What are Some Good Books to Read After Harry Potter?

After finishing the Harry Potter series, one might be filled with a sense of letdown. What books to read after Harry Potter is finished? Fortunately, there are a number of excellent books for both children and adults which are written in a similar spirit. Many of these books have captivated multiple generations of readers of all ages, and they are all great books to read after Harry Potter.
As is the case with many “children's” books, many of these series can easily be read by adults as well as children. For younger children who are seeking books to read after Harry Potter, authors such as E. Nesbit, T.H. White, Frances Hodgson Burnett, Diana Wynne Jones, Tamora Pierce, and Roald Dahl are all great choices. Fortunately for their fans, many of these authors have written an astounding amount of work, so if readers become particularly besotted with one, it will take a long time to be sated.

Slightly older readers may enjoy the Dark is Rising Series by Susan Cooper, the Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud, the Inheritance Trilogy by Christopher Paolini, and works of authors such as Madeleine L'Engle, Ursula Le Guin, Garth Nix, and Lloyd Alexander. The Chronicles of Narnia are also fun books to read after Harry Potter, and adults may enjoy the essays of C.S. Lewis on religion and ethics as well.

Some librarians compare His Dark Materials, a trilogy by Philip Pullman, with Harry Potter. The books deal with complex and sometimes mature themes which may not be suitable for very young readers, but for older readers, they are very enjoyable to read, as they capture some of the magic of Harry Potter. Pullman has also written other works of fiction for youth, including the Sally Lockhart series, an entertaining series of books featuring a strong female hero. For readers who want books to read after Harry Potter which feature strong women, Pullman's works are a great choice.

Adults who are in mourning over the end need not fear. The Lord of the Rings is a classic epic fantasy trilogy which many Harry Potter readers greatly enjoy. Assuming that you have already read the Lord of the Rings, you might also want to look into the works of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. Many of their books are also suitable for young adult readers. For readers who enjoy a more science fiction bent, Robert Heinlein and Larry Niven have both written large numbers of epic and often quite entertaining books.
This wiseGEEK author also highly personally recommends Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrel, by Susannah Clarke. The book is steeped in magic, mystery, and wonder, and it is quite delightful. Another excellent book to read after Harry Potter, or at any time, is The Sparrow, by Mary Doria Russel. While The Sparrow is science fiction, not fantasy, it touches upon many themes which fans of the Harry Potter series would appreciate.
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Discussion Comments
A new fantasy series just out that you have to read - Brotherhood of Thieves by Stuart Daly. Just finished the first book and loved it! I couldn't read it fast enough. It's Harry Potter meets Ranger's Apprentice. Can't wait for Book 2 later this year.
Rick Riordan's Three Series: "Percy Jackson and the Olympians;" "The Kane Chronicles;" and "The Heroes of Olympus" (three books so far, with two more on the way!).
These three series are amazing and almost as good as Harry Potter, but you have to read "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" before "The Heroes of Olympus."
I've read this series, and I'm reading it for the seventh time. HP is super addicting. I don't think anyone has mentioned the Chaos Rising series by Patrick Ness. It's actually only three books, but it's really good. The first is "The Knife of Never Letting go" then, "The Ask and the Answer" then the last one is "Monsters of Men". They're about a boy (Todd), who is in the "New World" and he runs away from a town called Presstintown. This is because he is turning, I think 13, so he becomes a man. and also, there are no girls in this town, it's only men. Because it's in the 'New world'. But there are girls in the world, just not the town he's in. But he runs away in the beginning before he becomes a man, with his dog manchee. it's an amazing story.
I agree with the two other people on this thread.
'Ranger's Apprentice' is definitely a must read.
I can't put it down.
Plus 'The Secrets of the Immortal' series.
These books, like Harry Potter, they make you want to finish the book in one sitting. (If you could).
I love the hunger games! Just read the trilogy. It blows my mind. I read the whole trilogy in less than three days, cause I had to stay up almost all night to read the first book. It was too good. Read these book, I promise you, you will not regret it!
I'm curious, why doesn't anyone mention the Bartimeus Trilogy, Septimus Heap Series and my favorite by far, the Erec Rex series?
I mean, really I'm helping you guys. If you like Harry, then you will love Erec. The series is not as much as good without funny friends like Ron Weasly but Erec is such an adorable-no-clue-that-I-have-an-ability-of-powerful-magic-that-I-choose-to-be-King-and-save-the-Kingdom-where-the-people-hated-me-but-i'll-do-it-anyway-because-I'm-kind. Bartimeus also has many jokes you'll like, and honestly I haven't read Septimus Heap. I heard from a friend that it's good. Very irresponsible of me to recommended that to you.
I often give 'Lemony Snicket' to friends and friends' kids, as a gift. Also, I just finished 'The Last Crusaders' by V.L. Hoyt. I loved the book and have read that it's also the first in a trilogy.
i love the secret series by Pseudonymous Bosch. as number 71 said, it is very cool to read don't worry about the way he writes just read it and you will catch on.
Try Magic Inc. by Robert Heinlein. The Discworld series will also keep you going for a while, the wizards in the series are always lovable.
Well, I personally think that the Secret Series by Psuedonymous Bosch are really good, but I didn't read all of them, got stuck in HP! For more mature people, the Maximum Ride and Daniel X books by James Patterson are good, too. Also, the Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket is good. I know this may sound cheesy too, but Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books are good for a short read too. Also Encyclopedia Brown books are really good for a quick read, also!
"Fledgling Jason Steed" by Mark A. Cooper and the "Alex Rider" series by Anthony Horowitz.
Another good series of books to read if you like Harry Potter is Angie Sage's series on Septimus Heap. First book called Majyk. Very good. On my second read through the 5 book series, 6th book and movie coming out.
tamora pierce is one of my favorite authors. try alanna: the first adventure and if you like that there are heaps more books in the same universe.
OK in my opinion there's nothing better than the harry potter series! percy jackson and the heroes of olympus were great reads too. too bad only one heroes of olympus is out!
Twilight was the worst series i ever read and would never recommend them to said hp fans. the oracles of delphi keep by Victoria Laurie is also one of the best books i ever read. I just finished it yesterday, as a matter of fact, and would recommend it in a heartbeat!
But all in all, HP is still the best series! (try finding the tales of beetle the bard, fantastic beasts and where to find them, and quidditch through the ages (they are all books that are in the HP series). One even is harry's text book, the library book, and hermione's book! look for them.
I'm so glad that people like the Percy Jackson series! I loved those books, and I freaked out when I figured out what happened to him in The Lost Hero.
The movie was horrible, I mean, it clearly states in the books that Annabeth has blond hair! There was no Clarisse or Mr.D either, and they took out the toilet part! (For those of you who didn't read the book, Clarisse tries to dunk Percy in the toilet, but the water shoots out at her. It's the part in the book where the reader figures out that he's the son of Poseidon.)
Here's some of my favorites:
Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, Rick Riordan
The Kane Chronicles, Rick Riordan
The Heroes of Olympus (sequel series to PJO), Rick Riordan (What? He's good!)
Alex Rider series, Anthony Horowitz (I would suggest for fourth grade and up.)
The Secret Series, Pseudonymous Bosch (I probably spelled that wrong.)
i just finished harry potter. i need help finding a really good one. i can't afford hunger games though i really want to read it!
You should check out "the Gateway Chronicles" by K.B. Hoyle. She is a new author, but her books are awesome! Very similar to C.S. Lewis with a Harry Potter charm.
The hunger games! Best book I've ever read! And it's coming to the theaters soon!
The Ranger's Apprentice series is no doubt the best series i have ever read, followed closely by the hunger games series. I am a junior in high school, play lacrosse, wrestle, and i still love these books and can't put them down. Also, alex rider, artemis fowl, and the torn trilogy are great. But Ranger's Apprentice takes the cake. A must read. Trust me.
Rangers' Apprentice, Bartimaeus, The Demigod files,
Percy Jackson, Cirque du Freak, Cry of the Icemark, Runemarks, The Last Apprentice, Artemis Fowl, Seventh Tower, Eragon/Inheritance, LOTR/ Lord of the Rings, The Magic Thief, Green, Black, Red, White, Inkheart.
You should read the Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness! They may not look like much but they are amazing.
Just finished the hunger games. Amazing. up until this series i thought no books could compare to my one true love Harry Potter.
Another good series is City of Bones or Clockwork Angel!
The Hunter Games is a highly entertaining series, but please be aware that these are, in a sense, much darker books then Harry Potter.
I don't think anyone mentioned the Gregor the overlander series by Suzanne Collins. The books are great and well written. I couldn't put them down. There are five books in all.
magic thief series, series of unfortunate events, septimus heap, and of course harry potter (I'm reading it again).
i thought the percy jackson serie was real good i liked the ending and the rangers apprentice was real good although I'm still reading the ninth book.
harry potter was awesome. i can't wait to watch deathly hallows and for all you people who like a good suspenseful science fiction book the hunger games series is for you.
the first book is the hunger games the next is catching fire and the last is mockingjay and i like all the twilights. they are good.
I have read the Harry Potter series and I loved them. I also read the Percy Jackson series and thought they were great and now Rick Riordan has started two more series, The Olympians: The Lost Hero and the Kanr Chroinicles Red Pyramid.
For the guy readers out there I have found a great series that I love as much as Harry Potter. It is the Rangers Apprentice by John Flanagan. there are nine books out now and they are great!
Try the Hunger Games Trilogy. They have a great story and have can't put it down action.
Fablehaven was fun as well as the Inkheart series. I also liked the Hunger Games. Alas, none have been as good as the Harry Potter series!
The new series by Rick Riordan is a good one too. It's the Red Pyramid series. A good story about Egyptian Gods and Goddesses and connections to humans. bad news is there's only one book out right now.
I have read a lot of books on fiction and history but i have to say that there is no book like harry potter. At least i didn't enjoy other books like harry potter.
I have just finished reading harry potter and they were fab! Although I'm sad there are no more harry potter books but hey, these books sound great!
Edge Chronicles is a great read with about nine books in the series.
My son age 9/10 read all the Harry Potter books and really enjoyed the Percy Jackson series. He also read the Peter and the Starcatcher series between Harry and Percy and is eagerly awaiting the next book. For those not familiar with Starcatchers, it is about Peter Pan but for the more mature readers. How Peter became Peter and the history of Neverland.
To date he has not found anything remotely interesting.
A more mature read would be the Christopher Paolini Inheritance Collection (Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr) about dragons, Elves, dwarves and such (yes, sounds like Lord of the Rings, but about dragons). It may take some reading together to get a younger reader interested. I am eagerly awaiting the final book in this series.
Wow! How could people not mention The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan! It is a great series! I really enjoy it and the good thing is that it's longer than Harry Potter. So far it's 12 books I believe. You should give it a try. They also are somewhat lengthy and more of a mature read.
I think the charlie Bone series by Jenny Nimmo is a good choice. It's similar but very different from HP.
I tried to read Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrel, by Susannah Clarke. I found the characters unlikeable and amoral. They were nothing like the beloved characters of Harry Potter.
you should read "IT" from Stephen king if your willing for a good chill and extra horrible nightmares or even goosebumps. oh and you should read goosebumps (not scary just weird but great series).
What about the Inheritance Cycle?
Try Dianna Wynn Jones, Ursula Le Guinn, C.S. Lewis, Terry Pratchett, Tolkien, and possibly the Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander. These books are pretty good. Susan Cooper's "Dark is Rising", Phillip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" are also good. Other authors to consider are Edith Nesbit, Garth Nix, Eva Ibbotson, Cornelia Funke, Lemony Snicket to name a few.
another really good book or books to read is the percy jackson series. i just finished reading harry potter and percy jackson so now I'm stumped on which books to read. i think I'm just afraid that some books might be better than my all time favorites.
Lots of book out there!
Like Percy Jackson, Maximum Ride, Charlie Bone,
The Boxcar Children, and Charlotte's Web by E.B. White, Coraline, Series of Unfortunate Events,
The Spiderwick Chronicles.
The Seven Stones is the best book I've read in ages. I got a copy by accident because the author was signing in our bookshop and wow -it is so exciting! And i love the characters, especially Polka.
some good series I've read are 'Pretty Little Liars.' All the books in the series keep you guessing. and also 'Evermore' and the rest of those in the series. It's so romantic and entertaining. and another that is amazingly good is called 'Undone.' It is so cool. all these i really enjoyed and I'm sure there's a good chance you will too.
hmm..i think the cherub series was really good. percy jackson series was very good also. xanth series, redwall is quite good.
Read The Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks. I'd recommend it to any one above 14 or 15 but it is the best series I've read since Harry Potter. The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher is good too.
Try the percy jackson books by rick riordan. i've just finished all of them and they're great. I would also try the inheritance cycle by christopher paolini. it's aimed towards an older audience, i think, but is pretty interesting.
Lemony Snicket's: A series of Unfortunate Events is amazing and mysterious, but also great ones are
Mortal Engines Series - Philip Reeve
His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
Twilight Series - Stephanie Meyer
Noughts and Crosses Series - Malorie Blackman
But you should definitely read the mortal Engines Series and Lemony Snicket Series
reading twilight doesn't pull you into the story like Harry Potter did. I would recommend Lemony Snickets "A series of Unfortunate Events" and also Percy Jackson.
i highly recommend the book "The Host" By stephenie meyer. it's a really good book and the movie's coming out too :D. From my point of view. the host is better than twilight.
Percy Jackson's a good read too! :D
Artemis Fowl or Mysterious Benedict Society is a good choice after Harry Potter.
It's not the Inheritance trilogy anymore. Christopher Paolini is adding another book to the series
"why the whales came" is so cool you should read it
What book are you talking about?
I had the same problem as you, and i was looking around and I found the best book I've ever read. like, for real.
twilight is all right, but this was just amazing compared to that. it might seem like too much reading, but it's really not.
when i started reading, i couldn't stop. and it is just really an amazing book.
please give it a chance (:
it's about teenage love, and pretty much everything put all into one. (:
the septimus heap series are good.
i like the xanth series.
The Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan is fantastic. give it a try. you will enjoy!!
Trudi Canavan, The black magician trilogy was really good, and so was george r.r martin's, a game of thrones.
What about the Percy Jackson series based on Greek mythology? It has been great!
No one's mentioned the Xanth series by Piers Anthony? Well, I guess I'm the first one in, then. :o) It's the only other series that I enjoyed as much as the Harry Potter series (well, I liked the Incarnations of Immortality series, too--same author). Of course, I haven't read any of the above-mentioned series. I do miss the Harry Potter series now that I'm finished...
The 'Chronicles of Ancient Darkness' series is also another great one by Michelle Paver.
There is another series that is a lot of fun to read. it is by Mercedes Lackey and is called the Valdimire series. It is full of lots of different kinds of magic and such.
I just finished His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman and found it a great read!
Thanks!
I thank you so much for the recommendation of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell, I just finished it.
When I saw how big of a book it was, I thought it might be get boring. Not at all, every page was excellent reading, fun, and a page turner for me.
Probably more for adults, teens. A great read.
"The Thief of Always" by Clive Barker is another excellent one!!!
There's a really good set of books about Chrestomanci by Diana Wynne Jones. It's easiest to read them in the order they were published because there's not really a specific order to follow. They're not numbered and there are lots of different stories and characters in different points in time, but they're all connected once you've read all of them and it's really cool. Conrad's Fate is good.
The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Claire
You may like to try my new series "The Persephane Pendrake Chronicles"..book one is out "Persephane Pendrake and the Cimaruta"
I like Tamora Pierce's works. They mainly feature heroines (I can only think of one series with a male as one of the main characters). The Song of the Lioness Quartet should be the first one to read, since it was the first published.
The Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer is a great series too. The four books include Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn. They are one of my favorites!
Other good books to read after the Harry Potter series is a series called "The Secrets of The Immortal Nicholas Flamel" by Michael Scott. The first book is "The Alchemist, the second is "The Magician" and the third will be "The Sorceress" which will be available in the sprint 2009. There are to be 6 books in this series.
Another great one is A Series of Unfortunate Events By: Lemony Snicket
Another good series of books to read if you like Harry Potter are the Charlie Bone series by Jenny Nimmo. They are a bit kiddish but I'm really young and I read them right after I finished the Harry Potter series.
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