The Dragonet Prophecy cover – Books Like Harry Potter

Books Like Harry Potter: The Best Fantasy Series for Every Reader

Updated September 2026

Books Like Harry Potter: The Short Answer

The best books like Harry Potter are Nevermoor, Amari and the Night Brothers, Keeper of the Lost Cities, Magisterium and, for older readers, the Bartimaeus trilogy and A Wizard of Earthsea. Each gives a reader what they miss after the seventh Harry Potter book: another magic school, a hidden world next door, or another long series to live in.

Here are the ones we reach for first, in rough order of reading level:

  • The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy (1974): a magic boarding school for younger readers.
  • Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend (2017): the closest match in feel to the early Potter books.
  • Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston (2021): a secret supernatural bureau and a heroine who doesn't fit in.
  • Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger (2012): a long series set in a hidden elvish world.
  • Magisterium by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare (2014): a five-year magic school with a big twist.
  • The Bartimaeus trilogy by Jonathan Stroud (2003): London magicians and one very sarcastic djinni.
  • A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin (1968): the original school-for-wizards story, for older readers.

Below is the full list of thirteen, with first books, years, ages and content notes, grouped by what your reader loved most about Hogwarts. If your reader hasn't finished all seven yet, our Harry Potter books in order guide comes first. If you're looking for films instead, see our movies like Harry Potter on DVD guide.

In this guide:

If They Loved Hogwarts Itself: Magic Schools

The school is what many kids miss most. They loved the Sorting, the classes, the rivalries and the feeling of belonging somewhere special. These series all have a school or training academy at their center.

Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend

Start with: Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow (2017). Morrigan is a cursed girl destined to die on her eleventh birthday. She's rescued by a strange man and taken to a magical city, where she has to compete for a place in the Wundrous Society. The book has the same warmth, humor and sense of wonder as the first Harry Potter. The fourth book, Silverborn, came out in 2025, and the author has said she plans nine in all.
Ages: 8–12. Content note: a neglectful family at the start and some creepy villains; overall gentle.

Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston

Start with: Amari and the Night Brothers (2021). Amari's brother has gone missing, and she follows his trail into the hidden Bureau of Supernatural Affairs. Then she finds out she's a magician, which is exactly the kind of person the Bureau distrusts. It's a summer training camp with tryouts and rivals, and a good book for talking about prejudice. The sequels include Amari and the Great Game and Amari and the Despicable Wonders (2024).
Ages: 9–13. Content note: bullying and some action violence.

Magisterium by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare

Start with: The Iron Trial (2014). Callum's father warned him never to become a magician, so he tries to fail the entrance exam, and fails at failing. The five books follow him through five years at an underground magic school. The first book looks a lot like Potter on purpose, and then it turns that on its head.
Ages: 10–14. Content note: gets darker as it goes, with character deaths and morally grey choices.

The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani

Start with: The School for Good and Evil (2013). Two best friends are taken to a school that trains fairy-tale heroes and villains, and the pretty one lands in Evil. It has plenty of school-house rivalry, and it asks who gets to decide which one you are. Netflix released a film in 2022.
Ages: 10–14. Content note: fairy-tale violence, some body-horror transformations, a lot of focus on looks; later books get more intense.

The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy

Start with: The Worst Witch (1974). Mildred Hubble is the clumsiest student at Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches, and her broomstick crashes and her spells misfire. It came out more than twenty years before Hogwarts. The books are short, illustrated and funny, which makes this series the perfect choice for a seven-year-old whose older sibling is reading Potter.
Ages: 6–9. Content note: none.

If They Loved the Hidden World Next Door

Part of the Potter magic is Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, the sense that a magical world is running alongside ours if you know where to look.

Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger

Start with: Keeper of the Lost Cities (2012). Twelve-year-old Sophie can read minds, and she finds out she's an elf. She's brought to the Lost Cities and enrolled at Foxfire Academy. It's a very long series with a devoted fanbase, and the books themselves are long, so it's good for a reader who liked how big the later Potter books got.
Ages: 9–14. Content note: kidnappings and some peril; mild crushes that get more attention in later books.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan

Start with: The Lightning Thief (2005). Here the Greek gods are real and their kids train at Camp Half-Blood. It's the most common next step after Potter, and funnier than Potter. We cover it in depth in Percy Jackson books in order.
Ages: 9–13. Content note: monster fights, snarky humor.

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

Start with: Artemis Fowl (2001). A twelve-year-old criminal genius kidnaps a fairy for ransom, and it turns out the fairies are armed. Imagine the story told by a young Draco Malfoy who is also the smartest person in the room. There are eight books in the main series.
Ages: 10–14. Content note: the hero is a villain at first (he does grow), plus action violence and some crude fairy humor.

If They Loved British Magic and a Big Cast

The Chrestomanci Books by Diana Wynne Jones

Start with: Charmed Life (1977). Orphans Cat and Gwendolen go to live in a castle with the mysterious Chrestomanci, who controls magic across many worlds. It won the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize. Many readers who love Potter find Jones cleverer. Her books were a big influence on the British fantasy that came after them.
Ages: 9–13. Content note: a cruel sibling, nothing graphic.

Septimus Heap by Angie Sage

Start with: Magyk (2005). The seventh son of a seventh son is declared dead at birth. Ten years later, a young soldier known only as Boy 412 turns up with a secret. The world is full of odd spellings and odd magic, and it's a quirky, complete series of seven books.
Ages: 9–13. Content note: mild peril, some spooky ghosts.

The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud

Start with: The Amulet of Samarkand (2003). In an alternate London run by magicians, a young apprentice summons a djinni who is five thousand years old and very annoyed. Bartimaeus narrates his chapters with footnotes, and they're funny. The trilogy ended in 2005 and a prequel followed in 2010.
Ages: 11–15. Content note: real violence and deaths, and a morally complicated hero.

For Older Readers Ready for Something Deeper

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

Start with: A Wizard of Earthsea (1968). A proud boy goes to the school for wizards on the island of Roke, gets into a rivalry with another student, and releases a shadow he then has to chase across the world. It's short, quiet and beautiful, and more of a myth than an adventure story. Our Le Guin reading guide has the rest of the cycle.
Ages: 12 and up. Content note: none of concern; the challenge is the formal prose.

The Scholomance by Naomi Novik

Start with: A Deadly Education (2020). It's a magic school with no teachers, where monsters come up through the drains and not every student graduates alive. The narrator is prickly and very funny. This is the natural next step for grown-up Potter fans, and it's a complete trilogy.
Ages: 16 and up (published for adults). Content note: profanity, graphic monster violence, some mature references.

Harry Potter Read-Alikes Compared by Age

Series First book Ages Closest to Potter in
The Worst Witch 1974 6–9 Boarding school for witches
Nevermoor 2017 8–12 Wonder, humor, found family
Amari 2021 9–13 Secret world, outsider hero
Keeper of the Lost Cities 2012 9–14 Long series, school, mysteries
Percy Jackson 2005 9–13 Chosen kid, training camp
Magisterium 2014 10–14 Five years at a magic school
Artemis Fowl 2001 10–14 Hidden magical world
Bartimaeus 2003 11–15 Magical London
Earthsea 1968 12+ School for wizards, rivalry

Choosing Well for Younger Potter Readers

A lot of kids read Sorcerer's Stone at seven or eight and then hit a wall around Goblet of Fire, where the series gets longer and darker. If that's your child, don't push on. Give them Nevermoor, The Worst Witch or Septimus Heap and come back to Potter in a year or two, when the later books will mean more.

If a teen has grown out of middle-grade fantasy, our list of fantasy books for teens is a good place to go next. For families who prefer fantasy with a Christian foundation, our books like Narnia guide is the better fit.

Find Used Fantasy Series

Long fantasy series are expensive new and easy to find used, especially after readers finish them and move on. Look through our fantasy books and kids' books, or use the search links above to check for specific titles. Stock is one-of-a-kind and changes daily, and shipping is free over $15.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the closest book series to Harry Potter?

For middle-grade readers, Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend is the closest in tone, with a magical city, a hidden society and a young outsider who finds her place. Magisterium is the closest in structure, with five books covering five years at a magic school.

What should I read after Harry Potter if I'm an adult?

Try Naomi Novik's Scholomance trilogy, starting with A Deadly Education, or go back to A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin. Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus trilogy also works well for adults.

Are there Harry Potter-like books for younger kids?

The Worst Witch by Jill Murphy is a short, illustrated magic boarding school series for ages 6 to 9. Nevermoor is a good read-aloud for ages 8 and up.

Is Percy Jackson like Harry Potter?

Yes, in several ways: a kid discovers he's special, goes to a training camp for others like him, and fights a dark power over a five-book series. Percy Jackson is funnier and faster-paced, and it's built on Greek mythology instead of wizardry.

What magic school books are there besides Hogwarts?

Good options include Magisterium, The School for Good and Evil, Nevermoor's Wundrous Society, the Bureau in Amari and the Night Brothers, Miss Cackle's Academy in The Worst Witch, the school on Roke in A Wizard of Earthsea, and the Scholomance for adult readers.

How many Nevermoor books are there?

Four so far. Silverborn, the fourth, was published in 2025, and author Jessica Townsend has said she plans nine books in total.

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