Young Adult Literature; Fantasy
Hang on, let's go through our young adult literature checklist: young protagonists? Check (Seth's eleven and Kendra's almost fourteen). Scary/exciting stuff but not totally grim/depressing? Check. Our young protagonists help save the day? Check (and phew).
But this isn't just happening in the good ol' real world. Nope—this book takes place on a preserve for magical creatures, which means just enough out-of-the-ordinary content to tip us into the fantasy genre. Check out this description of fairies playing with bubbles, for instance:
The fairies flocked near Grandpa, eager for the next bubbles. He kept them coming, and the fairies continued to display their creativity. They filled the bubbles with shimmering mist. They linked them in chains. They transformed them into balls of fire. The surface of one reflected like a mirror. Another took on the shape of a pyramid. Another crackled with electricity. (7.144)
Yep, we're definitely dealing with magic here, and with enough classical fantasy critters (we're looking at you fairies, witches, and so on) to qualify Fablehaven as a work of fantasy.