October 2024
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    Things like villagers living in fear of the dragon, but the dragon turns out to be friendly and protects the village. Or with the damsel in distress that is kidnapped by the villain but it turns out that she's actually a monster.

    Bonus points if it's appropriate for an 11-year-old but not necessary.

    by AnonMSme1

    4 Comments

    1. all-black-247 on

      Promise of Shadows by Justina Ireland. It may be just a bit too mature for an 11 y.o. but it’s definitely out of the box.

    2. The Beginning Place by Ursula K. LeGuin is a masterful example of this IMO

    3. ForsaketheVoid on

      Cressida Cowell’s wizard of once series? it’s about two kids who, through the power of friendship, create peace btwn their warring families. it’s very much “I know your mom seems like an evil genocidal warrior queen sometimes (tells you to wash your face), and your dad sometimes throws you into the dark depths of Inescapable Island Prisons (grounds you) but, at the end of the day, they really just want the best for you.”

      Patricia C Wrede’s enchanted forest chronicles! it has a princess who runs away to live with dragons, and has to deal with the nuisance princes who try to “rescue” her.

    4. Nyuk_Fozzies on

      *Un Lun Dun* by China Mieville starts off as a typical “chosen one” story and then subverts the concept partway through the story.

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