After Harry Potter list
From ChildLitWiki
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They’ve Finished All 7 Harry Potters - Now What?
by Matt Berman
Your children have finished all the Harry Potter books. Possibly they’ve read them several times. They loved them; you’d like to translate that enthusiasm into a love of reading. What to do now? It’s a tough question, because the Harry Potter books are a unique combination of several genres; fantasy, mystery, adventure, and horror, with an orphaned hero, a British inflection, and a boarding-school setting. No other books cover all of those bases: The trick is to find out what your children liked best about Harry, then find other books that match that particular aspect. Here are a few to check out at your local library, in several categories.
Fantasy Series with Kids Learning Magic
Eragon (Inheritance Trilogy, Book 1), by Christopher Paolini
Book 1 of the Inheritance Trilogy. In Alagaesia, a 15-year-old boy of unknown lineage called Eragon finds a mysterious stone that weaves his life into an intricate tapestry of destiny, magic, and power, peopled with dragons, elves, and monsters.
(12+)
Midnight for Charlie Bone (Children of the Red King, Book 1), by Jenny Nimmo
Book 1 of the Children of the Red King series. Charlie Bone's life with his widowed mother and two grandmothers undergoes a dramatic change when he discovers that he can hear people in photographs talking.
(8+)
The Chrestomanci Novels, by Diana Wynne Jones
This series about a family of magicians in an England where magic is common includes The Lives of Christopher Chant, Charmed Life, Witch Week, and The Magicians of Caprona. Varying numbers of books, depending on how you count them. (9+)
The Young Wizards Series, by Diane Duane
Beginning in So You Want to Be a Wizard Nita and Kit learn the art of sorcery while battling evil in several dimensions. Nine books so far, plus related books. (10+)
The Earthsea Trilogy, by Ursula K. LeGuin
Beginning with A Wizard of Earthsea (The Earthsea Cycle, Book 1), this is the story of the wizard Ged from boyhood to old age, set in a world of islands where magic is commonplace. The author wrote a fourth book in the series, but it is too slow and mystical for most children. (10+)
The Dark is Rising Sequence, by Susan Cooper
Combining a modern setting with Arthurian and Celtic myth, this is a tremendous -- if somewhat slow-moving -- series (except for the first book, which can be skipped) about the final battle between the Light and the Dark, and about a boy who discovers that he is the last of the Old Ones, defenders of the Light. Five books, but start with book 2, The Dark is Rising. (9+)
Animorphs: The Invasion (Animorphs, Book 1), by K. A. Applegate
Young teens are given the power to turn themselves into animals in order to fight invading aliens. Rather violent, but exciting. (9+)
Wild Magic (The Immortals Quartet, Book 1), by Tamora Pierce
A young girl born with magic powers may be the salvation of her kingdom. (9+)
Sabriel (The Abhorsen Trilogy, Book 1), by Garth Nix
A girl whose father has trained her to be a wizard must rescue him from the Old Kingdom, where the dead don’t stay dead. (12+)
Single Titles About Kids Learning Magic
The Eyes of Kid Midas, by Neal Shusterman
One of the most exciting fantasies ever written, about a boy who finds a pair of sunglasses that give him the addictive power to control the universe. (9+)
The Neverending Story, by Michael Ende
Much better than the movie version, it is about a boy who becomes involved in a world contained in a book, eventually entering the book and becoming a character in a story of his own creation. In the hardback edition, the text is printed in different colors to indicate the parts that take place in the real world and those unfolding in the fantasy world. (10+)
Matilda, by Roald Dahl
A young girl with awful parents discovers she has telekenetic powers. (7+)
Wizard’s Hall, by Jane Yolen
The idea (boy goes off to wizard-training academy and fights evil) is similar to the Harry Potter story line, but the book is much lighter in tone. (7+)
Other Fantasy Series
Artemis Fowl series, by Eoin Colfer
Begins with Artemis Fowl. When a twelve-year-old evil genius tries to restore his family fortune by capturing a fairy and demanding a ransom in gold, the fairies fight back with magic, technology, and a particularly nasty troll.
(9+)
Abarat (Abarat, Book 1), by Clive Barker
Candy Quackenbush of Chickentown, Minnesota, one day finds herself on the edge of a foreign world that is populated by strange creatures, and her life is forever changed.
(10+)
The Field Guide (The Spiderwick Chronicles, Book 1), by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black
When the Grace children go to stay at their great-aunt Lucinda's worn Victorian house, they discover a field guide to fairies and other creatures, and begin to have some unusual experiences.
(6+)
The Wee Free Men (Tiffany Aching Adventures, Book 1), by Terry Pratchett
A young witch-to-be named Tiffany teams+) with the Wee Free Men, a clan of six-inch-high men, to rescue her baby brother and ward off a sinister invasion from fairyland.
(12+)
The Merchant of Death (The Pendragon Series, Book 1), by D. J. MacHale
Fourteen-year-old Bobby Pendragon, having learned he is a Traveler -- someone who can ride "flumes" through time and space, is soon off to the alternative dimension of Denduron where he teams+) with Loor, a girl his age from the warrior-territory of Zadaa, in an attempt to save the gentle Milago people from slavery.
(10+)
Corydon & the Island of Monsters (The Corydon Trilogy, Book 1), by Tobias Druitt
Corydon, an outcast Greek boy with the leg of a goat, learns that he is part of an old prophecy and joins forces with Medusa and other "monsters" known in Greek mythology in a confrontation with mortal heroes fighting for the Olympian gods.
(8+)
Maximum Ride : the Angel Experiment (Maximum Ride, book 1), by James Patterson
After the mutant Erasers abduct the youngest member of their gro+), the "birdkids," who are the result of genetic experimentation, take off in pursuit and find themselves struggling to understand their own origins and purpose.
(12+)
Seeker (Noble Warriors, Book 1), by William Nicholson
Having been rejected by the Nomana -- the revered warrior-monk order they long to join -- sixteen-year-olds Seeker and Morning Star, along with a curious pirate named Wildman, attempt to prove that they are worthy of joining the community, after all.
(12+)
The Looking Glass Wars, by Frank Beddor
When she is cast out of Wonderland by her evil aunt Redd, young Alyss Heart finds herself living in Victorian Oxford as Alice Liddell and struggles to keep memories of her kingdom intact until she can return and claim her rightful throne.
(10+)
Magyk, by Angie Sage
Jenna learns that she is a princess found as a baby by the man she believed was her father and now she and Septimus, who was taken at birth by the midwife, are being threatened by the evil wizard, DomDaniel who intends to finish off the entire royal line.
(8+)
The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson & the Olympians, Book 1), by Rick Riordan
Percy, expelled from six schools for being unable to control his temper, learns the truth from his mother that his father is the Greek god Poseidon, and is sent to Camp Half Blood where he is befriended by a satyr and the demigod daughter of Athena who join him in a journey to the Underworld to retrieve Zeus's lightning bolt and prevent a catastrophic war.
(10+)
Peter and the Starcatchers, by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
Soon after Peter, an orphan, sets sail from England on the ship Never Land, he befriends and assists Molly, a young Starcatcher, whose mission is to guard a trunk of magical stardust from a greedy pirate and the native inhabitants of a remote island.
(10+)
The Akhenaten Adventure (Children of the Lamp, Book 1), by P. B. Kerr
When 12-year-old twins Philippa and John discover that they are descended from a long line of djinn, their mother sends them away to their Uncle Nimrod, who takes them to Cairo where he starts to teach them about their extraordinary powers.
(9+)
Gregor the Overlander (Underland Chronicles, Book 1), by Suzanne Collins
When eleven-year-old Gregor and his two-year-old sister are pulled into a strange underground world, they trigger an epic battle involving humans, bats, rats, cockroaches, and spiders while on a quest foretold by ancient prophecy.
(9+)
Lionboy (Lionboy, Book 1), by Zizou Corder
In the near future, a boy with the ability to speak the language of cats sets out from London to seek his kidnapped parents and finds himself on a Paris-bound circus ship learning to train lions.
(8+)
Dark Lord of Derkholm, by Diana Wynne Jones
Derk, an unconventional wizard, and his magical family become involved in a plan to put a stop to the devastating tours of their world arranged by the tyrannical Mr. Chesney.
(12+)
Inkheart, by Cornelia Funke
Twelve-year-old Meggie learns that her father Mo, a bookbinder, can "read" fictional characters to life when an evil ruler named Capricorn, freed from the novel "Inkheart" years earlier, tries to force Mo to release an immortal monster from the story.
(9+)
The Amulet of Samarkand (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 1), by Jonathan Stroud
Book 1 of the Bartimaeus Trilogy. Nathaniel, a young magician's apprentice, becomes caught in a web of magical espionage, murder, and rebellion, after he summons the djinni Bartimaeus and instructs him to steal the Amulet of Samarkand from the powerful magician Simon Lovelace..
(10+)
Beyond the Deepwoods (The Edge Chronicles, Book 1), by Paul Stewart
Book 1 of The Edge Chronicles. Thirteen-year-old Twig, having always looked and felt different from his woodtroll family, learns that he is adopted and travels out of his Deepwoods home to find the place where he belongs.
(9+)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Hitchhiker’s Guide series, Book 1), by Douglas Adams
Book 1 of the Hitchhiker’s Guide series. Seconds before Earth is demolished to make room for a galactic freeway, an earthman is saved by his friend. Together they journey through the galaxy.
(12 up)
Rowan of Rin (Rowan, Book 1), by Emily Rodda
Book 1 of the Rowan series. Because only he can read the magical map, young, weak, and timid Rowan joins six other villagers to climb a mountain and try to restore their water s+)ply, as fears of a dragon and other horrors threaten to drive them back.
(7+)
The Prydain Chronicles, by Lloyd Alexander
With its roots firmly in Celtic myth the series concerns the adventures of a lowly assistant pig-keeper who takes part in quests against evil and enchantment. Five books, beginning with The Book of Three. (8+)
The Chronicles of Narnia, by C. S. Lewis
The story of a magical world from its creation to day of reckoning, and the children from our world who travel there, containing strong Christian overtones. Seven books, no special order, though most begin with The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. (9+)
The Dark is Rising Sequence, by Susan Cooper
Combining a modern setting with Arthurian and Celtic myth this is a tremendous, if somewhat slow moving, series (except for the first book which can be skipped) about the final battle between the Light and the Dark, and about a boy who discovers that he is the last of the Old Ones, defenders of the Light. Five books, but start with book 2, The Dark is Rising. (10+)
The Indian in the Cupboard Series, by Lynne Reid Banks
A fast paced exciting adventure series about a boy who discovers a cabinet which can bring plastic toys to life. Five books, starting with The Indian in the Cupboard, plus many other books in this sub-genre. (9+)
The Chronos Quartet, by Madeline L'Engle
A girl, aided by various mythical and s+)ernatural beings, fights evil on other worlds and inside a cell in her brother's body in the first two books, and her brothers do the fighting in the third and fourth. An unusual and somewhat mystical series. The author has written a number of other books involving the same characters. Four Books, beginning with A Wrinkle in Time. (9+)
The Pit Dragons trilogy, by Jane Yolen
Jakkin, a bondservant on a distant world, steals a dragon egg to train the hatchling to fight in the Dragon Pits. Three books, starting with Dragon's Blood. (10+)
The Oz books, by L. Frank Baum, Ruth Plumly Thomson, and others
Many of these are back in print now, and they have lost none of their excitement and appeal. Too many to count -- start, of course, with The Wizard of Oz. (8+)
The Enchanted Forest Chronicles, by Patricia C. Wrede
Begins with Dealing with Dragons. Cimorene is one princess who knows what she wants -- and it doesn’t include sitting around doing embroidery -- so she goes to live with a group of dragons! (9+)
Fantasy Singles
The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, by Terry Pratchett
A talking cat, intelligent rats, and a strange boy cooperate in a Pied Piper scam until they try to con the wrong town and are confronted by a deadly evil rat king.
(12+)
The Ropemaker, by Peter Dickinson
When the magic that protects their Valley starts to fail, Tilja and her companions journey into the evil Empire to find the ancient magician Faheel, who originally cast those spells.
(12+)
The Eyes of Kid Midas, by Neal Shusterman
One of the most exciting fantasies I’ve read, about a boy who finds a pair of sunglasses that give him the addictive power to control the universe. (9+)
The Thief Lord, by Cornelia Funke
Two brothers, having run away from the aunt who plans to adopt the younger one, are sought by a detective hired by their aunt, but they have found shelter with -- and protection from -- Venice's "Thief Lord."
(11-15
Dragon Rider, by Cornelia Funke
After learning that humans are headed toward his hidden home, Firedrake, a silver dragon, is joined by a brownie and an orphan boy in a quest to find the legendary valley known as the Rim of Heaven, encountering friendly and unfriendly creatures along the way, and struggling to evade the relentless pursuit of an old enemy.
(9+)
The Sea of Trolls, by Nancy Farmer
After Jack becomes apprenticed to a Druid bard, he and his little sister Lucy are captured by Viking Berserkers and taken to the home of King Ivar the Boneless and his half-troll queen, leading Jack to undertake a vital quest to Jotunheim, home of the trolls.
(10-13
The King in the Window, by Adam Gopnik
Lonely and isolated, twelve-year-old Oliver Parker's longing for friendship and a little adventure materialize one winter Paris evening when he looks into a mirror and is swept away to the Palace of Versailles and into the court of the Window Wraiths, where he becomes their ruler.
(10+)
Endymion Spring, by Matthew Skelton
Having reluctantly accompanied his academic mother and pesky younger sister to Oxford, twelve-year-old Blake Winters is at loose ends until he stumbles across an ancient and magical book, secretly brought to England in 1453 by Gutenberg's mute apprentice to save it from evil forces, and which now draws Blake into a dangerous and life-threatening quest.
(10+)
Summerland, by Michael Chabon
Ethan Feld, the worst baseball player in the history of the game, finds himself recruited by a 100-year-old scout to help a band of fairies triumph over an ancient enemy.
(10+)
The Great Good Thing, by Roderick Townley
(12-year-old Princess Sylvie's storybook kingdom really is a storybook, where nothing ever changes, even the characters' mad scramble to reach their places whenever the book is opened, until Sylvie discovers she can enter new worlds with the Reader, and find new adventures.
(10+)
The Neverending Story, by Michael Ende
Much better than the movie version, it is about a boy who becomes involved in a world contained in a book, eventually entering the book and becoming a character in a story of his own creation. In the hardback edition the text is printed in different colors to indicate the parts that take place in the real world and the parts in the fantasy world. (10+)
The Secret of Platform 13, by Eva Ibbotson
As in Harry Potter, there is a magic world existing side by side with ours, and the entrance is in a train station. (9+)
Travel Far, Pay No Fare, by Anne Lindbergh
Owen's younger cousin has a bookmark that lets the two children enter any book they place it in. (9+)
Fantasy Series about Merlin
The Lost Years of Merlin trilogy, by T. A. Barron
Deals with the childhood of the greatest wizard of all as he learns to control his powers. (10+)
Passager (The Young Merlin Trilogy, Book 1), by Jane Yolen
Another series about Merlin’s childhood. This one is somewhat easier to read than Harry Potter, but it’s also a bit slower paced. (8+)
The Crystal Cave (The Merlin Trilogy, Book 1), by Mary Stewart
For much older readers, this series begins with Merlin’s youth and continues through his life. A fourth book deals more with King Arthur. (13+)
For Older Readers
All of these novels are challenging, but children in Middle or High School might want to try —
Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card
Possible the best SF novel ever written. A boy genius is trained to lead the forces of Earth against the homeworld of invading aliens.Parallel novels include is Ender’s Shadow and Shadow of the Hegemon. The other books in the series have less appeal for kids. (12+)
The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials, Book 1), by Philip Pullman
Book 1 of His Dark Materials. A rich and complex fantasy set on an alternate Earth where everyone has a daemon, an animal which shares their soul. (11+)
The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, by J. R. R. Tolkien
The series that gave birth to the modern fantasy genre, about the finding of -- and the quest to destroy -- the One Ring of Power. (12+)
The Riddlemaster of Hed (The Riddlemaster Trilogy, Book 1), by Patricia McKillip
Prince Morgon of Hed has stars on his forehead, strange powers that he doesn’t understand, and mysterious enemies from the sea who are trying to destroy him. He hopes a journey to the High One on Erlenstar Mountain can provide answers to the riddle of his existence, but that is just the beginning of his adventures. (12+)
The Forgotten Beasts of Eld, by Patricia McKillip
A slow and lyrical fantasy about a young woman who lives alone atop a mountain with magical animals with whom she can communicate. (12+)
For Younger Readers
While their older sibling are reading Harry Potter, younger children for whom that series is too hard might enjoy reading these fantasies, or hearing them read aloud.
My Father's Dragon (Dragon Trilogy, Book 1), by Ruth Stiles Gannett
A boy rescues a baby dragon from Wild Island, then has further adventures with the creature in later books. (6-9)
Dinosaurs Before Dark (The Magic Treehouse series, Book 1), by Mary Pope Osborne
A brother and sister have a tree house that can fly and travel through time. (6-9)
[[Knights of the Kitchen Table[[ (The Time Warp Trio series, Book 1), by Jon Scieszka
In this funny fantasy series, three boys have a magic book that can send them through time. (6-9)
The New Kid at School (Dragon Slayers Academy, Book 1), by Kate McMullen
Another easier and lighter series about a boy going off to boarding school to learn magical skills. (7-10)
Other Authors
Some other authors who specialize in novels that have elements that might appeal to Potter fans are:
