Every child should read Harry Potter, but not every child is ready to read the entire series in one go. I mentioned in my post about how to choose chapter books for kids that the age of the protagonist is a good general guideline for the age of the reader. Harry Potter is 11 in book one and 17 in the final book.
I also don’t think Harry Potter is the best read aloud for 5 year olds, which seems like the age that a lot of parents start reading the books to their kids. (Every family is different, I make no judgements!) I have chosen to let my kids discover and read the books on their own rather than read them aloud, but that’s just a personal preference. (Maybe I should write a whole post about that!) I don’t have an answer to the best age to start reading the series, that will depend on your child’s interest and tolerance for potentially scary events.
However, for kids who are not ready for many of the darker themes in Harry Potter or the reading level of the later books, this list of chapter books will come in handy. Some of these books are good for kids not ready for the 1st Harry book and some are better for kids who can read the first three, but not beyond. All of them have a heavy dose of magic and a share a few elements with J.K. Rowling’s splendid series. (Note: book covers and titles are affiliate links.)
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The Magic Half (2 books in the series — so far) is by the author of the popular Ivy + Bean series. Miri is sandwiched in between 2 sets of twins. Her family has just moved to an old house and one day after being sent to her room for inadvertently injuring one of her older brothers, she finds part of a set of old glasses. When she looks through it she is transported back in time to 1935 where she meets Molly, an orphan living with her rather sinister relatives. Miri and Molly must work together to help Molly escape “back to the future” and when they do they discover the most surprising thing of all! (I simply cannot give it away!) Molly’s cousin, Horst, reminded me of Harry’s cousin Dudley!
Beyond the Pawpaw Trees and The Silver Nutmeg by Palmer Brown have recently returned to print. Anna Lavinia’s father left home to chase a double rainbow and left behind a mysterious silver key. Anna Lavina sets off “beyond the paw paw trees” that populate the walled garden of her home in search of her dad and the meaning behind the key. Her journey starts with a marvelous train ride which leads to a place full of wondrous inhabitants (sound familiar?). In the sequel, The Silver Nutmeg, Anna Lavinia travels to an upside-down mirror land where instead of gravity, there is “the tingle” (!). While the magic lies in the environment rather than in the protagonists, Harry Potter fans will enjoy these books that are also reminiscent of Alice and Oz.
Matter-of-Fact Magic Book Series Ruth Chew wrote about 30 books in the 70s and 80s. Several have been republished in the last year and more are currently in the works. They are closer to the reading level of an early chapter book than most of these titles so can be independent reads for ages 7 and up, or read alouds for 5 and up (again, it all depends on your child). I have only read 2 of the books in the series so far but each story is a stand alone (no character cross over — so far) and the plots revolve around normal children discovering strange happenings in their neighborhoods – like magic trees or enchanted fudge from friendly neighbors who turn out to be witches.
The Worst Witch (7 book series) Like the Harry Potter books, this series takes place at a boarding school for magic kids. In the introductory novel, Mildred begins her first year by getting a black cat and a broom. Poor Mildred, however, is not exactly the most skillful, coordinated witch in her class and her cat is a tabby! She mixes up potions and spells causing all sorts of chaos (and fun, of course). This is fun for kids and is also at an easier reading level than the Harry Potter books.
MORE: Magic Early Chapter Books (for kids ages 5-9)
Tuesdays at the Castle begins a 3 book series about a living castle. Every Tuesday the castle adds a new feature; it could be a room, or a turret. Celia spends her time exploring and mapping the castle. Celia’s brother is off at wizard school and when their parents travel for his graduation, the castle comes under attack. The castle aids Celia and two of her siblings as they try to keep the marauders at bay. The idea of a living castle is wonderful. I’m not sure I’ve even encountered such a conceit before (or at least I can’t think of another book that does the same) but it does rather remind one of the magic world of Hogwarts, although I’ve never thought of Hogwarts as “alive.” The story continues with Wednesdays in the Tower and Thursdays with the Crown.
A Question of Magic. I quite liked E.D. Baker’s The Frog Princess series and this stand alone novel is a retelling of the Baba Yaga legend, a magic tale often neglected in the world of contemporary literature. Like Harry, Serafina is taken by surprise when she discovers her magic identity. Serafina finds out that her great-aunt is Baba Yaga and that she has been summoned to step into her aunt’s shoes! She reluctantly takes on her new role, in which she must truthfully answer one question from a stranger and live in a house that stands on chicken legs. There’s a bit of humor from the talking skulls in her new home and also some very light romance in the form of Alek who wants to rescue her from being Baba Yaga. (Reading level: best for kids who can read HP book 1 but are not ready for the rest of the series.)
Bliss (3 book series) is at a reading level of the first few Harry Potter books, so if your kids are chomping at the bit to read HP book 4 or 5 distract them with these three books about a family with a magical cookbook. Harry Potter has his book of spells and so does the Bliss family, only all the Bliss spells are recipes for enchanted baked goods (now that does sound like bliss!). When the parents go out of town, a mysterious relative comes to visit and the children aren’t sure whether or not to trust her with their secret. After the cliff-hanger of an ending you will want to follow up with the sequels, A Dash of Magic, and Bite-Sized Magic.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Half Magic
Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher: A Magic Shop Book
I recently read The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles out loud to the kids and both boys (ages 9 and 5) absolutely loved it. Three siblings travel to a magical land with the help of their “scrappy caps” and a wise Professor. Along the way they meet some fantastical creatures, some of whom do not want them to arrive at their destination. As in HP, there is a villain who turns out to be not quite villainous after all.
Early chapter books, Stuart Goes To School and Stuart’s Cape are by the author of the popular Clementine series. When Stuart is anxious about being the new kid, his mom makes him a cape out of old neckties and it turns out to have magical properties, although things don’t always go quite the way Stuart wants! These two short books make great read alouds when your child is still much too young to listen to even the first Harry book.
More Book Lists You Will Love:
- Books for kids who like Narnia
- Books for kids who like Roald Dahl
- Books for kids who like Harry Potter
- Our favorite read aloud chapter books
- Books for 7 Year Olds
Need more book recommendations? Click here for the MASTER INDEX OF BOOK LISTS FOR KIDS.
Alex Baugh (@RandomlyReading) says
Honestly, I think too many kids are reading Harry Potter who are really too young for the series. Your recommendations are great alternatives until kids are old enough to really appreciate HP. Thanks for posting this list.
Erica MomandKiddo says
I absolutely agree, Alex, which is one of the reasons I made this list.
E.S. Ivy says
Our experience with Harry Potter – kids were more likely to finish the series and love it if they were at least 5th grade when they finished the series.
Tuesdays at the Castle a favorite around here! I liked Jeremy Thatcher Dragon Hatcher and also The Magic Half. E.D. Baker is a favorite author so I bet her book is good too! Some other good ones to try, I see….
Wizard of Oz was a favorite of mine growing up, but I couldn’t get my kids interested in it.
Michelle Pelletier says
Thank you! My son loves to read but is overwhelmed by the HP series. Maybe some of these will get him excited to read them.
E.S. Ivy says
Oh, I thought of one to add! My son really liked the Septimus Heap series (and he’s the one who started Harry Potter at the youngest age and then didn’t make it through the series. I do think the later books are for older kids.)
Cathy says
I read the first Septimus Heap book thinking that it might be a good alternative for my son because I don’t want him to read the last few Harry Potter yet, but I thought it got pretty dark at the end – and that was only the first one! It put me off looking at the others
Erica MomandKiddo says
Yes, I tried to avoid books that are too dark.
Fanny Harville says
I totally agree with you. I finally let my 10-year old read the 4th book this summer, but I wasn’t happy about it. And I’m trying to hold off on the last three for a few years. Plus I think it is fun to cultivate some of the anticipation that the original readers experienced as they waited for the next book to be released.
This is a great list. The Tail of Emily Windsnap is a fun magical/fantasy series that I think is for readers 8 and up or so.
Cara says
This is a great list! Thank you! I would highly recommend The Familiars to add to this list as well. My 2nd son watched his older brother zip through all the Harry Potter and was feeling left out. He read the Familiars series and loved it. Even now when he is older and has read Harry Potter for himself, he is looking forward to reading the next book in the Familiars series.
Melissa@Julia's Bookbag says
I’m still choking over the idea of 5 yrs olds being read Harry Potter — NO NO NO — I applaud you for not being judgy — I’ll do it for you!! ha ha ha 🙂 This list is so brilliant!! We own the Question of Magic book, but J hasn’t read it yet — I love Baba Yaga wherever I can find her!!
Erica MomandKiddo says
Question of Magic is good for those kids who ARE reading HP book 1 but not the rest. I made a note of that in the post above, thanks to your comment. 🙂
Susan T. says
It is interesting to me that the emphasis in children’s books today is on magic and the occult. ALL entertainment — movies, TV, video games, books — has become overwhelmed by horror, the bizarre, the supernatural, the occult. We become what we think, and young minds are so easily shaped.
In my childhood and youth, we read books about children like ourselves who solved dilemmas using the same means we had, and displayed character traits worthy of emulation. I devoured a very popular series “Childhood of Famous Americans” which laid the foundation for interest in history and biographies as I grew older. The series has been updated, and Amazon has 49 titles, some used, in the original hard-cover and others in the new paperback format. Kids can find people in their area of interest, be it sports, inventions, birds, presidents, authors, or whatever. I loved the ones about Juliette Low, Audubon , Louisa May Alcott, and Mark Twain. (We played the card game Authors.) But I read about Dolly Madison, Helen Keller, Eli Whitney, the Wright Brothers, and a whole bunch of people I’d never heard of to that point, but, from then on, felt I “knew”.
The cultural emphasis is on dark-themed literature and media. It seems to me the choices for those that are heroic, inspiring, God-honoring, and character-building are dwindling, and, with them, people of conviction and character.
Erica MomandKiddo says
I would disagree that the choices are dwindling and that contemporary children’s stories are “overwhelmed by horror, etc..” Imaginary worlds and heroic, inspiring characters are not mutually exclusive categories. I’m grateful that there are plenty of children’s books, including those based in reality, to suit everyone’s taste and interest.
Cathy says
Erica I agree with you – my boys love the traditional books like Enid Blyton’s Secret Seven, Famous Five and Adventure stories. My eldest has also enjoyed the Grk books about a family with a dog and their non-magical adventures. Susan T. – yes, there are a lot of books with magic, sorcery and horror in them, but there have been for years. The “Goosebumps” books were popular when I was growing up – not that I was allowed to read them! Thanks for the suggestion about the biographical book series!
Lori Birch says
I love the Harry Potter books and many of my friends know that and have asked me about them. My word of caution to my friends is to know the speed at which your child will read through these books. When they were first released, they came out one at a time over YEARS. The readers grew along with the books. The first ones in the series were rather light hearted, but they did get darker as the plot moved along in later books. That was fine for the first round of readers because they grew up into the older stage books, but if you have a fast reader who starts these out too early, they may well be reading the darkest ones way before they are mature enough for some of the darker themes.
Erica MomandKiddo says
Yes, I completely agree, Lori.
E.S. Ivy says
When my girls started the series, I was very clear before they started book 4 that it was going to be scarier than the others and that a character they cared about was going to DIE and it was going to get a bit gruesome in that scene. I think this is important for kids who like to read “scary” things so long as they know it’s going to turn out okay for all the characters they care about. For the younger one – so that she could keep up with her friends – I also went through and used post it notes to cover up parts at the end that were more gruesome. Even if she “peeked” I think it lessens the intensity of experience for sensitive readers.
Oh! I just thought of something! For parents who haven’t read the books, I highly recommend the reviews at Reads4tweens.com – so far only up to book 4:
http://reads4tweens.com/harry-potter-books-1-2/
http://reads4tweens.com/harry-potter-books-3-4/
Erica MomandKiddo says
Thanks for those reviews!
Ann says
Read through this list with my nine year old and she wants to read Bliss!
Erica MomandKiddo says
Great choice!
michelle says
have you read any of the Chrestomanci books by Dianne Wynne Jones? My eleven y.o is reading them, and loving them! I have been reading along with her, and I find them charming, fun, and delightful. (i am not someone who uses the word “delightful” lightly!)
michelle says
oh, and P.S thanks for the recommendations, i’m always on the look out for new reading materials for that eleven y.o !
Jessica @ Epic Fun for Kids says
I love this list! My kiddo picked up on my own love of Harry Potter about five years too early. Fortunately, one doesn’t have to read the books to enjoy bits and pieces of the world of Harry Potter, but I’m happy to have so many magical books to discover together until then.
Bronwyn Joy @ Journeys Of The Fabulist says
Thanks for these recommendations! Yes, five seems a bit young for Harry Potter. I can understand wanting to get started (they’re great) but the themes are pretty complex, really.
I read a great post on ages by a middle school teacher and Harry Potter fan. (Oh! Easy to google: http://www.stirrup-queens.com/2014/03/at-what-age-should-you-read-each-harry-potter-book/ although a later post said she did read book six (?) a little earlier than planned because the kids were begging – and of course they lived through it.) But anyway, that’s by the by.
Thanks for these great suggestions to introduce magic but at a simpler/safer level.
diegosdragon says
Great list, but you left off the best story of all – Diego’s Dragon – soon to be a global phenomenon — ..
Pinkoddy says
I am always looking for new books for the boys to read – thank you for sharing. I have featured it on the Kids Co-op
lisa sherman says
Have you looked at Guys Read? They have many selections that interest boys and they are classified by things like “at least one explosion” “space, but no aliens” etc. It is a fun site
Tiffany says
My kiddos can only read up to HP3 at the moment. There’s a reason the books were released yearly, and Harry grows up in them. My 10-old-doesn’t need to be reading what 17-year-old Harry did.
Thanks for this list! Great suggestions, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE Wangdoodle 😀
Erica MomandKiddo says
Yes, I totally agree!
Jacquie says
My daughter tried Harry but after the unicorn blood in the first book, she won’t go back to it. She has a gentle soul for animals. We’ve loved so many books on this list (Tuesdays at the Castle is our most recent fave) and I adore Eager! Haven’t read The Silver Nutmeg or anything by Chew so I need to check those out – great list!
Rebecca says
Great list! As a children’s librarian (and a mom) I like several of your choices! And as far as age-apprpriateness of HP, I have a 6th grader for whom the entire series was fine as a 4th and 5th grader, and a 4th grader who is not at all ready for it. Completely depends on the kid.
Heather says
Yes, it most definitely depends on the kid. I would have handled all of the series well if it would have come out when I was about 11. But my son, who has autism, seems to get antsy and gives up on me reading it to him. He’s almost 11, but developmentally, he’s about 5 or 6. He reads at the second grade level.
Jennifer says
How about Little Witch by Anna Elizabeth Bennett. I read it as a child decades ago and it’s always stayed with me.
Heather says
I liked your list. I think my son would like some of these books/series. He sees me with Harry Potter books often, so he sometimes asks me to read the first one. But since he has autism, he doesn’t really understand a lot of the themes and situations. So maybe some of these might be a good starting point for him.
Laraf123 says
Thank you. Thank you. The information on this list was exactly what our family was looking for!
Erica MomandKiddo says
Yay! So glad it was helpful!
Hildred Sullivan says
Great list! I am an elementary librarian and do not let students check out HP before grade 3. Most students are 9 years old by then and ready for the early books. I warn them about the darkness in the later books and the fact that Harry grows up and gets a girlfriend and kisses, which always elicits a lot of “Ews”! I would add Charlie Bone to the list. It has the magic and heft of HP with simpler language and a lot more white space on the page.
Erica MomandKiddo says
I’ve never read Charlie Bone, thank you for the recommendation! I was surprised at how many of my son’s friends had read all 7 of the HP books in 2nd and 3rd grade. There are so many other books that they would get much more out of at that age.
Lisa says
Interesting and useful. Thank you. I’m always looking around for book alternatives before we get to Harry Potter (not always magical ones).
But surely the whole point of kids loving Harry Potter is that they want toe READ it THEMSELVES. This encourages personal reading which is what we all hope for.
I know it is good for kids to have any book involvement so when parents read HP to their kids they are still encouraging a love of books. But I have been avoiding this myself because I want my son to enjoy reading it on his own and really get into it. He’s not a great reader but I know he’ll enjoy the books when he’s ready. So I don’t want him to be daunted by them before he’s ready.
I’ve also said he can’t watch the movie until he reads the first book. Does this make me mean???
Erica MomandKiddo says
Well, I’m in total agreement with you, both about the reading it to themselves idea and the movie, so I’d say you are not mean at all! ha ha ha. Also, I think seeing the action in movie form can be scary in a way that reading about it isn’t. My 10 year old has read a few of the books (by himself 🙂 ) and he doesn’t want to see the movies.
Lisa says
🙂
Dahlia says
I looked through Half Magic and saw that it is in that old fashioned wordy style, maybe it is English. I like it, but don’t think my kids (4 and 8) will get past all those words and asides before anything really happens. How do you get your kids to listen until something finally happens to grab their attention? Do you read mostly in the day time or bedtime?
They became interested in The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe, but once I put it down they didn’t care to go back to it.
Erica MomandKiddo says
Good question, Dahlia! I think there are stages to a read aloud listener. By now my kids are so used to hearing read alouds they know that sometimes they have to get through the first chapter before the action starts. Start with shorter chapter books and work your way up! I used to read to my kids at all times of the day, now I mostly read at night because of our schedules but one of my favorite times to read is meal time! If that works for you then you have an attentive audience because they are occupied and sitting still (hopefully). The most important thing is just to keep at it. I have a post here about helping kids with longer read alouds: https://www.whatdowedoallday.com/2013/10/how-to-help-young-children-love-chapter-books.html Good luck!! You are on the right track.
Tamara says
I love this! Thank you so much. I look forward to following your blog. I’m in complete agreement about Harry Potter. As an educator and a parent, I feel like we are steeling some of the magic in discovering a fantastic book when we read a loud before our kids our ready. One of the greatest gifts of that series is that it got kids excited about reading. I cannot wait to share in that adventure with my boys but I’m am adamant that they wait till they are mature enough to read the whole series independently. Thanks again!
Erica MomandKiddo says
Thanks so much for you kind words, Tamara!
Tiffany says
I second Charlie Bone. A great long series. I admit, once I finished it I could not help but think it could have been the less intense/scary inspiration for HP. I also wanted to submit another Jenny Nimmo fabulous series, The Snow Spider, just wonderful.
Also, The spiderwick Chronicles. And, one of my absolute favorite writers, Terry Prachett’s series Wee Free Men, starring Tiffany Aching, a young witch is just so different, original and just plain fantastic!
Erica MomandKiddo says
Thanks for the recommendations. My son loves The Spiderwick Chronicles, too.
Colleen Maguire says
A must read in this category is ‘Loretta Mason Potts’. I read it 58 years ago and am now reading it to my granddaughter. About a girt sent away from her family because of her behavior. Her brother discovers he has a sister and finds her. Loretta opens a closet door and is transformed into a ‘miniature’ world…
Author: Mary Chase (Harvey)
Erica MomandKiddo says
Thanks for the suggestion!
Melanie says
I just wanted to thank you for compiling this list. I had pinned it awhile ago, but this morning my eight year old daughter, in anticipation of our first summer library trip tomorrow, was asking for a list of new “fantasy” books she could read. These fit the bill perfectly! And the library has them! I’m going to subscribe to your site right now, as I can use all the suggestions I can with my bookworm!
Erica MomandKiddo says
Thank you for taking the time to let me know, Melanie. I am so delighted the list was helpful.
Serena says
Wow, I love this list! Thank you! As my oldest is only 5, but a very eager chapter book reader, I need a lot of help finding just the right combination of interesting stories and challenging vocabulary, but still age-appropriate themes. I agree that Harry Potter is probably not a good fit at the moment.
Anyhow, it would have also been very helpful if you included the age of the protagonist in each recommendation so that we can apply your advice to this list. Thanks again for compiling this.
Samantha Lehmann says
Been loving sharing your wonderful book lists with all the Read Aloud Revival folks and homeschoolers looking for good books. My dd Gracie demands that I write you to ask you to rethink the book, “A Question of Magic.” She feels that it is has no panache and involves a great deal of romance. It trumps the entire Baba Yaga folktale – which we love. I have not checked, but I have read other books by this author – all about girls and their inordinate interest in boys – that trumps their own inner and outer fabulousness!
Girls as heroes, great. Girls as appendages to boys… “we owe it to girls to do better, Mom.” We just read “Enough” by Kate Connor. She feels strongly. Thanks for listening. We relish your weekly newletters and always jump on the books.. especially the picture books telling stories about folks of whom we rarely hear / read. We always have a pile of picture books 14 to 3 read…. in the family room – all from your suggestions.
Erica MomandKiddo says
I think it’s so great that your daughter felt so strongly she “demanded” you tell me her opinion! There’s a new book called “Baba Yaga’s Assistant by Marika McCoola that got fantastic reviews. I haven’t read it yet, so maybe Gracie can take a look at tell me what she thinks! 🙂 Thanks for your kind words and hopefully, the next book you read from one of the lists will be a better fit!
Denise says
We really enjoyed the Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull. The Last Dragon Chronicles by Chris D’Lacey was pretty good too, though slightly more mature than Fablehaven, but less mature than Harry Potter gets.
Erica says
Thanks for the recommendations!
Claire says
Can I also recommend the Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner (and his others) as well as Joan Aiken (wolves of Willoughby Chase is excellent) for brilliant reads for 8-9 year olds.
Erica says
Thanks for the recommendations!
Kim Roy says
Great list! I have lots of new books to try nowith. ?
I would also recommend the Oliver Moon series – quite fun early chapter books.
Erica says
Thanks for the recommendation!