• Start Here
  • Home
  • Books
    • Classics
      • 20th Century Classics
    • Early Chapter Books
    • Easy Readers
    • Folktales
    • Holiday Books
    • Middle Grade (8-12 years)
    • Nonfiction
    • Picture Books
    • Read Aloud Chapter Books
  • Games
    • Traditional Games
  • Kids Activities
    • Arts and Crafts
    • Literacy & Writing
    • Math
    • Playful Activities
    • Science
    • Toddler
  • Parenting

What Do We Do All Day

Books and Activities for Kids

You are here: Home / Books / Magic Early Chapter Books For Kids Ages 5-9

Magic Early Chapter Books For Kids Ages 5-9

April 6, 2015

22228shares
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Do your kids love all things magic? These magic themed early chapter books will make their imaginations soar. Filled with transformations, magical creatures, super powers, flying carpets, and fantastical plots, your beginning chapter book readers will love these books!

Magic early chapter books perfect for kids ages 5-9 who have just started reading chapter books.

These books all feature large-ish fonts, illustrations and an easy reading length, perfect for 5-9 year olds. There is variation in reading level, so some are slightly harder than others. When I first started looking for early chapter books I learned a lot and wrote my parent tips for finding early chapter books. There are lots of helpful suggestions in that post.

MORE: Books for kids not ready for Harry Potter.

(Note: book covers and titles are affiliate links.)


Magical Mix Up series. I read the second book, Grasshopper Magic out loud to my 6 year old (who unlike his brother at that age, is not reading early chapter books yet), and he quite liked it and asked for more. There was is quite a bit of age appropriate humor and it’s a very friendly sort of book series. In each book (there are four so far) four siblings encounter a bit of magic, whose source is beneath their lawn and they rally around each other to undo the magical mix up.


Heidi Heckelbeck Has a Secret. (Series) Heidi comes complete with a glitter-covered cover. Don’t let that put you off. Heidi, home-schooled until now, is starting second grade. Her discovery that she is a witch doesn’t come until the end of the book, which means your child will demand, “Next book, please!” And that is always a good thing.  The large font and illustration-heavy pages make this series a good choice for emergent readers who want to feel like they are reading “real” chapter books but may still not be ready for some of the others on this list.

MORE: Early chapter book series with girl protagonists


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. . 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.


Moongobble and Me (series). Moongobble has a problem. He is a wizard, yet everything he works his magic on turns to cheese. With his new apprentice, Edward, and a talking toad, he sets out to complete three tasks to prove he is a wizard in more than just name. This fantasy series, with lots of illustrations, is a good choice for kids who wish they were just a tad bit older and ready for Harry Potter.


Freddie Ramos Takes Off (Zapato Power). I have a great love for Freddy Ramos. After all, he and his mom love to read together. It’s also nice to see a Latino superhero, do you know many of those? One day Freddy receives a mysterious pair of shoes which turn out to have magical powers and Freddy, being the kind of boy he is, uses their power for good.

MORE:  First chapter book series with boy protagonists


The Worst Witch (7 book series) 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).


Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher: A Magic Shop Book. The Magic Shop Book series reminded me of Olivander’s shop in Diagon Alley. Jeremy is not a wizard, but the eccentric shopkeeper insists he take home a mysterious box. Inside the box is an egg which hatches into a small dragon, and now Jeremy must quickly learn how to take care of it. The dragon cannot stick around forever, though, but tending him as helped Jeremy discovers new ways of navigating the perils of tween-dom. There are several books in the series, all with children who suddenly come face to face with something magical.


Early chapter books, Stuart Goes To School and Stuart’s Cape are charmingly quirky stories by the author of the popular Clementine series. When Stuart is anxious about being the new kid, he makes himself a cape out of old neckties and it turns out to have magical properties. However things don’t always go quite the way Stuart wants! These two short books also make great read alouds.


The Lost Stone (The Kingdom of Wrenly). I probably would have loved this series as a kid, even though I found it a bit unsophisticated now. However, the series has loads of fans, and I’m for anything that gets kids reading. Lucas is a reluctant prince. He’d rather dress in peasant clothes and hang out with the village children. He makes friends with Clara, the daughter of a seamstress and the two team up to find the queen’s missing emerald. Lots of traditional fantasy elements like fairies, wizards, mermaids will appeal to kids who like imaginative worlds.

MORE: Adventure early chapter books


Earwig and the Witch. I found Diana Wynne Jones’ final book fairly odd, but then so is the main character (you might expect the same from a girl named “Earwig”). Earwig is adopted by a very bizarre, but very magical couple. Earwig hopes to learn magic, but is treated as a servant instead. However, the clever Earwig and a talking cat are soon able to outwit their guardians. This is for kids who love pure fantasy with odd-ball humor.

More early chapter book lists:

  • Early chapter books about boys (stand alone novels)
  • Early chapter books about girls (stand alone novels)
  • Early chapter books about animals
  • Early chapter books about friends and families
  • Or, see all our early chapter book lists here.
Want Your Kids to Love Being Unplugged?
Subscribe to our newsletter and as a thank you, receive 10 waiting games kids can play anytime anywhere.
Your email will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party. Click here to view our privacy policy.
22228shares
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

by: Erica posted in: Books 9 Comments

« Poetry Writing Challenge for Kids {Week 1}
Butterfly Fairy Coloring Page (plus activity) »

Comments

  1. Rebekah Gienapp says

    April 7, 2015 at 11:31 pm

    What a great list! On this theme, I also recommend Cara and the Wizard by Liz Flanagan.

    Reply
    • Erica MomandKiddo says

      April 8, 2015 at 5:06 am

      Thanks for the recommendation!

      Reply
  2. Rachel Schwartz says

    April 13, 2015 at 9:44 am

    I’m so thankful for your lists, this is great. I’ve got several on reserve at the library. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Erica MomandKiddo says

      April 15, 2015 at 9:38 am

      Thanks, Rachel! I’m so glad the lists have been useful.

      Reply
  3. Katherine says

    September 7, 2015 at 6:32 am

    Hi there, I’m in Australia and I love your lists! ‘Tashi’ is a great series that’s big in Australia -my boy and girls both love them. I highly recommend them for reluctant readers or someone that likes adventure stories and magical places. Didn’t know if you’ve come across them before? Billie B. Brown is another great Australian series for kids that like Junie B. Jones. My girls devour them!

    Keep up the great work!
    Katherine

    Reply
    • Erica MomandKiddo says

      September 9, 2015 at 6:08 am

      Thanks for the suggestions! Tashi is a great one, but I’m not familiar with Billie B Brown. I’ll have to see if it is available here.

      Reply
  4. Lydia says

    February 16, 2016 at 8:24 pm

    My sons loved the “Sister Magic” series.

    Reply
    • Erica MomandKiddo says

      February 20, 2016 at 12:14 pm

      Thank you for the recommendation.

      Reply
  5. Rachel Inbar says

    October 25, 2019 at 10:26 am

    Hi, I definitely recommend the book I recently published – Orange Sparkles – It’s a magical story about kids who find themselves living in a new country with a new language – and then they stumble upon magic, which makes things more interesting and a little less confusing…

    Reply

Feed My Comment Addiction Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

STOP THE WHINING!

SAY, "YES I WANT TO UNPLUG MY KIDS." JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER LIST AND GET 10 WAITING GAMES YOUR KIDS CAN PLAY ANYTIME, ANYWHERE.

Join over 12,000 parents who subscribe to the most useful newsletter on the planet. 

    We won't send you spam (yuck). Unsubscribe at any time.

    Search

    What Have We Done Lately?

    Best Games for Small Families (2-4 Players)

    Picture Books for Older Children

    Indoor Nature Activities for Winter that Kids Love

    Winter Bookmark Coloring Page

    Martin Luther King, Jr. Books for Kids

    A Year of Family Audiobooks

    Favorite Winter Craft: Ice Wreaths


    We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
    Copyright 2007-2020 What Do We Do All Day? All rights reserved.

    EXPLORE MORE:

    Awesome Newsletter
    Favorite Resources for Parents
    100s of Book Lists
    Gigantic List of Indoor Activities
    Best Games on the Planet
    Stay At Home Parent Resources


    Privacy, disclosure and copyright policy

    Copyright © 2021 · Foodie Pro Theme Description: This is the Foodie Pro child theme created for the Genesis Framework. Author: Shay Bocks Author URI: http://shaybocks.com/ Version: 2.0.5 Tags: black, orange, white, one-column, two-columns, three-columns, fixed-width, custom-menu, full-width-template, sticky-post, theme-options, threaded-comments, translation-ready Template: genesis Template Version: 2.0.1 License: GPL-2.0+ License URI: http://www.opensource.org/licenses/gpl-license.php by Shay Bocks

    Want Your Kids to Love Being Unplugged?
    Subscribe to our newsletter and as a thank you, receive 10 waiting games kids can play anytime anywhere.
    Your email will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party. Click here to view our privacy policy.
    Want More Free Activity Ideas?
    Join our email list and as a thank you gift I'll send you a list of 10 waiting games that will make your kids smarter.
    Your email will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party. Click here to view our privacy policy.
    Want your kids to love being unplugged?
    Join our newsletter and as a thank you, I'll send you a list of 10 waiting games.
    Your email will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party. Click here to view our privacy policy.
    We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you keep using this website we will assume you are OK with that. Read our privacy policy for more.OKRead more