Love the Illiad. Has some of the best combat-writing I've ever read. Yeah, it's not the story of the whole Trojan War, but then it's not meant to be.

Missing dads seems to be a thing in fantasy literature.  Harry Potter, Frodo, Arthur - not a living dad in the lot!

Yes, she made the sacrifice.  But all of the major characters make a sacrifice for the good of all.  It's a major theme of the book, and Eilonwy's actions are no different than Fflewddur's in burning his harp, Coll's in giving his life, or Taran's in staying in Prydain when he could be sailing off to paradise.  That's…

I read these books aloud to my kids several years ago and absolutely loved them.