But with the amazing success of the Harry Potter books by J. K. Rowling, children’s fantasy literature has been seeing a real upsurge.

The Lemony Snickett books, for instance, are now more numerous than the Harry Potter books. Written in a tone reminiscent of mock-tragic Victorian fairy tales, the Snickett books tell a story about three tragically orphaned children and the Series of Unfortunate Events that overtakes their lives. Sounds heavy for kids? Maybe. But it also shows the children overcoming evil with nothing but their own inner strength, and the bad guy loses in the end. And it’s a great way to teach children to laugh at the things they’re afraid of.

Another fantasy series for children, this one predating the Harry Potter books, is the Redwall series by Brian Jaques. Redwall tells the story of a brave mouse who overcame overwhelming odds and evil to defend his home at Redwall Abbey. All the characters are animals of one sort or another. And though talking animal stories have been done to death, the Redwall books are excellent.

For older readers, consider some of the books in the adult fantasy section, like the Piers Anthony Xanth series, or the Myth, Inc. books by Robert Lynn Asprin.

There are many other less-known series, like Deltorra Quest or The Magic Tree House, but it comes down to this: children’s literature is seeing a renaissance, and most of it is in fantasy literature. And that’s easy to understand; when a child is learning about the world, more of it seems magical to him or her than it does to an adult. And when the magic starts to disappear, it’s only natural to want to get a little of it back, if only in books.