Fictional places your kids & teens can visit right now
Fictional places in books are plentiful. Even if we are stuck at home right now, we can explore many realms and landscapes!
In Spring 2020 we have found ourselves living in a strange world. We are limited in where we can go and what we can do. Forget holiday plans and day trips. We have unplanned time off work, college or school. As your family social distances or self-isolates the days may be all rolling into one.
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However, staying at home doesn’t have to mean boredom. I’ve put together a list of places you can take your children during the lockdown. These are places which can fuel your children’s imagination and your own. You can get lost in fictional empires. You can have a break from the anxiety we currently face in the real world.
These are places that are helping my family stay sane during this strange time. Yes, you’ve guessed it, these are places you can go to in books. Some are magical wonderlands while others are grim dystopias. These fictional countries are all worth a visit!
From fictional places in children’s literature to YA novels, there are lots of places we can go right now.
An overview of fictional places to inspire you while staying at home
Here’s a quick overview of our list of imaginary places and books featured. Scroll down to find more information and details below the table.
Fictional lands & places to send the kids to
Willie Wonka’s Chocolate Factory
It’s a great time to take a tour of Willie Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. You don’t even need a Golden Ticket! Join Charlie and his grandfather in exploring the astonishing world of Wonka’s factory. Enjoy the children’s classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl.
Approx. age range 6+
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Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry
There’s no better time for fans to re-read the whole Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. And if younger fans haven’t had a chance to read it yet, they can get started on the series. Join Harry, Ron and Hermione in taking the Hogwarts Express. Explore one of the most famous fictional castles, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Approx. age range: 7+ for Books 1-3, 10+ for Books 4-6, 12+ for Book 7
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Wellmet
Visit the fictional city of Wellmet in The Magic Thief by Sarah Prineas. The city runs on magic, but it’s supplies are running low. You can join wizard Nevery and his apprentice Connwaer in a quest to discover where Wellmet’s magic is going.
Approx. age range 7+
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Avantia
Join heroes Tom and Elenna on valiant quests in the kingdom of Avantia. Read of their adventures in the Beast Quest series of books by Adam Blade. Avantia includes locations including fictional forests like the terrifying Forest of Fear and The Icy Plains. The realm is home to many mystical beasts and monsters which the Dark Wizard Malvel seeks to control.
Approx. age range 7+
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Oz
Get swept up in the adventures of Dorothy and Toto as a tornado carries them to Oz. Children’s classic, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum will take you to an incredible world. Follow the yellow brick road and gain entrance to the Emerald City as Dorothy finds her way home.
Approx. age range 8+
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The Isle of Berk
Approx. age range 8+
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Neverland
Take the “second to the right, and straight on till morning” to reach Neverland in J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan. Join Wendy and Peter in this classic children’s adventure through a magical world. J.M. Barrie donated the rights to the book to the Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital. The hospital and the children it looks after continue to benefit from the book’s royalties today.
Approx. age range 8+
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The Iron Warrior Fort
The adventures of Cressida Cowell’s The Wizards of Once take place in the British Isles in ancient times. Its landscape of forests is full of strange creatures and curious locations you can explore. The Iron Warrior Fort is home to Queen Sychorax and her daughter Wish. Its iron structure repels the magic of the queen’s foes.
Approx. age range 8+
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Narnia
Pack the kids off through a magical wardrobe and into the wintry world of Narnia. They can join Lucy, Edmund, Peter and Susan in Narnia. Get them reading The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. If they have a lot of time on their hands they could read the whole series by Lewis. It includes seven novels, each with unique stories related to Narnia.
Approx. age range 9+
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The Underworld
In Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief; Percy, Annabeth and Grover enter The Underworld of Greek mythology. The Underworld is the place where the souls of the dead go after death. The entrance to the Underworld is in a Los Angeles film studio. You can join the group’s grim journey. It takes them past Cerberus, The Fields of Asphodel and down to Tartarus. Tartarus is the deepest and darkest part of the Underworld controlled by Hades.
Approx. age range 9+
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Wonderland
When Alice tumbled down a rabbit hole she found herself in a strange and magical world. You can take your children there in this children’s classic. Meet the Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat, the White Rabbit and other strange creatures. Read Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol to explore one of the most famous fictional places.
Approx. age range 9+
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Nevermoor
In Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend, children can discover the exciting fictional country of Nevermoor. It is home to the Wundrous Society. It is also a place where Morrigan Crow discovers her true talent. Children can tap into this exciting world which is full of possibilities. The adventures of Morrigan continue in the sequel, Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow.
Approx. age range 9+
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Earthsea
Ursula K. Le Guin’s A Wizard of Earthsea takes the reader through the islands and seas of Earthsea. Travel through fictional towns, villages and cities. Follow the young wizard Ged. He embarks on a journey in which he discovers magic and unleashes a terrible shadow that will haunt him.
Approx. age range 10+
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Jordan College
Many places in Lyra’s world in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy have eqivalents in our world. Lyra’s Oxford has similarities with our own. But Jordan College where she grew up does not exist in our Oxford. You can also visit other strange worlds and locations in the trilogy. Explore Cittàgaze, where Lyra meets Will. And go to Svalbard, home of Iorek Byrnison.
Approx. age range 10+
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Hotel Valhalla
Visit Hotel Valhalla and other settings based on Norse mythology in the Magnus Chase trilogy by Rick Riordan. Magnus finds himself relocated to Hotel Valhalla along with others who have died valiantly in battle. From there he can access Yggdrasill, the World Tree and travel across the Nine Realms. You can check into the Hotel Valhalla. Follow Magnus’s adventures across the fictional kingdoms of the Nine Realms in the trilogy.
Approx. age range 10+
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Pyrrhia
Pyrrhia is the home of the dragons in the Wings of Fire series by Tui T. Sutherland. The different dragon tribes dwell in its six kingdoms. In the series, a group of young dragons from different tribes form an unlikely alliance. Join their adventures which take them across Pyrrhia as they discover the truth behind the Dragonet Prophecy.
Approx. age range 10+
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Haggard
Haggard is a fictional town near Dublin created by Derek Landy. It is the home of Valkyrie Cane in the Skulduggery Pleasant series. Valkyrie, also known as Stephanie, lives in the town with her family. She often has to leave a reflection of herself to live her normal life with her family. Join her as she fights evil and solves supernatural crimes with Skulduggery.
Approx. age range 10+
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Fictional worlds in YA literature
Vocans Academy
Vocans Academy is one of several fictional colleges to make our list. The Summoner series by Taran Matharu explores a world of demons. The school teaches its students the art of summoning demons. Join new student Fletcher as he discovers his abilities and joins the Academy.
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The Western Seaboard
L.A. Weatherly’s Broken trilogy imagines a world set far ahead of our own future. Travel through time to a world rebuilt from the ruins of our own. In this reality, nations settle disagreements by holding fights between individual fighter pilots. This avoids large scale conflict. But as Amity, a Western Seaboard pilot finds, the system is breaking down.
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Piloria
A divided fictional universe is the location of The Extinction Trials by S.M. Wilson. Earthasia is a barren wasteland which is overpopulated. On the other hand, Piloria is a beautiful and lush land full of vegetation. Unfortunately, it is populated by vicious dinosaurs. Join the young heroes of this dystopian novel, Storm and Lincoln. They set out on an expedition into Piloria and the unknown.
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Panem
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins imagines a totalitarian state. Panem is a brutal future state which has grown out of the collapse of the United States we know. Representatives, or Tributes, from the 13 districts of Panem take part in the annual Hunger Games. The brutal contest sacrifices young people from the districts. Join Katniss Everdeen from District 12. In the first book of the trilogy, she prepares for The Reaping which selects Tributes.
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Discworld
Terry Pratchett’s hilarious Discworld novels are set on a fictional planet that is full of imaginative places and creatures. Discworld borrows from myths about the earth. It is a flat world, balanced on the back of four elephants. The elephants stand on the back of a giant turtle. In Discworld, you can visit numerous exciting places. These include the city of Ankh-Morpork and Lancre which is home to witches and wizards.
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Middle-earth
Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings feature one of the most popular fictional places in literature. Middle-Earth has many environments. From the peaceful rural communities of The Shire to famous fictional cities like Minas Tirith and Osgiliath. Explore them all in the ultimate fictional fantasy environment. Middle-earth is home to elves, dwarves, mankind, hobbits, goblins and more.
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The Quag
David Baldacci’s The Finisher is a YA adventure. Vega Jane has grown up in up in Wormwood. The Quag – a dangerous and mysterious realm surrounds the village. Everyone in the village is warned of The Quag’s terrible dangers. Join Vega Jane as she discovers a map of the realm. Will she dare to break free of the confines of Wormwood?
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Orïsha
The continent of Orïsha is the location of Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone. Orïsha is deeply divided. Brutal King Saran has fought to suppress magic. Magic runs deeply within many of the people of Orïsha. Zélie has lost her mother to the brutal regime. As the magic of her people begins to rise again she finds an unlikely ally in a royal princess. Join their quest to restore magic as it takes them across the lands of Orïsha.
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I hope you enjoyed our list of fictional places we wish we could visit.
Choose one of these fictional settings to escape to and order the book to go there now!
– Find lots of great reads & activities for families here on readinginspiration.com –
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