Genre Mash: RTW x Fantasy

Participating in Read the World this year? Here are some fantasy titles to check out!

Updated April 14, 2026
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And this is how to stay alive
Kagunda, Shingai
Paper Book
In & This is How to Stay Alive by Shingai Njeri Kagunda, Nyokabi's world unravels after her brother Baraka's death by suicide. When an eccentric auntie gives Nyokabi a potion that sends her back in time to when Baraka was still alive, it becomes her only goal to keep him that way. Nyokabi...

RTW Africa (Kenya)

The dragonfly sea
Owuor, Yvonne Adhiambo
Paper Book
NAMED A REAL SIMPLE BOOK OF THE YEAR From the award-winning author of Dust comes a vibrant, stunning coming-of-age novel about a young woman struggling to find her place in a vast world--a poignant exploration of fate, mortality, love, and loss. On the...

RTW Africa (Kenya)

Iyanu : child of wonder / vol. 01 :
Okupe, Roye
Paper Book
Iyanu, a teenage orphan with no recollection of her past, suddenly discovers that she has abilities that rival the ancient deities told in the folklore of her people. It is these abilities that are the key to bringing back an 'age of wonders,' as Iyanu begins her journey to save a world on the brink...

RTW Africa (Kenya)

Mwikali and the forbidden mask
Nguru, Shiko
Paper Book
12-year-old Mwikali is moving to a new school in Nairobi and just wants her life to be normal. But when she meets Soni, Odwar and Xirsi who reveal that she is descended from an ancient bloodline of legendary Kenyan warriors, all hope of a normal life fades. Now, with an array of malign forces...

RTW Africa (Kenya)

Akata witch
Okorafor, Nnedi
Paper Book
Affectionately dubbed "the Nigerian Harry Potter," Akata Witch weaves together a heart-pounding tale of magic, mystery, and finding one's place in the world. A Kirkus Reviews Best Young Adult Book of the Century Twelve-year-old Sunny lives in Nigeria,...

RTW Africa (Nigeria)

Cursed daughters
Braithwaite, Oyinkan
Paper Book
A READ WITH JENNA TODAY SHOW BOOK CLUB PICK * A young woman must shake off a family curse and the widely held belief that she is the reincarnation of her dead cousin in this wickedly funny, brilliantly perceptive novel about love, female rivalry, and superstition from the...

RTW Africa (Nigeria)

Freshwater
Emezi, Akwaeke
Paper Book
A National Book Foundation "5 Under 35" Honoree Finalist for the PEN/Hemingway Award for a Debut Novel Shortlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize A New York Times Notable Book The astonishing debut novel from the...

RTW Africa (Nigeria)

An orchestra of minorities
Obioma, Chigozie
Paper Book
A heartbreaking story about a Nigerian poultry farmer who sacrifices everything to win the woman he loves, by Man Booker Finalist and author of The Fishermen, Chigozie Obioma. "It is more than a superb and tragic novel; it's a historical treasure."-Boston Globe

RTW Africa (Nigeria)

Djeliya : a West African fantasy epic
Ba, Juni
Paper Book
Inspired by West African folklore and stories handed over centuries, this unique graphic novel follows the adventures of Mansour Keita, last prince of a dying kingdom, and Awa Kouyate, his loyal Djeli, or 'royal storyteller' as they journey to meet the great wizard who destroyed their world and then...

RTW Africa (Senegal)

The crystal ribbon
Lim, Celeste
Paper Book
In the village of Huanan, in medieval China, the deity that rules is the Great Huli Jing. Though twelve-year-old Li Jing's name is a different character entirely from the Huli Jing, the sound is close enough to provide constant teasing-but maybe is also a source of greater destiny and power....

RTW Asia (China)

Foul Lady Fortune
Gong, Chloe
Paper Book
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights and Our Violent Ends comes the "equal parts intoxicating and dazzling" (Roshani Chokshi, New York Times bestselling author of The Gilded Wolves) first book in a captivating new duology...

RTW Asia (China)

The conch bearer
Divakaruni, Chitra Banerjee
Paper Book
In a dingy shack in the less-than-desirable Indian neighborhood he calls home, twelve-year-old Anand is entrusted with a conch shell that possesses mystical powers. His task is to return the shell to its rightful home many hundreds of miles away. Accompanying him are Nisha, a headstrong but...

RTW Asia (India)

Frankenstein in Baghdad : a novel
Sa?da?wi?, Ah?mad
Paper Book
International Booker Prize finalist Winner of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction "Brave and ingenious." --The New York Times "Gripping, darkly humorous . . . profound." --Phil Klay, bestselling author and National Book Award winner for...

RTW Asia (Iraq)

Before the coffee gets cold
Kawaguchi, Toshikazu
Paper Book
*NOW AN LA TIMES BESTSELLER* *AN INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER* The first book in the five million-copy bestselling magical realism series If you could go back in time, who would you want to meet? ...

RTW Asia (Japan)

The cat who saved books : a novel
Natsukawa, So?suke
Paper Book
AN INDIE NEXT PICK! From the #1 bestselling author in Japan comes a cozy, heartwarming fantasy--a celebration of books, cats, and the people who love them, infused with the spirit of The Guest Cat and The Travelling Cat Chronicles. Bookish high school...

RTW Asia (Japan)

Dinner at the night library
Harada, Hika
Paper Book
The Night Library is no ordinary library. Within it are found the rarest and most unusual collections - the books of deceased famous writers: the books they wrote; the books that inspired them; the books they loved.

RTW Asia (Japan)

Kafka on the shore
Murakami, Haruki
Paper Book
WithKafka on the Shore,Haruki Murakami gives us a novel every bit as ambitious and expansive asThe Wind-Up Bird Chronicle,which has been acclaimed both here and around the world for its uncommon ambition and achievement, and whose still-growing popularity suggests that it will be read and admired...

RTW Asia (Japan)

The miracles of the Namiya General Store
Higashino, Keigo
Paper Book
"From exactly midnight until daybreak, the Namiya General Store advice box will be reopening for one night only." When three delinquents hole up in an abandoned general store after their most recent robbery, to their great surprise, a letter drops through the mail slot in the store's shutter. This...

RTW Asia (Japan)

The fox maidens
Ha, Robin
Paper Book
From the bestselling, award-winning creator of Almost American Girl comes an epic new graphic novel fantasy--a queer, feminist reimagining of the Fox Maiden legend from Korean mythology. Perfect for fans of Nimona, Squire, and The Prince and the Dressmaker. Kai Song dreams of being a...

RTW Asia (South Korea)

The rainfall market
Yu, Yo?ng-gwang; Jung, Slin
Paper Book
If you could swap your life for a better one, which would you choose? On the outskirts of Rainbow Town, there is an old, abandoned house. They say that if you send a letter detailing your misfortunes there, you could receive a ticket. If you bring this ticket to the house on the...

RTW Asia (South Korea)

The dark becomes her
Lin, Judy I.
Paper Book
Judy I. Lin, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Magic Steeped in Poison, ventures into horror with Rick Riordan Presents in this a sinister tale of the supernatural, sisterhood, and the shadows that rule our darkest desires. Perfect for fans of Ryan La Sala and Trang Thanh...

RTW Asia (Taiwan)

Artemis Fowl
Colfer, Eoin
Paper Book
Now an original movie on Disney+, here is the book that started it all, the international bestseller about a teenage criminal mastermind and his siege against dangerous, tech-savvy fairies. Twelve-year-old criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl has discovered...

RTW Europe (Ireland)

Batu and the search for the Golden Cup
Nauryzbai?, Zira; Kalaus, Lili?a; Fairweather-Vega, Shelley
Paper Book
A warrior's power lies not in his weapons but in his heart. Batu is just an ordinary kid in present-day Almaty, worried about bullies, school, and his mom's new baby...until the day he meets Aspara, the Golden Warrior. Aspara steps straight out of Batu's notebook cover--and out of...

RTW Europe (Kazakhstan)

The witch and the tsar
Gilmore, Olesya Salnikova
Paper Book
"A delicate weaving of myth and history, The Witch and the Tsar breathes new life into stories you think you know."-Hannah Whitten, New York Times bestselling author of For the Wolf   In this stunning debut novel, the maligned and immortal witch of legend...

RTW Europe (Russia)

When I sing, mountains dance
Sola?, Irene
Paper Book
A spellbinding novel that places one family's tragedies against the uncontainable life force of the land itself. Near a village high in the Pyrenees, Domènec wanders across a ridge, fancying himself more a poet than a farmer, to "reel off his verses over on this side of the...

RTW Europe (Spain)

Let the right one in
Ajvide Lindqvist, John, 1968-
Paper Book
John Ajvide Lindqvist's international bestseller Let the Right One In is "a brilliant take on the vampire myth, and a roaring good story" (New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong), the basis for the multi-film festival award-winning Swedish film, the U.S. adaptation...

RTW Europe (Sweden)

Harry Potter and the sorcerer's stone
Rowling, J.K
Paper Book
Harry Potter spent ten long years living with Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, an aunt and uncle whose outrageous favoritism of their perfectly awful son Dudley leads to some of the most inspired dark comedy since Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. But fortunately for Harry, he's about to be granted a...

RTW Europe (U.K.)

The lion, the witch, and the wardrobe
Lewis, C.S
Paper Book
A beautiful hardcover edition of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, book two in C. S. Lewis's classic fantasy series, The Chronicles of Narnia.  The full-color jacket features art by three-time Caldecott Medal-winning illustrator David Wiesner. The interior includes ...

RTW Europe (U.K.)

The mermaid and Mrs. Hancock : a history in three volumes
Gowar, Imogen Hermes
Paper Book
Shortlisted for the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction * A Refinery 29 Favorite Book of the Year * A Booklist Top 10 First Novels of the Year * A People Best Book of the Fall "Wonderful... completely transporting."  --Madeline Miller, New York Times bestselling author of Circe and...

RTW Europe (U.K.)

Peter Pan
Barrie, J.M
Paper Book
Peter Pan, by J.M. Barrie, is part of the Barnes & Noble Classics series, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader...

RTW Europe (U.K.)

Ghostlight
Oppel, Kenneth
Paper Book
One teen's summer job scaring tourists with ghost stories takes a terrifying turn when he accidentally summons the spirit of a dead girl--and she has demands. . . .   The award-winning author of Airborn delivers a roller-coaster ride of a story about the wakeful and...

RTW North America (Canada)

Secret of the moon conch
Bowles, David; McCall, Guadalupe Garcia
Paper Book
Award-winning authors David Bowles and Guadalupe García McCall join forces to craft a sweeping fantasy romance about falling in love despite all odds. In modern-day Mexico, Sitlali is all alone after the death of her beloved abuela. Targeted by a dangerous gang member,...

RTW North America (Mexico)

Molly & Pim and the millions of stars
Murray, Martine
Paper Book
For fans of Katherine Rundell's Rooftoppers comes a story about mothers and daughters and magical trees that Rebecca Stead calls "an utter delight."   All Molly wants is to be normal like her friend Ellen Palmer. Ellen, with her neat braids and a tidy house and a...

RTW Oceania (Australia)

The night ship
Kidd, Jess
Paper Book
Based on a true story, an epic historical novel from the award-winning author of Things in Jars that illuminates the lives of two characters: a girl shipwrecked on an island off Western Australia and, three hundred years later, a boy finding a home with his grandfather on the very same...

RTW Oceania (Australia)

The house of the spirits
Allende, Isabel
Paper Book
A best seller and critical success all over the world, The House of the Spirits is the magnificent epic of the Trueba family -- their loves, their ambitions, their spiritual quests, their relations with one another, and their participation in the history of their times, a history that becomes...

RTW South America (Chile)

Lobizona
Garber, Romina
Paper Book
"Garber's gorgeous novel combines the wonder of a Hogwarts-style magic school with the Twilight-esque dynamics of a hidden magical species that has strict rules about interacting with the human world." - BOOKLIST (Starred Review) Some people ARE illegal. Lobizonas...

RTW South American (Argentina)


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