Read-alouds and series
Books to read after Harry Potter
Kids who finish Harry Potter want a school, a hidden world and a mystery. These come closest in feel, with notes on how dark they get.
Titles, authors and publication details were checked against Open Library in October 2026; age ranges follow publisher and library guidance and are approximate. Series order is the order of publication. Checked 2026-10-25. Nobody paid to be here. The buy links are plain search links, not affiliate links, so Peabody earns nothing from them.
The Lightning Thief
Rick Riordan · Ages 9-13
A boy finds he is the son of a Greek god and goes to a camp for such children. Fast, funny, with a quest structure.
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Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow
Jessica Townsend · Ages 9-13
A cursed girl is rescued into a hidden city and must pass four trials to join a society. Whimsical and a bit eerie.
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Keeper of the Lost Cities
Shannon Messenger · Ages 9-13
A telepath finds out she is an elf and enters an elite school. Long series with a school and mystery.
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The Mysterious Benedict Society
Trenton Lee Stewart · Ages 9-13
Gifted children take tests and then a secret mission. Puzzles for a reader who likes working things out.
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Fablehaven
Brandon Mull · Ages 9-13
Two siblings discover their grandparents run a magical creature preserve.
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The Girl Who Drank the Moon
Kelly Barnhill · Ages 10-14
A witch accidentally feeds a baby moonlight. Newbery Medal 2017; slower and more literary.
Watch for: A baby is left in the forest; a grief-stricken mother.
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Amari and the Night Brothers
B. B. Alston · Ages 9-13
A girl joins a secret bureau for supernatural beings after her brother vanishes. School-like training and a mystery.
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Skulduggery Pleasant
Derek Landy · Ages 10-14
A skeleton detective and a girl who learns magic. Darker and funnier; start with Skulduggery Pleasant.
Watch for: Violence and some strong language for age 10.
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The Iron Trial
Holly Black and Cassandra Clare · Ages 10-14
Call has been told to fail the entrance test to a magic school. Opens a five-book series.
Watch for: Darker than Harry Potter.
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Inkheart
Cornelia Funke · Ages 10-14
A man who reads characters out of books. For readers who care about books as magic objects.
Watch for: Villains threaten with violence.
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Howl's Moving Castle
Diana Wynne Jones · Ages 10-14
A girl is cursed into an old woman and takes a job with a wizard. Funny, romantic comedy, no school.
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A Series of Unfortunate Events
Lemony Snicket · Ages 9-13
Three orphans and a villain. Wry narrator, a mystery that stretches across thirteen books.
Watch for: Peril and a sad pattern.
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