Q&A soon) and also to recommend a few MG Fantasy books with diversity that you have read that have not shown up in here!
