Middle-grade fantasy books with an Island of Fog theme

Posted on October 1, 2018 (Subscribe to Blog)

Which middle-grade fantasy books have you read that remind you of Island of Fog in some way? I was going through some of my reviews and finding quite a few references to other books and series, such as "a bit like Narnia" and "better than Percy Jackson" and "kind of like Harry Potter" and so on. Also, "City of Ember meets Lost" and "a cross between The Island of Dr. Moreau and the Twilight Zone."

Anyway, it got me looking on Amazon for other books that might be similar. In the process, I came across some neat parallels. I knew some of these already, but others are a surprise. And one is downright hilarious. Let's get stuck in...

The Shadows (The Books of Elsewhere)

The Books of Elsewhere View on Amazon

I came across The Books of Elsewhere by Jacqueline West and immediately thought, "Oh. Why didn't I think of that?" Those who have read my books will know that Hal and his friends call the unseen place beyond the fog "Out There," while the place that Miss Simone comes from is "Elsewhere" (and later "New Earth"). If I had thought to brand the books, I might have latched onto Elsewhere and used that. It's strange for me to see that series title. It's like... "Hey, that's mine!"

The Books of Elsewhere #1, The Shadows...When eleven-year-old Olive and her parents move into the crumbling mansion on Linden Street and find it filled with mysterious paintings, Olive knows the place is creepy -- but it isn't until she encounters its three talking cats that she realizes there's something darkly magical afoot. Then Olive finds a pair of antique spectacles in a dusty drawer and discovers the most peculiar thing yet: She can travel inside the house's spooky paintings to a world that's strangely quiet... and eerily sinister. But in entering Elsewhere, Olive has been ensnared in a mystery darker and more dangerous than she could have imagined, confronting a power that wants to be rid of her by any means necessary. With only the cats and an unusual boy she meets in Elsewhere on her side, it's up to Olive to save the house from the shadows, before the lights go out for good.

The Universes Inside the Lighthouse (Balky Point Adventures)

The Universes Inside the Lighthouse View on Amazon

It has alternate dimensions! And a lighthouse! This is quite obviously a fantastic read. The Universes Inside the Lighthouse is, not surprisingly, about portals inside a lighthouse leading to other dimensions. Okay, so in the Island of Fog books, the portals are not inside the lighthouse, but there's a portal right outside the lighthouse, and a couple more elsewhere on the island. But I couldn't help thinking of my books when I came across this series, and I thought it deserved a mention here.

Balky Point Adventures #1, The Universes Inside the Lighthouse...When Emma notices something unusual in the lighthouse lobby, she has no idea that unraveling this mystery will be just the beginning of an adventure that will take her and her friends to distant planets, throughout time and the multiverse, and to a place where everything is possible. Together with her twin brother Charlie, an identical Charlie from a parallel Earth, mysterious Eve, enchanting Ben, and unconventional but endearing scientist Dr. Waldo, can Emma chase down Vik, a man under the influence of an entity called The Void, before he destroys all the universes? Inspired by the timeless wonder and fantasy of A Wrinkle in Time, with just a dash of Doctor Who, Pam Stucky has created a smart and unforgettable story of adventure, curiosity, and the humanity of all beings -- even aliens.

(Quite honestly, this is a good match for my Sleep Writer series as well!)

There's Something Out There (Creepover)

There's Something Out There View on Amazon

There's Something Out There is an obvious candidate for this list of Island of Fog companion reads. I mean, look at the title! This is exactly what Hal and his friends keep going on about. "I still don't get it," Hal said. "If that's true, it doesn't explain why we're here. Why are the adults hiding on this island, cut off from the rest of the world? And why has no one from Out There ever come to visit?" This particular volume, from the 22-book Creepover series, contains a harpy, too. Or at least that's how I see it:

Creepover #5, There's Something Out There...An overnight campout sets the stage for a monstrous scare! Jenna Walker has always been fascinated by the legend of the Marked Monster, the scarred half-bird, half-beast creature that is said to roam the forests around her hometown. Is the Marked Monster real or is it just the stuff of myth? Jenna decides to find out once and for all with a campout at her house where she and her friends can search for the legendary beast. But as Jenna starts to learn more about the Marked Monster, she realizes that this legend might be more than just myth, and more sinister than she ever could have imagined. Will Jenna meet the Marked Monster face to face and will she be marked for life?

The Gathering Storm (The Hidden World of Changers)

The Changers View on Amazon

The Gathering Storm is Book 1 from a series called The Hidden World of Changers. I spent ages trying to think of another word I could use instead of shapeshifters, but this is one possibility I missed out on. I like how the series is branded with the Changers logo at the top. I thought about doing that with my series, something like The Shapeshifters from the Island of Fog... although that's a bit long. Maybe Island of Fog Shifters? Or Island of Shifters? Or just Shifters? Haha! Well, anyway, you'll find the description of the first book pretty familiar to my own books...

The Hidden World of Changers #1, The Gathering Storm...When four middle schoolers discover that they can transform into mythological animals, they become part of a powerful, hidden world -- the world of Changers -- in this wild new urban fantasy series. Mack, Fiona, Darren, and Gabriella aren't exactly friends at their middle school -- in fact, they couldn't have anything less in common. But when they start developing powers, including the ability to transform into mythological animals, they find out that they are Changers, a magical line of shapeshifters that history has forgotten. But there's little time for questions. A powerful warlock is racing toward their town, destroying everything in his wake. Can Mack, Fiona, Darren, and Gabriella harness their newfound powers in time to save their home? Can they even stop arguing before the last bell?

And now so not-so-middle-grade and not-very-fantasy books that I couldn't pass up...

Children of the Fog

Children of the Fog View on Amazon

Okay, so Children of the Fog isn't really suited to the middle-grade audience, but I had to mention it because... well, there's children in the fog. Actually, my wife came up with this as a series title a long, long time ago, and I thought, "Hmm, yes, that sounds like a possibility," and so I went to see if it had been used anywhere, and this is the book I found. Bah!

Children of the Fog...Sadie O'Connell is a bestselling author and a proud mother. But her life is about to spiral out of control. After her six-year-old son Sam is kidnapped by a serial abductor, she nearly goes insane. It isn't just the fear and grief that is ripping her apart. It's the guilt. Sadie is the only person who knows what the kidnapper looks like. And she can't tell a soul. For if she does, her son will be sent back to her in "little bloody pieces." When Sadie's unfaithful husband stumbles across her drawing of the kidnapper, he sets into play a series of horrific events that sends her hurtling over the edge. Sadie's descent into alcoholism leads to strange apparitions and a face-to-face encounter with the monster who abducted her son -- a man known only as... The Fog.

It's worth adding that my original version of Island of Fog, way back when I was writing it, was called Island of Mist, and instead of Miss Simone, I had a creey man named Mr. Mist. (Cool alliteration, right?) I seem to recall I changed it to Fog because someone remarked that it reminded them of The Mists of Avalon... even though there's no similarity at all except for the mist.

Black Woods

Black Woods View on Amazon

Still in dark and sinister territory, Black Woods is an obvious contender for this page. I mean, Black Woods! This is the forbidden place Hal and Robbie explore in the very first chapter of the very first book. It's where young Thomas went missing. It's where the fog billows out of a hole in the ground. Of course I have to mention this book here.

Black Woods...Avid mushroom hunters and volunteers with the local Search and Rescue Department, Laura and Julie, who are in their sixties, remember that first encounter in the woods years ago. Four young men, who are fun by nature, travel to the woods with high hopes of a hunt they won't forget. A call to the Search and Rescue Department will bring them shockingly together in the... Black Woods.

Mushroom hunters! That might explain a few things. Imagine if Hal and Robbie found some magic mushrooms and sat down to munch on them. What if they're still there now, spacing out and "seeing" all manner of weird and exotic creatures from myth and legend. The entire series, as well as the follow-up series and companion books, could all be one big psychedelic dream. "Far out, man!" Robbie said with a grin. Hal leaned forward, his eyes wide. "Dude, I see faeries..."

And finally...

I won't go so far as to include the biography of real-life legend Nina Simone even though What Happened, Miss Simone? is something many people in the village of Carter are accustomed to asking.

Speaking of the village, I'll bet Queen Bee told her Swarm to Get Carter in Book 5, Roads of Madness. And I'm sure you've all heard the excellent Royals song by Lorde, which of course is all about the Queen Bee in my books, but I bet you weren't aware of the Queen Bee middle-school graphic novels.

If you think those last few were a bit of stretch... well, that's where shapeshifters' magical non-stretch smart clothes come in! Yes, there's an entire book dedicated to those enchanted garments and more. I suggest you buy it immediately -- it doesn't cost much, as you'll see: Smart Clothes and Wearable Technology.

Can you think of any more Fog-related books?

Montage of stuff very loosely or not at all connected to Island of Fog

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