Recommendations based on The Hero and the Crownby Robin McKinley

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. The Blue Sword

    by Robin McKinley
    A young girl embarks on an epic adventure, discovering courage, strength, and her true identity.

    This is the story of Harry Crewe, the Homelander orphan girl who becomes Harimad-sol, King's Rider, and heir to the Blue Sword, Gonturan, which no woman had wielded since the legendary Lady Aerin ... (Wikipedia)

  2. Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast

    by Robin McKinley
    An unconventional retelling of a classic fairytale, exploring themes of love and transformation.

    Roderick Huston, a wealthy merchant and widower, has three daughters; Grace, Hope, and Honour. When Honour was a child she asked what her name meant and afterwards said she'd rather be named Beauty, ... (Wikipedia)

  3. Sunshine

    by Robin McKinley
    Rae, a young girl, discovers her magical powers and must navigate a world of politics and power struggles to save her kingdom from darkness.

    The story is set in an alternate universe , taking place after the "Voodoo Wars", a conflict between humans and the "Others". The Others mainly consist of vampires , werewolves , and demons , though ... (Wikipedia)

  4. Howl’s Moving Castle

    by Diana Wynne Jones
    A young woman embarks on an adventure to break a curse and reclaim her identity in a magical world.

    18-year-old Sophie Hatter is the eldest of three sisters living in Market Chipping, a town in the magical kingdom of Ingary, where fairytale tropes are accepted ways of life, including that the ... (Wikipedia)

  5. The Goose Girl

    by Shannon Hale
    A young princess must overcome great obstacles to reclaim her rightful throne.

    When crown princess Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee was born, she did not open her eyes until her aunt held her. The woman became her nursemaid and constant companion, nicknaming her Ani and telling ... (Wikipedia)

  6. Sabriel

    by Garth Nix
    A young woman embarks on a quest to save her kingdom from an ancient evil, confronting her own mortality.

    The book opens with Sabriel raising a freshly killed rabbit from death. She is a young girl attending Wyverly College, an all-female boarding school in Ancelstierre. An undead creature enters the ... (Wikipedia)

  7. Sorcery & Cecelia: or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot

    by Patricia C. Wrede
    Two cousins in Regency England exchange letters detailing their adventures with magic, romance, and a mysterious chocolate pot.

    A great deal is happening in London and the country this season. For starters, there's the witch who tried to poison Kate at the Royal College of Wizards. There's also the man who seems to be spying ... (Goodreads)

  8. Abhorsen

    by Garth Nix
    A young heroine embarks on a perilous quest to save her kingdom from a powerful enemy.

    The Abhorsen's House is besieged by Dead Hands led by Chlorr of the Mask under the control of Hedge the Necromancer, who in turn serves Orannis the Destroyer. With the help of their familiars Mogget ... (Wikipedia)

  9. Dragonflight

    by Anne McCaffrey
    A young dragonrider embarks on a mission to save her kingdom from a mysterious threat.

    Dragonflight is the story of Lessa , the sole survivor of the noble ruling family of Ruatha Hold on the northern continent of Pern. When the rest of her family is killed by a cruel usurper, Fax , she ... (Wikipedia)

  10. Dragonsinger

    by Anne McCaffrey
    A young singer discovers her magical connection to dragons and embarks on a quest to save her people.

    The novel follows Menolly , now apprenticed into the Harper Hall, a type of music conservatory for harpers ( minstrels /educators) and other music professionals, as she begins her musical training to ... (Wikipedia)

  11. To Say Nothing of the Dog

    by Connie Willis
    Time-traveling historian visits Victorian England in search of an artifact, amidst a comedy of errors.

    Ned Henry is a time traveler in 1940 studying Coventry Cathedral after the Coventry Blitz of World War II . He is specifically searching for the location of the "Bishop's bird stump ", a MacGuffin ... (Wikipedia)

  12. Terrier

    by Tamora Pierce
    An adventure of discovery, as a young girl discovers her true strength and courage to save her beloved city.

    The story is told in the form of a series of journal entries made by Beka Cooper as she trains to become a Provosts Dog, a nickname for the police men and women in the employ of the Lord Provost of ... (Wikipedia)

  13. The Phantom Tollbooth

    by Norton Juster
    A whimsical adventure through a magical land, searching for a way out of the boredom of everyday life.

    Milo is a boy bored by the world around him; every activity seems a waste of time. He arrives home from another boring day at school to find a mysterious package. Among its contents are a small ... (Wikipedia)

  14. Graceling

    by Kristin Cashore
    Adventure story of a young girl who discovers her extraordinary abilities and the risks she must take to protect her kingdom.

    This book tells the story of Katsa, a young woman with a "Grace", or power, which enhances her survival skills and makes her a highly efficient killer. It takes place in a world where Gracelings, or ... (Wikipedia)

  15. A Wizard of Earthsea

    by Ursula K. Le Guin
    A young wizard embarks on a quest to master his own magical powers and battle a mysterious force of evil.

    Ged, the greatest sorcerer in all Earthsea, was called Sparrowhawk in his reckless youth. Hungry for power and knowledge, Sparrowhawk tampered with long-held secrets and loosed a terrible shadow upon ... (Goodreads)

  16. The Thief

    by Megan Whalen Turner
    A thief with a hidden agenda sets off on a journey to reclaim an ancient relic.

    The main character, a boy named Gen (short for Eugenides), is released from prison by the magus of the King of Sounis. Gen had been imprisoned for stealing the King's seal . The magus, whose name is ... (Wikipedia)

  17. The Graveyard Book

    by Neil Gaiman
    A young boy's journey through a graveyard, learning the secrets of the dead.

    The story begins as the man Jack murders most of the members of a family (later revealed to be the Dorian family) except for the toddler upstairs. Unknown to him, the toddler has climbed out of his ... (Wikipedia)

  18. Emperor Mage

    by Tamora Pierce
    A young girl's fantastical journey of self-discovery and growth, learning the power of her own magic.

    Daine is sent with a delegation that includes both Sir Gareths of Naxen, Alanna the Lioness , and Numair Salmalin , to the Emperor Mage of Carthak, in hopes that she can smooth the international ... (Wikipedia)

  19. Calling on Dragons

    by Patricia C. Wrede
    An adventurous girl's mission to save an enchanted kingdom from the dangers of dark magic.

    This novel is the third in the Enchanted Forest series, told from the witch Morwen's perspective. Morwen, a witch who lives in the Enchanted Forest, is having trouble with people who believe that ... (Wikipedia)

  20. The Princess and the Goblin

    by George MacDonald
    A young princess discovers a secret world of goblins and befriends a brave miner boy to save her kingdom from their evil plans.

    Princess Irene's discovery of a secret stair leads to a wonderful revelation. At the same time, Curdie overhears a fiendish plot by the goblins. Princess Irene & Curdie must make sense of their ... (Goodreads)

  21. Anne of Avonlea

    by L.M. Montgomery
    A young girl's coming-of-age in rural Prince Edward Island, full of adventures and misadventures.

    Anne is about to start her first term teaching at the Avonlea school, although she will still continue her studies at home with Gilbert, who is teaching at the nearby White Sands School. The book ... (Wikipedia)

  22. The Riddle

    by Alison Croggon
    A young girl discovers she is the last in a line of powerful mages, and must use her magic to save her world from darkness.

    A young woman embraces her power – and her destiny -- as the thrilling quest begun in THE NAMING continues! Maerad is a girl with a tragic and bitter past, but her powers grow stronger by the day. ... (Goodreads)

  23. Kushiel's Dart

    by Jacqueline Carey
    A story of political intrigue, adventure, and forbidden love, set in a world of gods and mortals.

    The book follows Phèdre nó Delaunay's life from birth. She's born with a mote in her eye, which makes her appear inappropriate for service as a religious courtesan, but it is revealed that this is ... (Wikipedia)

  24. The Dark Is Rising

    by Susan Cooper
    A young boy embarks on a quest to save the world from a mysterious, magical force.

    This night will be bad and tomorrow will be beyond imagining. It's Midwinter's Eve, the day before Will's eleventh birthday. But there is an atmosphere of fear in the familiar countryside around him. ... (Goodreads)

  25. The Forgotten Beasts of Eld

    by Patricia A. McKillip
    An enchanting tale of a young woman's journey to save an ancient kingdom from an evil sorcerer.

    World Fantasy Award-Winner,Newly available in print and e-book editions,"Rich and regal.",—, The New York Times,, Young Sybel, the heiress of powerful wizards, needs the company of no-one outside her ... (Barnes & Noble)

  26. Ender's Shadow

    by Orson Scott Card
    A boy competes in a battle school to save humanity from a deadly alien race.

    Welcome to Battleschool. Growing up is never easy. But try living on the mean streets as a child begging for food and fighting like a dog with ruthless gangs of starving kids who wouldn't hesitate to ... (Goodreads)

  27. The Wednesday Wars

    by Gary D. Schmidt
    A coming-of-age story of a student facing the challenges of the Vietnam War era.

    In this Newbery Honor-winning novel, Gary D. Schmidt offers an unforgettable antihero. The Wednesday Wars is a wonderfully witty and compelling story about a teenage boy’s mishaps and adventures over ... (Goodreads)

  28. The Whipping Boy

    by Sid Fleischman
    A prince and his whipping boy switch places and embark on an adventure to escape danger and learn about each other.

    Prince Horace can be annoying and craving attention from his father, he frequently misbehaves—to the point he is nicknamed "Prince Brat." Since he is a prince, no one may raise a hand against him. ... (Wikipedia)

  29. Lirael

    by Garth Nix
    An orphan girl discovers her magical powers and embarks on a quest to save her kingdom.

    Lirael, the protagonist of the second and third books, is raised as a Clayr, part of a vast family of precognitive women who dwell in a remote glacier within the Old Kingdom. As she lacks the Clayr's ... (Wikipedia)

  30. Doomsday Book

    by Connie Willis
    A time-traveling historian struggles to contain a deadly pandemic in the Middle Ages.

    For Kivrin, preparing an on-site study of one of the deadliest eras in humanity's history was as simple as receiving inoculations against the diseases of the fourteenth century and inventing an alibi ... (Goodreads)