More Magical Books Like Harry Potter
Updated by Sarah Baird
Whether the sorting hat would place you into Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin, there’s nothing quite like diving back into the world of Harry Potter for a comforting post-work read or a weekend binge session. Now over a decade since the final installment in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows , was released, though, it might be time to find some additional fiction series that pique the same type of fantastical, magical interest without skimping on action, adventure, and (a little bit of) romance.
Fortunately, there are plenty of books like** Harry Potter ** both inside and outside the world of young adult fiction that fit this bill perfectly, rich with intrigue and otherworldly sights as seen through the eyes of young protagonists. Get ready to be transported—no magic wand required!
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
Long before the books of Harry Potter captivated young readers with tales of witches, warlocks, and talking animals, there were The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. A seven-book series which is filled-to-the-brim with mythical creatures and big questions, you’ll be engrossed with finding out what the Pevensie siblings, Edmund, Peter, Susan, and Lucy, will discover next.
Age Range: 9-12
**_ Percy Jackson and The Olympians _ by Rick Roidran **
When 12-year-old Percy Jackson discovers that he is the son of Poseidon, God of the Sea, his life is turned upside down by a cast of fellow demigods, mythological enemies, and epic quests to save both himself and his newly-discovered friends. Many of the books in the five-part series are also available in graphic novel form, if you gravitate toward a more visually-driven reading experience.
**Age Range: **9-12
** The Fair Isle Trilogy by Tessonja Odette**
If you’re looking for a fierce heroine, a fantasy kingdom, and a story that skews more adult than pure YA, then The Fair Isle Trilogy might be up your alley. Forced to marry a cruel fae king, Evelyn Fairfield must do what it takes to fulfill the treaty and keep her people safe. But can she do her duty without losing her heart?
**Age Range: **14+
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
A historical-fantasy novel later made into a television series, this first installment in the All Souls trilogy finds Diana Bishop, a young historian and a descendant of witches, discovering a long-lost and enchanted alchemical manuscript, Ashmole 782, deep in Oxford's Bodleian Library. Its reappearance summons a fantastical underworld, which she navigates alongside a vampire geneticist and cast of otherworldly characters.
Age Range: 14+
The Magicians Trilogy by Lev Grossman
Quentin Coldwater, a high school math genius, is ingenious but miserable. He's engrossed in a series of children's novels set in a magical land called Fillory, and his real life can’t compare to fantasy. When Quentin is unexpectedly admitted to an elite, secret college of magic, though, it looks as if his most deeply-held dreams are coming true. But his newfound powers lead him down a dark path that ultimately results in learning the secrets behind the story of Fillory. The land of his childhood fantasies turns out to be more dangerous than he ever could have imagined.
Age Range: 14+
Pennyroyal Academy Series by M.A. Larson
A magical tale of adventure set in the world of Grimm’s fairy tales, a girl arrives in a bustling kingdom with no name and no idea why she is there, only to find herself at the center of a world at war. She enlists at Pennyroyal Academy, where princesses and knights are trained to battle the two great menaces of the day: witches and dragons. There, given the name “Evie,” she must endure a harsh training regimen while also navigating an entirely new world of friends and enemies.
**Age Range: **9-12
The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane , Julia Nobel
Looking for a book filled with ample secrets, intrigue, and, yes, boarding school? Then your next read should be The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane by Julia Nobel. After her dad’s mysterious disappearance, Emmy is shipped off to a prestigious boarding school in England where she finds the same strange symbols from medallions in her home etched into walls and books. Does what she uncovers have something to do with her father’s disappearance?
Age Range: 9-12
