Magical Books for Muggles and Wizards: Harry Potter Readalikes

Are you one of the many readers who finished the Harry Potter series and you don’t know what to read next? Good news: life goes on after you finish J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows! There are many other great books out there that offer immersion into an enchanting world of magic, mystery, fantasy, and adventure. Nothing can replace the love that you have for Harry Potter, but at least you’ll have something to read while you’re waiting for your Hogwarts letter to arrive.

Magyk by Angie Sage is the first of the seven-book Septimus Heap series. Wizards, boggarts, princesses, and more lurk through the pages of this magykal book, which starts with Septimus Heap being pronounced dead at birth. If that were the truth, however, we wouldn’t have much of a story, would we? Read this book and you’ll soon find out that nothing is quite as it seems in the wizarding world of Septimus Heap.

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan is void of wizards, but takes readers on a magical and mythical journey to another magical school called Camp Half-Blood: a school for children of humans and mythical Greek gods. At the age of 12, Percy Jackson discovers that he is in fact a demi-god (half god and son of Poseidon), and shortly after attending Camp Half-Blood for the first time, must embark on a journey to the underworld to retrieve the god Zeus’ stolen lightning bolt.

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann follows the story of a boy named Alex, who is pronounced an “Unwanted” on his thirteenth birthday. In the land of Quill, you are either “Wanted” and are preened to become a member of the Quillitary (like Alex’s twin brother Aaron), a “Necessary” who tends to the farms of Quill, or you are an “Unwanted” and are sentenced to death. Instead of facing death, however, Alex finds that he and all of the other Unwanteds have been saved and sent to the magical land of Artimé. In Artimé, all of the other Unwanteds are being trained to use their creative talents to prepare for war.

In Fablehaven by Brandon Mull, a trip to visit their grandparent’s estate turns out to be no ordinary visit when thirteen-year-old Kendra and her eleven-year-old brother Seth enter Fablehaven, a protected area for magical creatures that is overseen by their grandfather, the Fablehaven caretaker. When Kendra and Seth break an important rule, the consequences are dire and it’s up to them to save their grandparents amidst a world of fairies, demons, witches, and imps.

The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud is the first book of the Bartimaeus Trilogy. Like Harry Potter, Nathaniel has a rough start in life. He doesn’t live in a cupboard under the stairs, but he is sold to the government by his parents at the age of five. In this parallel modern-day London, however, Parliament is run by a group of powerful magicians and Nathaniel is the apprentice to a cruel master. Seeking revenge against his master for being mistreated and humiliated, Nathaniel delves into learning deep and powerful magic, and unleashes a dangerous and deadly force.

Dear Diary

Novels that are narrated in a diary or journal format provide a raw, intimate, and honest perspective. Readers are provided confidential details of the narrators’ deepest fears, desires, and secrets. Young adult novels in diary format are particularly of interest because the process of coming of age is so personal. This unfiltered perspective is something that the reader's inner voyeur cannot resist.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Being a teenager is tough— especially when you are Arnold Spirit, better known as “Junior.” Growing up in poverty on a Native American reservation, Junior decides to create a better future for himself by attending a school outside the “rez” -- even if doing so means his friends and family feel betrayed, and he does not fit in at his new all-white school. Junior’s sense of humor will keep you smiling in spite of his honest look at the difficulties of racism, family drama, and new beginnings.

Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison

A year in the life of British teenager Georgia Nicholson will have readers laughing so hard, they may want to avoid reading this book in public. Georgia must navigate the throes of adolescence betwixt a loony little sister named Libby, a violent Scottish wildcat named Angus, and absurd parents whom she resentfully refers to as Mutti and Vati. Thank goodness she has her beloved Ace Gang of girlfriends to have hilarious adventures with as she falls in love
with Robbie (aka the Sex God), the lead singer of a local band.

Go Ask Alice by Anonymous

Alice has been shocking readers about the slippery slope of drug addiction since this diary's publication in 1971. What begins as a coming-of-age story about social acceptance and growing up turns into a terrifying account of the struggles of drug abuse that leads to homelessness, prostitution, an insane asylum, and eventually a fate worse than those aforementioned. Alice’s cautionary tale of addiction is not one you will soon forget.

Monster by Walter Dean Myers

“Monster”: It’s the name given to Steve Harmon, a 16-year-old African-American boy, while on trial as an accomplice to murder. Steve tells his story of being in prison and on trial during in between journal entries and his own version of a screenplay— the cinematic story of his life. Watch the courtroom drama unfold to reveal the truth: Is Steve innocent? Was he framed by his so-called friends? Or was he simply in the wrong place at the wrong time?

Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty

Meet Jessica Darling in the first of a series of five novels. Her story begins at age 16 when her best friend moves away, and Jessica must enter her sophomore year of high school alone. Readers will relate to Jessica in one way or another — for her self-proclaimed type-A personality, her humor and wit, her insecurities; and if all else fails, her unflinching honesty as new relationships develop and blossom.