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24 Books to Read if you’re a Harry Potter fan

By April 17, 2015January 27th, 2016Discussion and Recommendations

We all like a good reading suggestion and the results of many of our polls would indicate that many of you love Harry Potter too! The wizarding series tops many of our quizzes and lists and that got me wondering what one would read after they’ve devoured the Potterverse.

With that in mind, I threw the question out to you asking ‘If I said I loved Harry Potter, what would you tell me to read next’ and more than 500 of you replied. In all 135 books were nominated and you came up with some brilliant ideas and suggestions. I added up all your suggestions yesterday and counted how many times each book was nominated, coming up with 24 books you should read if you loved Harry Potter.


Percy Jackson Series – Rick Riordan (44 votes)

Storming its way to the top suggestion with 10% of all the votes was the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan. 44 of you suggested them, making them the most voted for book to follow on from Harry Potter.

Percy Jackson series (US)
Percy Jackson series (UK)

Chronicles of Narnia – C.S Lewis (20 votes)

There’s always room for an old favourite and I have to agree with the 20 of you putting the Chronicles of Narnia in second place. Any child who loves Hogwarts is sure to love the magic of Narnia too!

Chronicles of Narnia (US)
Chronicles of Narnia (UK)

Lord of the Rings – J.R.R. Tolkien (20 votes)

The staple favourite in the fantasy realm and probably one of the most famous books every written, many of you thought this was the perfect follow on to the Potterverse.

Lord of the Rings (US)
Lord of the Rings (UK)

His Dark Materials – Phillip Pullman (13 votes)

I think this is called ‘Golden Compass’ in the US, either way it was a popular selection from you as a book that really must be read.

His Dark Materials (US)
His Dark Materials (UK)

The Inheritance Cycle – Christopher Paolini (12 votes)

This is one of those book series that just keeps getting mentioned over and over, this time as the ideal book to follow Potter.

The Inheritance Cycle (US)
The Inheritance Cycle (UK)

The Inkheart Trilogy – Cornelia Funke (11 votes)

I am reading these right now and it’s clear to see why so many of you suggested them as the book to follow Harry Potter. They are full of magic and wonderful!

Inkheart Trilogy (US)
Inkheart Trilogy (UK)

Inkheart Review

The Dresden Files – Jim Butcher (10 votes)

Many of you cited these as ‘wizards for grown ups’ and there are certainly enough books in the series to keep you busy for a while!

The Dresden Files (US)
The Dresden Files (UK)

The Hunger Games Trilogy – Suzanne Collins (10 votes)

With massive popularity for the movies, and YA adoration only seen before with Harry Potter it’s little wonder that The Hunger Games made the list.

The Hunger Games (US)
The Hunger Games (UK)

Heroes of Olympus – Rick Riordan (9 votes)

Making the top ten, twice is Rick Riordan this time with his Heroes of Olympus series, promising to keep the magic alive beyond Potter.

Heroes of Olympus (US)
Heroes of Olympus (UK)

The Son of Neptune Review

Artemis Fowl – Eoin Colfer (8 votes)

This book series has been hugely popular with children and adults alike, with eight of you voting it the perfect book to read after Harry Potter.

Artemis Fowl (US)
Artemis Fowl (UK)

And because I know you love the suggestions I extended the list to 24, the rest follow on here according to the number of votes.

Fablehaven – Brandon Mull (8 votes)

Circle of Magic – Tamora Pierce (7 votes)

The Mortal Instruments – Cassandra Clare (7 votes)

Dragonsong Series – Anne McCaffrey (7 votes)

A Song of Ice and Fire – George R.R Martin (6 votes)

House of Night series – P. C Cast (6 votes)

Belgariad Series – David Eddings (6 votes)

Septimus Heap Magick Series – Angie Sage (6 votes)

Outlander – Diana Gabaldon (6 votes)

Discworld – Terry Pratchett (5 votes)

Wheel of Time series – Robert Jordan (5 votes)

The Magicians – Lev Grossman (5 votes)

Secrets of Immortal Nicholas Flamel – Michael Scott (5 votes)

Children of the Red King/ Charlie Bone series – Jenny Nimmo (5 votes)

That’s quite a reading list! If you have any more suggestions feel free to add them in the comments.

Leave your vote

25 Comments

  • Brian says:

    Terry Brooks Magic Kingdom of Landover series

  • Carol Mason says:

    The “TRYLLE SERIES” by Amanda Hocking

  • Leeb says:

    The Nightmare Academy (Dean Lorey) or The Tapestry series (Henry Neff).

  • Jim says:

    Ursula K. Le Guin’s original Earthsea trilogy would be in my top 5: “A Wizard of Earthsea”, “The Tombs of Atuan” and “The Farthest Shore”

  • Tracey H says:

    John Stephens Emerald Atlas series. I don’t understand why people haven’t discovered this lol

  • Meesh says:

    How did the Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan NOT make this list?

  • Lee Pegler says:

    If you love Harry Potter then you will love this book. I am a huge Harry Potter fan, but loved this book. Move over Harry there is a new hero in town – Daniel!!! Chronicles of the Keyholder is awesome. I highly recommend.

  • keomuda says:

    Don’t forget Vampire Academy by recheal mead

  • Miranda says:

    Diane Duane wrote a great young wizarding series that starts with “So You Want to be a Wizard”. I think there are at least 8 books.

    • Leslie says:

      Love that series – incredibly original, and at least the first books are pre-Harry, for those who might think it rips him off. I also found the differences between the American and British training (one-on-one apprenticeship vs. boarding school in HP) to be interesting, as well – probably says a lot about the two cultures.

  • Speedy Tomato says:

    The Lewis Barnavelt Series by John Bellairs. The man that created Supernatural bought the rights to them and will be doing it. That should tell how good they are.

    The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander. One of them became Disney’s The Black Cauldron. Amazing series.

  • Marith says:

    Rivers of London – Ben Aaronovitch

  • Toni van dalen says:

    Henry Neff writer and illustrator “The Tapestry” series

  • Pete says:

    The “Land of Stories” by Chris Colfer series was the one I found the best after Harry Potter and as a teacher and avid reader, I have read all on the list except Hunger Games. The Eragon/Inheritance series was also excellent.

  • Lyn Brown says:

    Susan Cooper’s The Dark is Rising series

  • JeyJey says:

    I think that another series very similar and fun to read is Grumpy Old Wizards by John O’reilly

  • Mary Willis says:

    The Amber series by Roger Zelazney, though it can take a bit to understand what’s going on.

  • Angie says:

    I also love the Abhorsen trilogy by Garth Nix.

  • Barbara says:

    The Michael Vey series by Richard Paul Evans is also a good series with a hero who isn’t your typical hero. The hero gets bullied, has Tourette’s Syndrome and is electrical (can shock people if he wanted). I also recommend the Chronicles of Nick series by Sherrilyn Kenyon.

  • Phil Phillis says:

    If you really really love harry potter than your brain probably isn’t functioning well enough to properly appreciate LOTR or Discworld

  • D. Sullivan says:

    Check out “The Kingkiller Chronicles”, by Patrick Rothfuss. The first book, “The Name of the Wind” is almost impossible to put down!

  • Elizabeth C says:

    I’ve read a few of the books listed. I wanted to point out that the Dragonsong books are a side set of books that integrate with McAffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern series. I would highly recommend it for young adults and older fantasy / sci-fi fans.

  • Elizabeth C says:

    I’ve read a few of the books listed. I wanted to point out that the Dragonsong books are a side set of books that integrate with McAffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern series. I would highly recommend it for young adults and older fantasy / sci-fi fans.

  • Elizabeth C says:

    I wanted to point out that the Dragonsong books are a side set of books that integrate with McAffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern series. I would highly recommend it for young adults and older fantasy / sci-fi fans.

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