Books Like Harry Potter: 20 Series for Kids To Read Next
Harry Potter is the book that gets millions of kids reading. I mean really reading … devouring words with a passion and obsessing over characters who feel closer than friends. That kind of reading.
But just like any beloved book series, it’s depressing when it’s over. So what should you pick up next to get your reading mojo back?
These highly recommended, highly addicting, can’t-put-‘em-down stories of adventure and fantasy will lift you out of the Harry Potter doldrums.
This list originally appeared on ReadBrightly.com.
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1
Add to BookshelfPennyroyal Academy Series
by M. A. Larson
When Evie unexpectedly joins Pennyroyal Academy, a school where courageous young children are trained to become princesses and knights, she’s not sure what to expect. No damsels in distress here — these princesses are being trained as protectors of the land, strong and empowered warriors who will battle witches and dragons. Does Evie have what it takes to defeat the witch forces closing in?
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$9.99Buy from Other Retailers:
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2
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Gifted Clans Series
by Graci Kim
In this Good Reads Choice Award-winning series, Korean mythology, magic, and our modern world collide in a fantastical saga that will delight Harry Potter fans. Just like Harry, Riley embarks on a quest to discover her true identity, power, and save her lineage of witches, when things go wrong upon her sister’s initiation ceremony into the Gom clan of healing witches. Similar to the Hogwarts houses, there are several clans of witches with powers and influence in this magical world. Will Riley continue to be an outsider, or will she be accepted into the Gom clan?
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3
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The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel Series
by Michael Scott
Harry Potter fans may remember Nicholas Flamel from his appearance in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Legend has it that the real-life Flamel discovered the secret to eternal life. Twins Sophie and Josh find out the legend is true when they become entangled in a battle for the Book of Abraham the Mage. In it lies the secret to the elixir of life — and the power to destroy the world.
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$11.99Buy from Other Retailers:
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4
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An Epic Series of Failures Series
by Chris Rylander
Like young Harry Potter, the charmingly odd Greg Belmont discovers his true identity later in life: he’s a Dwarf, part of a disaster-prone group of people who have lived beneath Chicago for centuries. But magic wasn’t only awakened in Greg – it returned to all of the Dwarves – and now there’s a war brewing between the Dwarves and the Elves. Full of hijinks and magic, An Epic Series of Failures will scratch that itch of learning about a marvelous new world.
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5
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The Inheritance Cycle
by Christopher Paolini
The Inheritance Cycle series has captivated millions of readers worldwide and is a natural next-read after finishing Harry Potter. It’s about a teenage boy who finds a dragon’s egg in the forest and gets caught up in a breathtaking adventure full of magic and danger. With four action-packed books in the series, young readers will get lost in this world for days.
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$15.99Buy from Other Retailers:
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6
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Momo Arashima Series
by Misa Sugiura
A demon-fighting girl wielding a sword? Yes, please! Life is hard enough having to deal with her sick mom, bullies, and friendship betrayal, but things get really complicated when Momo discovers she’s part Shinto goddess. Abruptly pulled into a magical (and dangerous) adventure to protect the land of the dead, Momo must grapple with her heritage, taking on monsters along the way.
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7
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The Uncommoners Series
by Jennifer Bell
When intruders (brandishing toilet brushes?!) show up at their house, siblings Ivy and Seb flee to Lundinor, a mysterious city beneath London where everyday items are enchanted with amazing abilities. Featuring mystical creatures, phenomenal world-building, great characters, and thrilling action, The Uncommoners will leave readers with that same magical feeling as Harry Potter.
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8
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Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children Series
by Ransom Riggs
Another fantastical series that got the Hollywood treatment — this time under the direction of Tim Burton — the Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series first introduces us to Jacob, 16 and alone in the world, as he stumbles upon an abandoned orphanage on a remote island. Who were the children who lived under this roof? What were they capable of? And is it possible they’re still alive? Vintage photographs combine with haunting text in this bestselling series.
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9
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His Dark Materials Series
by Philip Pullman
A compass that can find truthful answers to one’s questions. A knife that can cut windows into other worlds. A mysterious particle for which a terrible war between worlds will be fought. And Lyra Belacqua, the strong-willed and determined heroine at the heart of this dark and suspenseful trilogy.
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$12.99Buy from Other Retailers:
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10
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Dragon Keepers Series
by Kate Klimo
Accessible and exciting, the Dragon Keepers series is perfect for readers who love the story of Harry Potter but aren’t quite ready to tackle the original tomes. Ten-year-old cousins Jesse and Daisy unwittingly become Dragon Keepers, with a newborn dragon named Emmy as their charge. Over the course of the series, they’ll have to protect Emmy from the evil St. George, unravel the ancient secrets of Dragon Keeping, and so much more.
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11
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The Forgotten Five Series
by Lisa McMann
Young Harry Potter fans will love this new series from the New York Times bestselling author of The Unwanteds. Five supernatural children grew up in a remote hideaway, but when they find themselves alone and abandoned, they make their way to civilization. None of them are prepared for the modern world, and their criminal parents left behind a terrible legacy that they must face—whether they’re ready or not.
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12
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100 Dresses Series
by Susan Maupin Schmid
Imagine stumbling upon a closet full of 100 glorious dresses, and then trying one on to find you’ve been transformed into someone else! That’s what happens to Darling Dimple, a young girl with a whole lot of gumption who takes on various disguises to solve mysteries inside an enchanted castle. Some use invisibility cloaks, others prefer a gown and lace slippers.
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13
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Ranger’s Apprentice Series
by John Flanagan
This excellent series of books is filled with epic battles and adventures with Will, the Rangers (and their secret ways), and the ultimate goal to defeat evil.
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14
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Pandava Series
by Roshani Chokshi
Roshani Chokshi introduces young readers to a rich world of Indian mythology and modernity. Follow 12-year-old Aru Shah as she embarks on a thrilling journey through Hindu mythology to save the world from impending doom, encountering magical creatures and uncovering her true identity along the way.
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15
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The Great Library Series
by Rachel Caine
Egypt’s Great Library of Alexandria was destroyed in a fire some 2,000 years ago, but in Rachel Caine’s extraordinary series, the library survived – and it now controls all knowledge that’s dispersed to the people. Books are forbidden from being owned, but that doesn’t stop Jess Brightwell’s family from smuggling them. To learn more about their rulers, Jess enlists in the Library’s army, putting himself and everyone around him in great danger.
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$19.00Buy from Other Retailers:
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16
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Talespinners Series
by Scott Reintgen
If you loved the magical school setting in Harry Potter, then Saving Fable will be right up your alley. An aspiring book character named Indira wins a spot in the Protagonist Preparatory school but doesn’t get chosen as a hero. Instead, she earns a side-character role. But the land of Fable is in danger, and Indira must figure out who is behind the threat and stop them before they ruin stories forever.
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17
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Redwall Series
by Brian Jacques
In a world of evil rats and peaceful mice, these epic stories of good vs. evil will appeal to kids who love battles, adventure, and animals.
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$23.99Buy from Other Retailers:
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18
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Merlin Saga Series
by T. A. Barron
Imagine that instead of Harry Potter’s coming-of-age story, we’d instead read Albus Dumbledore’s. That’s the experience of reading T. A. Barron’s The Lost Years of Merlin series, which finds the greatest wizard of all time alone, nameless, and with no memory of life before. In order to save the realm of Fincayra, he must become who he was always destined to be.
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19
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Worst Witch Series
by Jill Murphy
Before Harry Potter and Hogwarts, there was Mildred Hubble and Miss Cackle’s Academy for Witches. Not only is Mildred less natural with a wand than Harry, but she doesn’t have a Hermione to tutor her. Nevertheless, Mildred manages to weather her numerous magical exploits in this revived series that’s winning over a new generation of readers.
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$6.99Buy from Other Retailers:
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20
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Kingston Duology
by Rucker Moses and Theo Gangi
Mystery, magic, and family make this middle grade series a must-read for Harry Potter fans. Magic disappeared from Brooklyn at the same time Kingston’s father did. Now, twelve-year-old Kingston must follow the clues his father left behind, find him, and restore magic to the city.
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