Books for Harry Potter Fans

Liked J.K Rowling's "Harry Potter" Series? Try These Books

© Francine Morrissette

Jul 23, 2009

Harry Potter's time at Hogwarts officially ended in 2007 with the release of the seventh and final book. In 2009, the sixth book Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince hit the theaters.

For fans with a still-stirring case of Harry-mania it would seem that there's nothing to do but wait for the final film to come out. What's a Potter fan to do in the time in between? Well, they could hit the library and discover some "new" magical Potter-esque books.

Books for Younger Harry Potter Fans

• The Young Wizards (9-book series) by Diane Duane (Sandpiper, 2003). In the spirit of the Harry Potter books and also reminiscent of Madeline L'Engle's best-loved classic A Wrinkle in Time, Diane Duane's Wizards series is a fascinating story of two young teens who find themselves in an epic battle between good and evil. Nita and Kit just want to learn a little magic to protect them from the local bullies, but when they soon discover that real magical powers come with a great price. Set in a bizarre and surreal "alternative Manhattan" (complete with feral taxi cabs) and led by endearing characters, a strong female protagonist and really cool magical science, this fantasy series really delivers.
• Wizard's Hall by Jane Yolen (Magic Carpet Books, 1999). When young Henry arrives at Wizard's Hall he is dubbed Thornmallow beucase he is squishy on the outside and prickly on the inside. As the 113th student to arrive at Wizard's Hall, the untalented Henry/Thornmallow is given a strange and mysteriously secret destiny.
• The Secret of Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson (Macmillian Children's Books 2001). Fans of the creepy creatures in the Harry Potter books will enjoy the weird and wonderful mythical characters of the Island. When the kingdom's prince is kidnapped, the distraught king and queen must wait nine agonizing years for the portal between worlds to re-open, and when it does, they send four unlikely rescuers into a strange and wonderful place to recover the lost prince.

Books for Older Harry Potter Fans

• The Chronicles of Chrestomanci by Diana Wynne Jones (Harper Trophy, 2001). Christopher Chant is an ordinary boy who only wants to be a cricket player; but when he is tested by a powerful magician his true destiny is revealed. He is the Chrestomanci, a powerful magicial with nine lives whose job is to keep the strange inhabitants of the Twelve Related Worlds (parallel universes) from abusing magical powers.
• The Tricksters by Margaret Mahy (CollinsFlamingo, 2001). Part coming-of-age story and part supernatural thriller, the hero of this fantasy-meets-reality story is, like Potter, also named Harry, but Harry is a girl (her real name is Ariadne). Feeling like the left-out middle child that she is, Harry takes to writing a story in the attic room at her family's vacation home. When the characters of her story appear in the real world (as three Tricksters) they take on the divided spirit of Teddy Carnival, a former resident of their vacation home who met his boyhood death by drowning, and they begin to unravel Harry's untold family secret.

For Further Reading

Many libraries offer lists of "read-alikes" for specific authors and genres, like this list of Harry Potter read-alikes provided by the Madison Public Library. Harry may be done at Hogwarts, but thanks to these and other great books, Muggles can still get their magical fix.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

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