Modern Fantasy

The third chapter in my “Fab 4” is chapter 6, modern fantasy.  I have always been a big fan of modern fantasy like Twilight and The Hunger Games so I was immediately drawn to this chapter.  Fantasy is shaped by the author’s artistic vision.  I learned in this chapter that modern fantasy is made up of two categories: low and high fantasy.  Fantasy writers convey complex ideas on a symbolic level but would otherwise be difficult to convey to young readers.  Modern fantasy is a metaphor that illustrates the truth about life in a way that realistic fiction or informational writing cannot.  If you were to assign a modern fantasy book in the classroom it is important that the students reading aloud and can have a culturally responsive discussion to understand the story.  If I were to assign a modern fantasy book I would have my students use their personal writing to create their very own modern fantasy twist on the book we are reading and then I would also have them visual their modern fantasy and make it come to life by drawing a picture of what they think their modern fantasy would look like.

Some examples of modern fantasy:

Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type by Doreen Cronin (Grades 1-2)

Farmer Brown thinks it's odd when he hears typing sounds coming from the barn. But his troubles really begin when his cows start leaving him notes. First they demand better working conditions, then they stage a strike.

Charlottes Web by EB White (Grades 3-4)

It tells the story of a pig named Wilbur, the runt of his litter, who is saved from an untimely death by Fern Arable, a spunky eight-year-old farmer's daughter. Hand-raised by Fern, Wilbur grows into a healthy young pig that Fern sells to her uncle, Homer Zuckerman, a farmer who lives nearby. Each day Fern lovingly visits with Wilbur, but her role as his best friend and nurturer is soon taken over by Charlotte, a wise spider who also lives in the barnyard. When Wilbur learns that he is being fattened up for slaughter, his despair moves Charlotte to promise him that she will do all she can to protect him from this fate. Charlotte finds a unique way to let the world know that Wilbur is worthy of saving because he is indeed, some pig.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Grades 5-6)

Sixteen-year-old Katniss regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. But Katniss has been close to death before - and survival, for her, is second nature. "The Hunger Games" is a searing novel set in a future with unsettling parallels to our present. Welcome to the deadliest reality TV show ever.