by Carrie Monroe

Created on: July 28, 2011   Last Updated: July 29, 2011

Harry Potter is one of the most popular series of books and is loved by both kids and adults.  With the release of the final movie many readers are sad to see the series end.  For readers who loved Harry Potter and are looking for other books that are similar to enjoy there are many options.

One series that is popular and has inspired movies is the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan. When Percy Jackson finds out that he is the son of a Greek god, Poseidon, he begins spending his summers at a summer camp for other kids who are half god, half human.  The series is full of adventure as Percy and his friends go on quests and find themselves at a center of a larger battle between the gods.  The stories are full of adventure and magic.  Much like Harry Potter, the characters in the book need to complete a quest and there is also the element of prophecy that needs to be fulfilled.  Similar to Harry Potter, characters encounter mythical beasts in the book as well.        

Suzanne Collin’s series, Gregor the Overlander, follows the adventures of Gregor when he falls through a grate in the laundry room of his apartment building.  He finds himself leading a group of Underlanders, bats, bugs and rats and his baby sister to fight a battle against a large group of rats. The series is very well written with complex characters.  It is also full of adventure and much like the Harry Potter series Gregor must also fulfill a prophesy in the Underland.  This series of books is probably most enjoyed by kids aged 8-12.   

Older readers will enjoy Collin’s Hunger Games series.  The series is set in a society where each colony must send two contenders to survive in a televised arena style test.  The winner of the games is the one who survives to the end.  The series is going to be made into movies as well.  Although this book isn’t about fantasy and magic it is set in a dystopic future.  The books are exciting and suspenseful.  Readers will have a hard time putting them down.   

Another series kids enjoy is the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney.  Although this is realistic fiction and doesn’t have the fantasy or magic aspect of Harry Potter the book is told in diary form using cartoons.  Greg is someone kids can really relate to and the books have inspired movies as well.

There were many wonderful things about the Harry Potter series.  For example, the fact that the characters and books grew up as the readers grew up.  The books started as middle grade but the later books were definitely more YA.  There was also a great deal of suspense as readers waited for a year or two for the next book to come out.

The excitement that built around the Harry Potter series show readers what is possible when a book becomes loved by millions of readers worldwide.  It may be hard to find a book or series that duplicates the excitement and magic of the Harry Potter series.  Not every book gets released at midnight to eager fans.  Many books come quietly into the bookstore and are waiting for readers to discover them.

Learn more about this author, Carrie Monroe.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.