YA Animal Main & Side Characters
These YA books feature animal main characters or animal companions!
Alanna : the first adventure
Pierce, Tamora, author
1983
Eleven-year-old Alanna, who aspires to be a knight even though she is a girl, disguises herself as a boy to become a royal page, a learning many hard lessons along her path to high adventure.
Birth of the Firebringer
Pierce, Meredith Ann
1985
Aljan, the headstrong son of the prince of the unicorns, becomes a warrior and discovers his destiny in his people's struggle against the hideous wyrms usurping their land.
Black wings beating
London, Alex, author
2018
The people of Uztar have long looked to the sky with hope and wonder. Nothing in their world is more revered than the birds of prey and no one more honored than the falconers who call them to their fists. Brysen strives to be a great falconer--while his twin sister, Kylee, rejects her ancient gifts for the sport and wishes to be free of falconry. She's nearly made it out, too, but a war is rolling toward their home in the Six Villages, and no bird or falconer will be safe. Together the twins must journey into the treacherous mountains to trap the Ghost Eagle, the greatest of the Uztari birds and a solitary killer. Brysen goes for the boy he loves and the glory he's long craved, and Kylee to atone for her past and to protect her brother's future. But both are hunted by those who seek one thing: power.
Cat + gamer. Volume 1
Nadatani, Wataru, author, illustrator
2022
"Riko, a twenty-nine-year-old office worker with an obsession for video games, finds her quiet life upended when she takes in a stray cat! Having no experience with pets, Riko uses lessons drawn from video games to guide her in cat care, while her cute companion tries to understand her behavior through a cat's worldview."--Page [4] of cover.
Cat on the hero's lap. 1
Iijima, Kousuke, author.
2023
In this hilarious fantasy adventure, will the hero triumph against the evil demon king, or face defeat...because he can't fight with a cat on his lap?! Our brave hero, Red, has embarked alongside his companions on a journey to defeat the great demon king. Or at least, that was the plan. But then a cat sat on Red's lap and fell asleep. There's no way he can fight monsters like this! As it turns out, Red's greatest enemy is right on top of him!
A deadly education : a novel
Novik, Naomi, author
2020
"In the start of an all-new series, the author of Uprooted and Spinning Silver introduces you to a school for the magically gifted where failure means certain death--until one girl begins to unlock its many secrets. Enter a school of magic unlike any you have ever encountered: There are no teachers, no holidays, and no friendships save strategic ones. Survival is more important than any letter grade, for the school won't allow its students to leave until they graduate... or die. The rules are deceptively simple: Don't walk the halls alone. And beware of the monsters who lurk everywhere. El is uniquely prepared for the school's dangers. She may be without allies, but she possesses a dark power strong enough to level mountains and wipe out untold millions. It would be easy enough for El to defeat the monsters that prowl the school. The problem? Her powerful dark magic might also kill all the other students. So El is trying her hardest not to use her power... at least not until she has no other option. Meanwhile, her fellow student, the insufferable Orion Lake, is making heroism look like a breeze. He's saved hundreds of lives--including El's--with his flashy combat magic. But in the spring of their junior year, after Orion rescues El for the second time and makes her look like more of an outcast than she already is, she reaches an impulsive conclusion: Orion Lake must die. But El is about to learn some lessons she never could in the classroom: About the school. About Orion Lake. And about who she really is. Wry, witty, endlessly inventive, and mordantly funny--yet with a true depth at its heart--this enchanting novel reminds us that there are far more important things than mere survival."-- Provided by publisher.
Earthsea : the first four books
Le Guin, Ursula K., 1929-2018, author.
2016
Ged is but a goatherd on the island of Gont when he comes by his strange powers over nature. Sent to the School of Wizards on Roke, he learns the true way of magic and proves himself a powerful magician. And it is as the Archmage Sparrowhawk that he helps the High Priestess Tenar escape the labyrinth of darkness. But over the years, Ged witnesses true magic and the ancient ways submit to the forces of evil and death. Will he too succumb, or can he hold them back?
Elatsoe
Little Badger, Darcie, author
2020
When Apache teen Ellie's cousin dies, her ghost dog Kirby tells her he was murdered, so with the help of her family, her best friend Jay, and the memory of her great, great, great, great, great, great grandmother, Elatsoe, she must track down the killer and unravel the mystery.
Eragon
Paolini, Christopher, author
2005
Fifteen-year-old Eragon believes that he is merely a poor farm boy - until his destiny as a Dragon Rider is revealed. Gifted with only an ancient sword, a loyal dragon, and sage advice from an old storyteller, Eragon is soon swept into a dangerous tapestry of magic, glory, and power. Now his choices could save - or destroy - the Empire.
Green rider
Britain, Kristen.
1998
The Green Rider, one of the legendary messengers of the king, bears a life and death message for the King.
Ratha's creature : the first book of the Named
Bell, Clare.
2007
Twenty-five million years in the past, a society of intelligent cats pushed close to extinction meets an enemy band of raiding predatory cats in a decisive battle which will determine the future for both.
Reynard the Fox
Avery, Anne Louise, author.
2020
"Reynard--a subversive, dashing, anarchic, aristocratic, witty fox from the watery lowlands of medieval East Flanders--is in trouble. He has been summoned to the court of King Noble the Lion, charged with all manner of crimes and misdemeanors. How will he pit his wits against his accusers--greedy Bruin the Bear, pretentious Courtoys the Hound, and dark and dangerous Isengrim the Wolf--to escape the gallows?"--Dust jacket flap.
Sabriel
Nix, Garth, author.
2021
Enter the Old Kingdom, a world of dark secrets and dangerous magic. As a child, Sabriel was sent across the Wall to Ancelstierre to safety. Now eighteen years old, she receives a cryptic and desperate message from her father, the Abhorsen--the magical protector whose task it is to bind and send back to Death those who won't stay Dead. Fiercely determined to help her father, who is perilously trapped in Death, and save him from the sinister Free Magic entity that has somehow ensnared him, Sabriel must prepare to enter Death herself--and find her destiny. To preserve life, the Abhorsen must enter death. Exclusive content, including an original short story featuring Sabriel, an essay from Garth Nix about his writing process, and photographs of the author's handwritten manuscript, complete this special edition.
The tiger's tongue
Stephens, Olivia, author
2023
"Under the militant rule of The Tiger?́?s People, empowered by their animal familiars, the Claw is on the brink of war. At the precipice of adulthood, twin princesses Kelindi and Aridani hold the future of the Claw in their hands. Kelindi would sue for peace with The River?́?s People, those who were subjugated ?́?to bring order,?́? while Aridani has never aspired to rule. But an ancient prophecy is revealed that?́?ll force fate?́?s hand for the sisters?́Œ" --Publisher.
Wild magic
Pierce, Tamora, author
2015
"Thirteen-year-old Daine has always had a special connection with animals, but only when she's forced to leave home does she realize it's more than a knack -- it's magic. With this wild magic, not only can Daine speak to animals, but she can also make them obey her. Daine takes a job handling horses for the Queen's Riders, where she meets the master mage Numair and becomes his student. Under Numairs guidance, Daine explores the scope of her magic. But she encounters other beings too, who are not so gentle. These terrifying creatures, called Immortals, have been imprisoned in the Divine Realms for the past four hundren years -- but now someone has broken the barrier. And it's up to Daine and her friends to defend their world from an Immortal attack." -- Inside front dust-jacket.