If You Like Harry...

[MattW]

With Harry Potter 7 on the verge of release (for those of you who've been on a deserted island, the Harry Potter finale arrives July 21st), kids are clamoring for other great fantasy books to read. Some of the fantasy hits at B&N are the Warriors series, Septimus Heap, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and Pendragon.

What fantasy books do you love? Do you know of series that kids don't want to miss?

For in-depth Harry discussions, check out our popular Waiting for Harry or Harry By the Month book clubs. There, folks are talking about everything to do with Harry Potter, including theories, predictions, and much more.

[KristyR]

My kids love the Septimus Heap series and the Charlie Bone series. The next Charlie Bone comes out in June - so we can't wait! (My son can read these on his own, he's 10, but because his younger siblings enjoy them too I read them aloud.)

[Nelsmom]

My family have been reading Eragon, Eldest, and wondering when the last book is going to come out. We have also been talking about Cornelia Funke's bookes Inkheart, Inkspell, and Dragon Rider. We also when she is going to finish the last of the Inkheart trilogy. But looking forward to Harry has been on the top of the list.

Toni

[meggie]

I love Inkheart and Inkspell!!!!!!!!

[katknit]

Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising Sequence is magical, and was written long before Harry was a gleam in Rowling's eye! Cooper draws upon English/Celtic mythology and legend as well.
Mary Stewart's Arthurian Series is also excellent.
The Thief Lord, by Cornelia Funke, who wrote Inkspell and Inkheart - I loved all 3.

[kate390]

Diane Duane's "So You Want To Be A Wizard" series is fantastic. I read them a few years ago and I couldn't put them down. I'm 17 now and I can't wait for Harry Potter to come out. I love those books. :]

[MattW]

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Nelsmom wrote:
My family have been reading Eragon, Eldest, and wondering when the last book is going to come out. We have also been talking about Cornelia Funke's bookes Inkheart, Inkspell, and Dragon Rider. We also when she is going to finish the last of the Inkheart trilogy. But looking forward to Harry has been on the top of the list.

Toni

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We still don't know yet when the finale to Christopher Paolini's trilogy will come out, but we know it's in the works -- there's a brief sneak peek in the new Eldest paperback that just came out a couple of months ago.

Cornelia Funke is great! I like all of her work, especially Inkheart/Inkspell.

[MattW]

Hey, has anybody read the Charlie Bone books? The latest one came out just recently - I'm psyched! If you've read it, what do you think about it compared to Harry?

[KristyR]

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MattW wrote:
Hey, has anybody read the Charlie Bone books? The latest one came out just recently - I'm psyched! If you've read it, what do you think about it compared to Harry?

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We just received our copy of Charlie Bone today, my kids are very excited. I'll let you know how it goes, but it will take awhile. We read it out loud and I'm having a baby on Monday, so... We love the series though, and have both read the books and listened to the books on tape during long car trips. As for comparing them to Harry, I love the Harry Potter books, but I find Charlie Bone better for younger children. They are wonderful, magical, and have their own history, but they are not as intense and scary. While bad/scary things do happen, Jenny Nimmo doesn't take them to the same level as J.K. Rowling does. My 10, 7, and 5 year olds have no problems (nightmares) with these books, and I love them too.

[Wrighty]

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KristyR wrote:
We just received our copy of Charlie Bone today, my kids are very excited. I'll let you know how it goes, but it will take awhile. We read it out loud and I'm having a baby on Monday, so... We love the series though, and have both read the books and listened to the books on tape during long car trips. As for comparing them to Harry, I love the Harry Potter books, but I find Charlie Bone better for younger children. They are wonderful, magical, and have their own history, but they are not as intense and scary. While bad/scary things do happen, Jenny Nimmo doesn't take them to the same level as J.K. Rowling does. My 10, 7, and 5 year olds have no problems (nightmares) with these books, and I love them too.

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Congrats on your new baby (in a few days)! My kids are teenagers now so I often miss when they were babies. I love those tiny, tiny feet. That's so exciting and I bet you'll have lots of great helpers this time. Let us know all of the details when the new member of the family arrives. Best wishes, good health and may you have a speedy delivery!

[Nelsmom]

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MattW wrote:
Hey, has anybody read the Charlie Bone books? The latest one came out just recently - I'm psyched! If you've read it, what do you think about it compared to Harry?

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I just got the first of the Charlie Bone books and it had another book in a different series by Jenny Nimmo. It was The Snow Spider, the first book in The Magician trilogy. So far what little I have read of Charlie Bone I am liking it as much as Harry Potter.

Toni

[ejsuthe]

You have to read the Guardian of Time series by Marianne Curley. There are three of them 1) The Named 2) The Dark and 3) The Key.

I teach 8th grade and will be recommending them when school starts back up. Both boys and girls would enjoy them. I read all three in 2 days. Excellent....I didn't want to stop reading.....wish there were more.

[Nelsmom]

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ejsuthe wrote:
You have to read the Guardian of Time series by Marianne Curley. There are three of them 1) The Named 2) The Dark and 3) The Key.

I teach 8th grade and will be recommending them when school starts back up. Both boys and girls would enjoy them. I read all three in 2 days. Excellent....I didn't want to stop reading.....wish there were more.

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I will proably recommend them to my neice who teaches 7th grade English and my grandneices and nephews. I enjoy children's literature but without young children at home I don't get as much as I did when my son was little.

Thanks for the idea anyway.

Toni

[bibliophilic-m…]

My kids and I all love the Charlie Bones and Magyk books, but we have found The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud to be even better. We happened upon the first book, The Amulet of Samarkand, in the library as an audio book. We loved the story so much, we had to dig up an old tape deck so we could also listen to the story in the house. We immediately went out and bought the second book and pre-ordered the last one. These books are much darker than Charlie Bones and Magyk. They are closer to the Harry books in this way and are in the young adult section of our library. If your kids love Harry, they will love Nathaniel. He is an apprentice magician who summons a powerful djinni named Bartimaeus. There is also a strong female character, Kitty, who was a favorite with my daughters. Jonathan Stroud's storytelling and voice are superb. You will love these books!

[MattW]

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bibliophilic-mom wrote:
My kids and I all love the Charlie Bones and Magyk books, but we have found The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud to be even better. We happened upon the first book, The Amulet of Samarkand, in the library as an audio book. We loved the story so much, we had to dig up an old tape deck so we could also listen to the story in the house. We immediately went out and bought the second book and pre-ordered the last one. These books are much darker than Charlie Bones and Magyk. They are closer to the Harry books in this way and are in the young adult section of our library. If your kids love Harry, they will love Nathaniel. He is an apprentice magician who summons a powerful djinni named Bartimaeus. There is also a strong female character, Kitty, who was a favorite with my daughters. Jonathan Stroud's storytelling and voice are superb. You will love these books!

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You're right, the Bartimaeus Trilogy books are very Harry-like, especially with the darkness of the books.

Has anyone read The Invention of Hugo Cabret? It was selected by Al Roker this summer as the first pick in his Book Club for Kids and combines an intriguing story line with Brian Selznick's black and white illustrations. Sort of like a movie combined with a graphic novel combined with a young readers' novel.

[bowlingmaniac3…]

With everyone waiting for the release of harry potter and the deathly hallows, on july 21, 2007, here are some good books u can read so that the time goes by and maybe enjoy another author:

A Series of Unfortunate Events-Lemony Snicket.

Scott Westerfeld[teen novels]

James Patterson. He's the god of mystery/thrill writing!!!!!

Jodi Picoult

Michael Connelly[next best after James Patterson]

Christopher Paolini

Janet Evanovich[stephanie plum]

Kim Edwards[ memory keeper's daughter]

Baseball Card Series[Dan Gutman]

Ellen Hopkins[crank, burned, impulse]

EnJoy!!!!!

[sunny4328]

His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman is excellent!

[Melissa_W]

I was just thinking of HDM. Incidentally, The Golden Compass was named as the best children's book out of the past 70 years' Carnegie Medal winners. The link to the Canadian Broadcasting Company article is here.

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sunny4328 wrote:
His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman is excellent!

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[MattW]

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pedsphleb wrote:
I was just thinking of HDM. Incidentally, The Golden Compass was named as the best children's book out of the past 70 years' Carnegie Medal winners. The link to the Canadian Broadcasting Company article is here.

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sunny4328 wrote:
His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman is excellent!

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Hey thanks for recommending His Dark Materials, guys. Have you seen the trailer for the movie, coming out in December? I can't wait to see it!

[mayumithrasher]

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katknit wrote:
Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising Sequence is magical, and was written long before Harry was a gleam in Rowling's eye! Cooper draws upon English/Celtic mythology and legend as well.
Mary Stewart's Arthurian Series is also excellent.
The Thief Lord, by Cornelia Funke, who wrote Inkspell and Inkheart - I loved all 3.

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I have to agree that The Dark is Rising Sequence is wonderful. There is something lyrical in the writing. Isn't it interesting that Will Stanton learns how special he is on his 11th birthday (just like Harry)? Is there something meaningful about eleven that I don't know about??

The Time Warp Trio series by Jon Scieszka is a fun quick read. I love the illustrations by Lane Smith.

Dragonsong and Dragonsinger by Anne McCaffrey are two wonderful stories. I especially enjoy the fact that the main character is a brave and resourceful young LADY.

I'm having trouble finishing Inkheart. I keep putting it aside. Just like The Golden Compass. A friend gave it to me thinking that I would like it but I can't get past the first couple of chapter (if that much). Since I just learned that a movie is in the works I guess I'd better dust it off soon.

-Mayumi