We get it. You’re practicing social distancing (or you should be). The kids are home from school. The libraries are closed. You’re looking for some books the kids can read (or that you can read to them)… preferably with repeat reading value. We’ve got you covered.

In this series, we’ll round up and quickly recommend some books that either (a) come cheap online or your favorite local bookstore and are well worth the price or (b) have ebook versions you can quickly and easily download.

Now that Pixar’s Onward has made its way out of the shuttered theaters and into our homes (available to stream now; on Disney+ from 4/3), you might’ve had a chance to finally see it. And enjoy it. Or possibly be moved to tears by it.

And what if you want to explore a little more of the mythological world introduced in Onward? Well, you have a few options…

Quests of Yore is based on the guidebook featured in the movie and is a bit like a D&D sourcebook. Ostensibly written by Barley and Ian (in reality written by Rob Renzetti, illustrated by Austin Madison, Louise Smythe, and Nicholas Ballan), the book is presented as if it were the actual guidebook filled with Barley and Ian’s handwritten notes, scribbles, and doodles. So you get details about specific spells and monsters alongside snarky comments and funny sketches. Alas, this one’s not available digitally, but it’s a fun book for fans of the movie (and RPGs). And as someone who works in publishing, I have an appreciation for the amount of page design work that went into this book, and it pains me to see this one fly under the radar.

The Search for the Phoenix Gem: An In-Questigation (by Steve Behling) is the only one of these three titles available as an ebook (and audiobook narrated by Joniece Abbott-Pratt!). Set in the world of Onward but focusing on teenage elf – and budding journalist – Sadalia Brushthorn, this young reader novel takes a look at the background characters left in Barley and Ian’s wake and how everyone else was affected by their quest.

What has four hands, two faces, and pointed ears? An elf holding a clock! What did the wizard feed his cat? A sorcerer of milk! What’s the worst time of year to visit the Bottomless Pit? Fall! Oh yes, these and DOZENS of other stupendously groan-worthy jokes pack the pages of Ian & Barley’s Magical Book of Jokes, Puns, and Gags. Perfect for kids who love riddles and puns… and their parents with infinite patience.

Jamie Greene
Jamie is a publishing/book nerd who makes a living by wrangling words together into some sense of coherence. Away from The Roarbots, Jamie is a road trip aficionado and an obsessed traveler who has made his way through 33 countries (and counting). Elsewhere on the interwebs, he's a contributor to SYFY Wire and StarWars.com and hosted The Great Big Beautiful Podcast for more than five years. Watch The Roarbots on Youtube

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