What to read after Harry Potter

These are in no particular order...

The Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage is a wonderful Harry Potter-esque series.

The Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley is about two children who are descendents of the Grimm brothers and must solve fairytale crimes. It's really fun and the protagonists are very young.

The Chronicles of Prydain series by Lloyd Alexander is such good fantasy for tweens and teens (and early young readers, probably)! The Black Cauldron, which the Disney film is very loosely based upon, is book number two.

The Dresden Files: This one's not for kids, but parents and teens might enjoy it. There's some language and adult situations, but mostly it's like a Harry Potter for grown-ups (his name is even Harry!). He's a crime-solving wizard from Chicago.

The Candy Shop Wars, Fablehaven and The Beyonders, all series books by Brandon Mull, are just wonderful.

All of Rick Riordan’s books, from the Percy Jackson series to the Heroes of Olympus and Kane Chronicles, are also very, very good!

The Leven Thumps series by Obert Skye is so amazing because it's so different. It's for kids, but there are all kinds of creatures and a fantasy world I've never even heard of. The villain is even transported via toothpick!

I just read the Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia Wrede, and the first book was really wonderful. It's about a princess who decides to work for a dragon and it's for younger readers.

Anything by Gail Carson Levine is lovely, too! These are fairy tales with different spins. Fairest and Ella Enchanted are my favorites.

Frank Beddor's The Looking Glass Wars are a bit violent and I'd recommend them for teens only but wow, what a series. It's about how Alyss has to reclaim her kingdom from her Aunt Redd, the queen of hearts.

Neil Gaiman has some great ones out for kids and teens, too. Odd and the Frost Giants is great. Wood Sprite loves The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish. Then his books for tweens/teens, Coraline and The Graveyard Book, are definitely on the creepy side but really good (and quick reads, too).

The Dark Hills Divide series seems okay, and for middle school readers. I've only read the first book so far. The protagonist is a young girl who has to save her kingdom with the help of animals.

Ellen Datlow has about a million fantasy collections that are SO good. Many are for adults only but there are a few just for kids that are so much fun! Troll's Eye View is my favorite; it's about fairytales from villain's perspectives. A Wolf at the Door and Swan Sister are good, too.

Vivian Van Velde has some great fantasy books with twists in them for tweens and teens. I read Stolen last year and it was really good!

Which fantasy books would you recommend for kids, tweens and teens?

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