Great Books for the Kid Who Dreams of Caring for Magical Creatures

Beast Keeper (Beasts of Olympus #1), by Lucy Coats
This story tells how a boy in ancient Greece gets whisked up to Olympus to tend the menagerie of mythological creatures kept there when they aren’t on earth fighting heroes. 10-year-old Demon (short for Pandemonium) isn’t an ordinary kid. His dad’s Pan, god of wild creatures, and Demon has a preternatural knack for monster-whispering that comes in handy when confronted with the wild and wacky beasts of Olympus. It’s not the poo (though there’s plenty of it), or even the terrible wounds inflicted by Hercules on the poor monsters that makes Demon anxious—instead it’s that nasty sense that he’s only a whisker away from provoking immortal wrath (Greek gods are tricky that way).
But all ends well, with more books to enjoy (Hound of Hades, Steeds of the Gods, and Dragon Healer). Beast Keeper’s premise has lots of kid appeal (what animal lover wouldn’t want to hang out with mythological creatures!), and for some the poo references will add to the fun. These are books that will probably become dog-eared on the shelves of a second grade classroom, and future sequels will be pounced on happily.
For the Third Grader

Clover’s Luck, by Kallie George
The titular heroine of Clover’s Luck is pretty sure she is utterly unlucky, a feeling confirmed when her pet bird escapes (she has especially bad luck with pets, which hurts, because she loves them so).  Clover pursues the escapee into the woods, sorry for herself and rather anxious, for the people in her village always avoid the forest, knowing it to be a strange, unchancy place. But she is plucky and keeps going, and sees a sign that seems to be written just for her, calling for volunteers who love animals to help at the “M.A.A.A.” And she follows the directions to the Magical Animal Adoption Agency, where no pet is too unusual to adopt.
By “unusual” the agency really means “unusual”—enchanted toads, unicorns, and even a young dragon are currently in residence. Clover is thrilled to have found a great way to spend her summer, but when the proprietor of the M.A.A.A. takes off almost immediately, leaving Clover in charge, she has more responsibility than she wants. Strange folk arrive to adopt the creatures, and it’s up to Clover not just to feed and water the animals, but to make sure they are going to the right homes….a pretty challenging task that makes for fun reading. Lots of twists and turns of story lead to happy endings, and Clover realizes she’s not unlucky after all.
Clover’s adventures continue in The Enchanted Egg. Once again she’s left on her own to not only manage the adoptions, but to find whatever it was who hatched from a strange egg when no one was looking, and promptly disappeared. It’s a friendly series, great for elementary school readers who would rather cuddle dragons than slay them. There are nice bits of humor, and Clover is pleasantly relatable as she rises to challenging occasions.
For the Fourth Grader

Pip Bartlett’s Guide to Magical Creatures, by Jackson Pearce and Maggie Stiefvater
This is one for kids who realize that looking after fantastical animals isn’t a walk in a park full of rainbows! In Pip’s world, imaginary creatures are real, and she has the rare gift of being able to talk them. After her first try at unicorn riding goes awfully wrong, Pip is sent off to her Aunt Emma, veterinarian of the Cloverton Clinic for Magical Creatures. When magical creatures called fuzzles infest Cloverton, Pip’s gift and determination save the day.
The fuzzles look cute, but make bad pets–bursting into flame when they get excited, and breeding fast. When the town starts burning down, Aunt Emma is pressured to get rid of the fuzzles. Pip and her new friend Tomas (allergic to just about everything, including magical creatures, but a stalwart companion) set out to find out what’s behind the infestation before the critters are exterminated. Adding interest for kids who are scientifically minded, pages from “Jeffrey Higgleston’s Guide to Magical Creatures” along with Pip’s comments and corrections, are sprinkled throughout the story; in Pip’s mind, the study of the creatures is almost as important as keeping them safe.

The Nathaniel Fudd, Beastologist series, by R. A. LaFevers
Also good for fourth graders, and one of my own personal favorite series about magical creatures, are the books about Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist, by R.L. LaFevers. Young Nathaniel is the latest member of the Fludds to take on the familial responsibility of studying and protecting “mythical” creatures, and the books tell of the adventures had by Nathaniel and his aunt as they travel from one mission to the next
There are four books: Flight of the Phoenix, The Basilisk’s Lair, The Wyvern’s Treasure, and The Unicorn’s Tale. Each recounts Nathanial’s adventures around the world, tracking and protecting the magical creatures of the titles. There’s danger aplenty, from sinister kidnappers to a Fludd relative who’s bent on betraying all the ethical principles of protecting the creatures that true Beastologists hold dear. Nathanial has much to learn about magical creatures, and he has to learn on the ground, and fast!
Though the plots are decently complex, the language is simple enough for a 4th grader to enjoy, and the numerous illustrations and light touches of comic relief make the books especially friendly. The wyverns in particular are enjoyable reading, as is Nathaniel’s on-going friendship with a gremlin named Greasel (made difficult by his aunt’s disapproval of that species).
For the Fifth Grader

A Dragon’s Guide to the Care and Feeding of Humans, by Laurence Yep & Joanne Ryder
A lovely twist on raising magical creatures. A dragon, Miss Drake, acquires a “pet” human girl, Winnie, when Winnie moves into her deceased great aunt’s home. Winnie knows her aunt shared her home with a dragon, and sets out first thing to explore the big old house to find it.  Miss Drake is very doubtful about being found by Winnie, and isn’t at all sure she’s ready to train a new pet, especially such a vigorous and curious one! But Winnie’s companionship is just what Miss Drake needs, and Winnie, who is herself mourning the loss of her father, needs it too.
And in the meantime, there are magical highjinks aplenty, for Miss Drake isn’t the only fantastical being around….When the sketches Winnie draws in a magical notebook escape from the pages and start roaming the city, the two must track them down and re-capture them before they can work mischief.  This gives excitement to the story, without ever being really scary, and without overshadowing the unlikely friendship that’s at the heart of the book. It’s fun, and funny, and moving, and a great one for any younger middle grade readers who would love to make friends with a dragon.
For the Sixth Grader

The Menagerie, by Tui T. Sutherland and Kari Sutherland
This is the story of Logan, an ordinary boy who meets a family that tends mythical creatures (from unicorns and merfolk and dragons to a goose that lays golden eggs) and finds he has a knack for baby griffin wrangling.  But the sanctuary is threatened by both regulatory watchdogs and a more personal enemy who seems bent on sabotage. The six baby griffins are utterly charming, and their escapades around town when they escape from the menagerie make for truly entertaining reading.
In the second book in the series, Dragon on Trial, the goose that lays golden eggs has been murdered, and all the evidence points to a dragon named Scratch. If Scratch is found guilty, he’ll be exterminated. Logan and Zoe, whose family runs the menagerie, are convinced the dragon has been framed.  But unless they find the real murderer (if murder it was), disaster won’t befall Scratch alone—the whole menagerie might be shut down by those in Authority. Together with a new friend, a were-rooster named Marcus, they set off to find the answers that will save Scratch.
The attempted sabotage of the menagerie by a mysterious enemy continues in the third book, Krakens and Lies. Someone has helped the deadly basilisk escape, and the merpeople have gone on strike, leaving the monstrous kraken unguarded. Once again Zoe and Logan set to work investigating, and start uncovering answers to a more personal mystery—the fate of Logan’s mom, a famous creature tracker, who disappeared years ago.
This series is just full of kid appeal. It beautifully combines the anxieties of middle school life with a truly wonderful collection of magical creatures.   The characters and the set-up are so convincing that the menagerie almost seems possible.
For the Sixth or Seventh Grader

The Fablehaven series, by Brandon Mull
The Fablehaven books are perhaps the most widely known series about ordinary kids finding themselves involved in keeping magical creatures safe. 13-year-old Kendra and her 11-year-old brother Seth, weren’t supposed to find out that their grandparents’ place out in the country was really Fablehaven, a secret magical preserve, home to a huge variety of magical beings, not all of them friendly. But once they begin to see the creatures, they are launched into a series of magical adventures that become progressively more dangerous. Although the first book in the series works just fine for younger readers of nine or so, the books get older in feel (with fiercer monsters, and more mature emotional content) as the series goes on, and so I’d offer them to a slightly older middle grade reader.
There are five books in the main series: Fablehaven, Rise of the Evening Star, Grip of the Shadow Plague, Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary, and Keys to the Demon Prison.
There’s also a  recently released companion book, The Caretaker’s Guide to Fablehaven, which provides all sorts of details about the magical creatures of the books, copiously illustrated and full of delightful tidbits of information that will please any fan of the series.
All of these would make great gifts for the young mythical creature fan, especially when paired with a new addition to your kid’s own stuffed mythical menagerie!
Would your young reader love to care for magical creatures?