If you’re a fantasy fan, you may have grown up reading Harry Potter books. You might even have children of your own who want to read Harry Potter themselves. But by now, you probably know about J.K. Rowling using her pile of Potter cash to promote her personal views. If someone you love happens to be trans, or if you disagree with the mega rich using their wealth to influence politics, you probably feel like you should leave Harry Potter books and the Wizarding World behind. So what do you read instead? Where else can you get that magical fix?
Fortunately, young people learning magic and magical schools are common fantasy tropes, and there are loads of books you can read and recommend instead, guilt free. Some of the books in this list feature magical schools, while others are young people learning magic without the academic setting. I have attempted to put this list in order of most “Potterish” to the least, but I’m far more knowledgeable about science fiction than fantasy, and your opinions may vary. Try several books and see which has the vibes you like best.
The books are aimed at various age ranges and audiences. Check out the links to read the full descriptions and see what you or the young readers in your life might enjoy most.
- Wizard’s Hall by Jane Yolen –Henry, an apparently untalented student at a magical school, learns that he is one of the students being trained to confront the evil wizard Nettle and his Beast. Many people have noted similarities between Wizard’s Hall and the Harry Potter series, so former Potter fans will find much to enjoy here.
- The Worst Witch series by Jill Murphy – Accident-prone Mildred Hubble attends Miss Cackle’s Academy for Witches.
- Young Wizards series by Diane Duane – The magical adventures of Nita and Kit who are, as you might suspect, young wizards. The series begins with Nita discovering a book at the library called So You Want to Be a Wizard. What better way to experience magic than a trip to the library?
- Discworld’s Tiffany Aching books by Terry Pratchett – Tiffany Aching is a trainee witch featured in several Discworld books: The Wee Free Men, A Hat Full of Sky, Wintersmith, I Shall Wear Midnight, and The Shepherd’s Crown. If you’ve never read Pratchett before, these books are a great place to start. Tiffany Aching also appears in the tie-in book Tiffany Aching’s Guide to Being a Witch by Rhianna Pratchett and Gabrielle Kent.
- Circle of Magic series by Tamora Pierce – The series follows four young mages in Emelan, in a world similar to the medieval era during the Renaissance, as they learn magic at the Winding Circle Temple.
- The Magisterium Series by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare – Twelve-year-old Callum Hunt attends the Magisterium, an underground school where mages train apprentices to control the elements.
- The Earthsea Cycle by Ursula K LeGuin – This epic fantasy series explores a world of magic and islands. One of the major characters is Duny, an arrogant boy who goes to a magical school and, eventually, matures into a wise and powerful magician. (Duny is also known as Ged and Sparrowhawk. People have multiple names in Earthsea. It’s a whole thing.)
- The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede – A bored princess runs away to live with a dragon and learn magic.
- The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series by Michael Scott – Teenage twins Sophie and Josh Newman discover that a bookstore owner is really the immortal alchemist Nicholas Flamel. Not only that, the fate of the world depends on them awakening their latent magical abilities.
- The School for Good and Evil series by Soman Chainani – Best friends Sophie and Agatha attend The School for Good and Evil, where children are trained to become fairytale heroes or villains.
Bonus books – These are a bit less similar to Harry Potter than the others, but former Potter fans who are looking to branch out a bit may still enjoy them:
- The His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman – Children Lyra Belacqua and Will Parry come of age as they travel through a series of parallel worlds. It’s not at a magical school, but these classic fantasy books are a must-read.
- The Song of the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce – Protagonist Alanna of Trebond disguises herself as a boy named Alan and trades places with her twin brother Thom so she can train for knighthood and Thom can train as a sorcerer.
- Percy Jackson & the Olympians by Rick Riordan – Young demigods must prevent the Titans from destroying the world.
- The Touchstone Trilogy by Steven Augarde – Eleven-year-old Midge discovers the Various, a tribe of fairies threatened with extinction.
- The Castaways series by Craig Schaefer – Teenager Amy Nettle escapes her abusive father and goes to the Saunders Academy, where teenagers have been pulled from parallel earths to learn witchcraft.
Feel free to share this list with current or former Harry Potter fans in your life as you help them understand why exploring other authors is a good idea. If you or the young readers in your life need help with forming strong reading habits, I have some tips here.
What do you think? Are there other fantasy books that former Potter fans should explore? Leave your recommendations in the comments below!
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