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Garth Nix's novels are probably read 90% for pleasure and 10% for academic reasons such as silent reading or perhaps book reports, but rarely if ever assigned academically. Most, if not all, of his works are Fantasy or Science Fiction novels (all of the ones I've chosen are Fantasy novels), and while they are great novels, these genres just tend not to be canonically represented. In the ALAN Review, Derrick Smith's article (2012) states "The CCSSI [Common Core State Standards Initiative] does contain an exemplar of acceptable stories...35 titles...the closest this list gets to recognizing fantasy or science fiction is the existence of Homer’s The Odyssey" (para. 8). He goes on to explore why there is such an absence of genres, suggesting that they perhaps do not meet the necessary learning requirements, but goes on to show us that novels of these genres do exist that meet those requirements.

James Prothero (1990) reflects on the importance educators have historically placed on myth, and teaching myth as a way of teaching values, and then he suggests that “science fiction and fantasy are present-day forms of mythology and really should be taught as such” (para. 6). He goes on to explain the importance of myth in history and culture, “in the past, meaning has been drawn from the myths and rituals of a culture” (para. 6). He also points out, as Smith did as well, that for the most part, Science Fiction and Fantasy are seen as genres best left in middle school, or even better, in elementary school. They both imply that children are expected to out-grown these genres quickly as they no longer serve academic or intellectual purposes. As they aren't consider to be intellectual genres, they aren't encouraged, and are often discouraged, as acceptable academic materials.

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My recommended age range for Garth Nix's books are 11-14 for his Middle Readers and 14-18 for his older Young Adult novels. Nix's middle readers, such as Have Sword, Will Travel and The Fall are appropriately geared toward their audience in content (though the former does include a few scenes of violence that some parents may object to, but isn't graphic). Have Sword, Will Travel includes themes of honor, friendship, and morality presented in such a way that even younger children could understand and relate to it, and really tie into their development of understanding more abstract concepts, as the main characters are doing the same, so this novel is clearly established as a Middle Reader. The Fall includes much of the same types of themes.
The Young Adult novels are clearly geared toward a higher level with content and complexity, though even still they tend to toe the line. For example, Newt's Emerald explores ideas of romantic love set against the modesty of the era it's based in, as well the ideas of remorse in harming another person, even though it was in self-defense. These are ideas that some younger children could grasp, but are less likely to seek out or focus too long on. Similarly, Frogkisser! deals a great amount with facing responsibilities to family and friends, but also to a greater moral responsibility that our heroine is reluctant to take, much like any child might be in facing new and seemingly impossible responsibility. These themes are handled in a way that make them available to a younger audience, however the themes of mortal danger and death (loss of several loved ones) could be a bit beyond the emotional preparedness of a younger audience. I would consider both of these novels as YA literature.

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Garth Nix was awarded the Aurealis Award in 1995 for Sabriel and 2003 for Abhorsen, which is presented to "recognize the achievements of Australian science fiction, fantasy, and horror writers". In addition to his two wins, Nix was a nominee on the shortlist in '97, '01, '14, and '16.

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This is an image of Garth Nix from an Epic Reads video posted on YouTube in which he tells his fans seven unknown or little known facts about himself, from childhood injuries and experiences with animals to facts about his career as a writer for role playing game magazines and his career as an author.

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Nix was awarded the Peter McNamara Achievement Award in 2014,e which is awarded to Australian Science Fiction writers at the Australian National SF Convention in remembrance of the award's namesake, Peter McNamara.

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This image is of the in-book map from Have Sword, Will Travel and shows readers the distances that Odo and Eleanor travel in the novel. Many fantasy novels that include great amounts of traveling in imagined lands, though not all do. Providing a map in this instances is generally considered by readers to be a mark of great and thoughtful author, because not only do they have such detail to their story that you can map it out, but they've provided a way for their readers to visually follow in the footsteps of the characters.

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This image is of Garth Nix (right) and Sean Williams (left) reading from a book they co-authored together, Troubletwisters, in an Egmont Publishing video on YouTube. While I wasn't able to acquire this book for this assignment, I was able to get their newest collaborative novel, Have Sword, Will Travel. This duo has worked on six novels together and are currently working on a sequel to Have Sword, Will Travel.

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Nix was awarded a special Golden Duck Award in 1999 for Australian Contribution to Children's Science Fiction. The Golden Duck awards are presented "to encourage science fiction literature for children".

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This image is of the in-book map from Garth Nix's The Old Kingdom series, which is one of series he is most known for. The series started with the novel Sabriel in 1995, and it's most recent addition, Goldenhand, was released in 2016. The series consists of 5 novels and 3 novellas.  This series is not included in my annotated bibliography entries, but given it's massive popularity, I felt it still worth mentioning.

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Annotated Bibliography - Have Sword, Will Travel

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Annotated Bibliography - Have Sword, Will Travel

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Nix, G., & Williams, S. (2017). Have sword, will travel. New York, NY: Scholastic Press.

Have Sword, Will Travel is about the young Lenburh villagers Odo, the millers 7th son, and Eleanor, the apothecary's only child. While hunting eels in what barely remains of the river Silverrun, Odo and Eleanor find a sword that turns out to be enchanted, and Odo accidentally wakens it with a drop of his blood. Hildebrand Shining Foebiter, but you may call him Biter, quickly knights Odo, for only a true knight may wield him, and drags the children off on the adventure that Eleanor has always dreamed of. Odo the reluctant knight and Eleanor the jealous squire set out to find out what has been drying up or stopping up the river, causing many in it's wake to reach the brink of starvation and ruin. Through many leagues of dragon rumors, failed attempts to be helpful, evil master smiths, daily knight training, and scary forests Odo, Eleanor, and Biter learn what it means to be a true knight, always strive to do what is right, and do their best to avoid causing harm.

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This image is of Garth Nix and one of his The Old Kingdom novels, Clariel, from a Hot Key Books video posted on YouTube in which Garth Nix reads from the novel. Clariel is the fourth book in Nix's The Old Kingdom series, and is a prequel to the original three.

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Nix, G. (2015). Newt's emerald. New York, NY: Katherine Tegen Books.

Newt's Emerald is a regency romance for teens and tweens about a young woman, Truthful Newington (pet-named Newt by her loving cousins), and the somewhat truly historical but magically laced story. We follow Truthful and the emerald of uncertain magical properties that is to be hers on her 25th Birthday, but is stolen during it's first showing to her on her 18th Birthday. Truthful and her cousins, the Newington-Lacy boys, set out in different directions, all desperate to find her emerald (or a replacement there of, in the Newington-Lacys' case to give peace to her suddenly ailing father.

Truthful travels to England in advance of her formal introduction to society to ask the help of her great-aunt, Lady Badgery, in locating her emerald. Her search ends of up relying on an angry and stubborn Major Harnett, a fake mustache enchanted with an illusion charm, several adventurous outings, and a lot of societal rule-bending, all accumulating in the discovery of a malignant sorcerer and her decades old desire for the Newington Emerald.

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Annotated Bibliography - The Fall (Seventh Tower #1)

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Annotated Bibliography - The Fall (Seventh Tower #1)

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Nix, G. (2002). The fall. New York, NY: Lucas Books/Scholastic Inc.

The Fall is the first novel of Nix's The Seventh Tower series. The Fall is set in a world of constant darkness, shadow creatures, the Castle, and the void. Tal, a young Orange Chosen from the Castle, is on a quest to find a new primary sunstone, the family having lost theirs when is father recently went missing (whom many assume is dead). The sunstone is needed to ascend to Aenir, the only place it seems Tal could find help for his ailing mother. Sadly, someone has taken to hating Tal's family and stops him at every turn, leading him to the drastic decision of attempting to steal a sunstone. This decision almost leads to his demise, until his Shadowguard saves him, directing him to the nearest, presumably safe, place. Here, Tal has his first experience of being anywhere other than the Castle, and quickly discovers that, contrary to what he was taught, there is a world outside of the castle. A world of massive monsters, angry aspiring Shield Maidens, few sunstones, and hopefully, a way toward acquiring sunstones. But there is more than Tal knows, creeping about in the darkness.

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Nix, G. (2017). Frogkisser! New York, NY: Scholastic Press.

Frogkisser! is a wonderful journey. Princess Anya's sister is love-obsessed and selfish and her stepstepfather is an evil sorcerer. All Anya wants to do is read her books, but the increasing power and ambition of Duke Rikard, her stepstepfather, has reached a point that can no longer be abided. Accompanied by a frog prince needing a cure (as Anya's sister is no longer in love with him, and therefore cannot cure him) and a royal (no longer a puppy) dog, Ardent, Anya begrudgingly sets out on a Quest.

Word quickly travels that Princess Anya is a frogkisser (although she hasn't kissed one yet), causing a number of others to join her party hoping for a cure to their own transmogrifications. Knowing little about what lies outside of the kingdom, let alone the castle, Anya relies on her companions and many new acquaintances to help her on her quest for a cure, as well as to defeat the evil, murdering, transmogrifying Duke Rikard. Along the way, she learns what the kingdoms used to be, and is faced with the decision of bringing order back to those kingdoms or deciding to walk away and let someone else fix it all.