Harry Potter Readalikes

Having trouble imagining a world with no new Harry Potter book on the horizon? There is hope for future reading pleasure after HP7! Other worlds await for readers to explore in these books of fantasy, adventure, and magic!

This booklist was contributed by Appleton Public Library Reference and Information Services Staff, 8/07 

• The rope trick by Lloyd Alexander (2002)
Motivated by her quest to learn a legendary rope trick, the magician Princess Lidi and her troupe embark on a journey through Renaissance Italy that intertwines adventure, love, and mystery.
• Skellig by David Almond (1999)
Unhappy about his baby sister's illness and the chaos of moving into a dilapidated old house, Michael retreats to the garage and finds a mysterious stranger who is something like a bird and something like an angel.
• Tithe : a modern faerie tale by Holly Black (2004)
Sixteen-year-old Kaye, who has been visited by faeries since childhood, discovers that she herself is a magical faerie creature with a special destiny.
• Valiant : a modern tale of faerie by Holly Black (2005)
Seventeen-year-old Val runs away to New York City, where she falls in with a gang of squatters who live in the city's subway system and consort with faeries, trolls, and other strange creatures.
• Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer (2001) Book 1
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.
• The Arctic incident by Eoin Colfer (2002) Book 2 Artemis Fowl
The world's youngest criminal mastermind returns to rescue his father from the Russian Mafia
• The eternity Code by Eoin Colfer (2004) Book 3 Artemis Fowl
After Artemis uses stolen fairy technology to create a powerful microcomputer and it is snatched by a dangerous American businessman, Artemis, Juliet, Mulch, and the fairies join forces to try to retrieve it.
• It begins by Richie Tankersley Cusick (2005) Book 1 Unseen
After a horrifying encounter in a graveyard, Lucy cannot get over feeling that she is being watched, but is unwilling to trust the one person who might be able to help her.
• Blood brothers by Richie Tankersley Cusick (2006) Book 3 Unseen
A stranger claiming to be Byron's brother appears, horribly wounded, and throws Lucy's life into further turmoil.
• Rest in peace by Richie Tankersley Cusick (2005) Book 2 Unseen
Having survived the accident that killed her friend Byron, Lucy tries to cope with her new powers as she attempts to figure out who--or what--is stalking her.
• Revenge of the witch by Joseph Delaney (2005) Book 1 Last Apprentice
Young Tom, the seventh son of a seventh son, starts work as an apprentice for the village spook, whose job is to protect ordinary folk from "ghouls, boggarts, and all manner of wicked beasties." Capturing witches Binding boggarts Driving away ghosts For years, Old Gregory has been the Spook for the county, ridding the local villages of evil. Now his time is coming to an end. But who will take over for him? Twenty-nine apprentices have tried-some floundered, some fled, some failed to stay alive. Only Thomas Ward is left. He's the last hope; the last apprentice. Can Thomas succeed? Will he learn the difference between a benign witch and a malevolent one? Does the Spook's warning against girls with pointy shoes include Alice? And what will happen if Thomas accidentally frees Mother Malkin, the most evil witch in the county?
• Curse of the bane by Joseph Delaney (2006) Book 2 Last Apprentice
Now thirteen years old, Tom Ward continues his apprenticeship with the Spook as they confront a dangerous bane who can control people's thoughts.
• Deep Wizardry by Diane Duane (2001) Book 2 Young Wizards
During a summer vacation at the beach, thirteen-year-old wizard Nita and her friend Kit assist the whale-wizard S'reee in combating an evil power.
• So you want to be a wizard by Diane Duane (2001) Book 1 Young Wizards
Thirteen-year-old Nita, tormented by a gang of bullies because she won't fight back, finds the help she needs in a library book on wizardry which guides her into another dimension.
• High wizardry by Diane Duane (2001) Book 3 Young Wizards
When her younger sister uses the family computer with its special wizard software to travel to worlds light years away, Nita uses her wizardry to try to find her.
• The ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan (2005) Book 1 Ranger's Apprentice
When fifteen-year-old Will is rejected by battleschool, he becomes the reluctant apprentice to the mysterious Ranger Halt, and winds up protecting the kingdom from danger.
• The burning bridge by John Flanagan (2005) Book 2 Ranger's Apprentice
Will is forced to overcome his fear of Wargals, the foot soldiers of rebel warlord Morgarath, as Araluen's army prepares to battle Morgarath's forces.
• The icebound land by John Flanagan (2006) Book 3 Ranger's Apprentice
Chasing the Skandian slave-traders who kidnapped Will and Evanlyn, Ranger Halt and warrior student Horace find themselves in the frozen northern islands, where they battle a ruthless black-clad knight as they attempt to rescue their friends.
• Inkheart by Cornelia Caroline Funke (2003) Book 1 Inkheart Trilogy
Twelve-year-old Meggie learns that her father, who repairs and binds books for a living, can "read" fictional characters to life when one of those characters abducts them and tries to force him into service.
• Inkspell by Cornelia Caroline Funke (2005) Book 2 Inkheart Trilogy
When Dustfinger finds a crooked storyteller who can read him back to Inkscape, he leaves his apprentice Farid behind. Farid seeks out Meggie and the two follow him back into the enchanted book.
• The books of magic by Neil Gaiman (1993)
• Moonrise by Erin Hunter (2005) Book 2 Warriors: The New Prophecy
As they journey home to warn their clans of the coming destruction, the six cats, guided by StarClan's prophecy, meet an unfamilar tribe of cats with their own set of beliefs--and their own mysterious prophecy.
• Midnight by Erin Hunter (2005) Book 1 Warriors: The New Prophecy
Called by StarClan to fulfill a new prophecy, a group of young cats sets out on a long and dangerous journey, knowing only that trouble threatens the forest, as the adventures of the warrior clans continue.
• Dawn by Erin Hunter (2006) Book 3 Warriors: The New Prophecy
The questing cats return to a forest devastated by the Twolegs, where they must find a way to convince their Clans to leave in search of a new home, even though they have no idea where they are going.
• Aunt Maria by Diana Wynne Jones (1991)
While visiting and caring for Great-Aunt Maria, Mig and Chris discover that their "helpless" relative has frightening powers.
• A wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin (1975) Book 1 Earthsea
A boy grows to manhood while attempting to subdue the evil he unleashed on the world as an apprentice to the Master Wizard.
• The tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin (1971) Book 2 Earthsea
Arha's isolated existence as high priestess in the tombs of Atuan is jarred by a thief who seeks a special treasure.
• The farthest shore by Ursula K. Le Guin (1972) Book 3 Earthsea
A young prince joins forces with a master wizard on a journey to discover a cause and remedy for the loss of magic in Earthsea.
• Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine (1997)
In this novel based on the story of Cinderella, Ella struggles against the childhood curse that forces her to obey any order given to her.
• Grim Tuesday by Garth Nix (2004) Book 2 Keys to the Kingdom
"Arthur Penhaligon didn't think he would have to return to the very strange house that nearly killed him on Monday -- and the house that contains a fantastical and sinister realm inside. But the next day brings new challenges -- in the form of an enemy named Grim Tuesday, who threatens the safety of both Arthur's family and his world."
• Drowned Wednesday by Garth Nix (2005) Book 3 keys to the Kingdom
Everyone is after Arthur Penhaligon including strange pirates, shadowy creatures, and Drowned Wednesday, whose gluttony threatens both her world and Arthur's.
• Shade's children by Garth Nix (1997)
In a savage postnuclear world, four young fugitives attempt to overthrow the bloodthirsty rule of the Overlords with the help of Shade, their mysterious mentor.
• Sabriel by Garth Nix (1995) Book 1 The Old Kingdom
Sabriel, daughter of the necromancer Abhorsen, must journey into the mysterious and magical Old Kingdom to rescue her father from the Land of the Dead.
• Abhorsen by Garth Nix (2003) Book 3 The Old Kingdom
Abhorsen-In-Waiting Lirael and Prince Sameth, a Wallmaker, must confront and bind the evil spirit Oranis before it can destroy all life.
• Mister Monday by Garth Nix (2003) Book 1 Keys to the Kingdom
Arthur Penhaligon is supposed to die at a young age, but is saved by a key that is shaped like the minute hand of a clock. The key causes bizarre creatures to come from another realm, bringing with them a plague. A man named Mister Monday will stop at nothing to get the key back. Arthur goes to a mysterious house that only he can see, so that he can learn the truth about himself and the key.
• Lirael, daughter of the Clayr by Garth Nix (2001) Book 2 the Old Kingdom
When a dangerous necromancer threatens to unleash a long-buried evil, Lirael and Prince Sameth are drawn into a battle to save the Old Kingdom and reveal their true destinies.
• Eragon by Christopher Paolini (2003) Book 1 Inheritance Trilogy
In Aagaesia, a fifteen-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.
• Eldest by Christopher Paolini (2005) Book 2 Inheritance Trilogy
After successfully evading an Urgals ambush, Eragon is adopted into the Ingeitum clan and sent to finish his training so he can further help the Varden in their struggle against the Empire.
• Briar's book by Tamora Pierce (1999) Book 4 Circle of Magic
Briar, a young mage-in-training, and his teacher Rosethorn must use their magic to fight a deadly plague that is ravaging Summersea.
• Tris's book by Tamora Pierce (1998) Book 2 Circle of Magic
With the defenses of Winding Circle Temple seriously weakened by an earthquake, Tris and her fellow sages-in-training try to join their different magic powers to protect the Winding Circle community from a pirate attack.
• Sandry's book by Tamora Pierce (1999) Book 1 Circle of Magic
Four young misfits find themselves living in a strictly disciplined temple community where they become friends while also learning to do crafts and to use their powers, especially magic.
• Daja's book by Tamora Pierce (1998) Book 3 Circle of Magic
While at Gold Ridge castle to the north of Winding Circle, Daja and the three other mages-in-training who have become her friends develop their unique magical talents as they try to prevent a devastating forest fire from consuming everything in its path.
• The amazing Maurice and his educated rodents by Terry Pratchett (2001)
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.
• The golden compass by Philip Pullman (1995) Book 1 His Dark Materials
Accompanied by her daemon, Lyra Belacqua sets out to prevent her best friend and other kidnapped children from becoming the subject of gruesome experiments in the Far North.
• The amber spyglass by Philip Pullman (2000) Book 3 His Dark Materials
Lyra and Will find themselves at the center of a battle between the forces of the Authority and those gathered by Lyra's father, Lord Asriel.
• The subtle knife by Philip Pullman (2003) Book 2 His Dark Materials
Lyra finds herself in a shimmering, haunted underworld-Citt̉gazze, where soul-eating Specters stalk the streets and wingbeats of distant angels sound against the sky. But she is not without allies: 12-year-old Will Parry, fleeing for his life after taking another's, has also stumbled into this strange new realm. On a perilous journey from world to world, Lyra and Will discover an object of devastating power. And with every step, they move closer to an even greater threat-and the shattering truth of their own destiny.
• The lightning thief by Rick Riordan (2005) Book 1 Percy Jackson & the Olympians
After learning that he is the son of a mortal woman and Poseidon, god of the sea, twelve-year-old Percy is sent to a summer camp for demigods like himself, and joins his new friends on a quest to prevent a war between the gods.
• The sea of monsters by Rick Riordan (2006) Book 2 Percy Jackson & the Olympians
Demi-god Percy Jackson and his friends must journey into the Sea of Monsters to save their camp. But first Percy will discover a secret that makes him wonder whether being claimed as Poseidon's son is an honor or a cruel joke.
• The Titan's curse by Rick Riordan (2007) Book 3 Percy Jackson & the Olympains
When the goddess Artemis disappears while hunting a rare, ancient monster, a group of her followers joins Percy and his friends in an attempt to find and rescue her before the winter solstice, when her influence is needed to sway the Olympian Council regarding the war with the Titans.
• Magyk by Angie Sage (2005) Book 1 Septimus heap
After learning that she is the Princess, Jenna is whisked from her home and carried toward safety by the Extraordinary Wizard, those she always believed were her father and brother, and a young guard known only as Boy 412--pursued by agents of those who killed her mother ten years earlier.
• Flyte by Angie Sage (2006) Book 2 Septimus Heap
When Princess Jenna is pursued by a dark wizard, it is the apprentice, Septimus Heap, who must save her while enduring such terrors as a night in the Forest with hungry wolverines and carnivorous trees.
• Physik by Angie Sage (2007) Book 3 Septimus Heap
Pulled through a glass that brings him back in time, Septimus Heap becomes the apprentice of an alchemist.
• The unseen by Zilpha Keatley Snyder (2005)
Feeling angry and out-of-place in her large family, twelve-year-old Xandra finds a magical key to a world of ghostly, sometimes frightening, phantoms that help her see herself and her siblings more clearly.
• The golem's eye by Jonathan Stroud (2004) Book 2 Bartimus Trilogy
In their continuing adventures, magician's apprentice Nathaniel, now fourteen years old, and the djinni Bartimaeus travel to Prague to locate the source of a golem's power before it destroys London.
• The amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud (2003) Book 1 Bartimus Trilogy
Nathaniel, a magician's apprentice, summons up the djinni Bartimaeus and instructs him to steal the Amulet of Samarkand from the powerful magician Simon Lovelace.
• Ptolemy's gate by Jonathan Stroud (2006) Book 3 Bartimus Trilogy
Dangerous adventures continue for the djinni Bartimaeus and his master, seventeen-year-old Nathaniel, a powerful magician who is serving as England's minister of information.
• The thief by Megan Whalen Turner (1998) Book 1 Queen's Thief
Gen flaunts his ingenuity as a thief and relishes the adventure which takes him to a remote temple of the gods where he will attempt to steal a precious stone.
• The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner (2000) Book 2 Queen's Thief
Forsaken by the gods and left to his own devices, Eugenides, Royal Thief of Eddis, summons all his wit and wiles in an attempt to conquer the rival Queen of Attolia.
• The king of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner (2006) Book 3 Quen's Thief
Eugenides, still known as a Thief of Eddis, faces palace intrigue and assassins as he strives to prove himself both to the people of Attolia and to his new bride, their queen.