Books for Harry Potter Fans

Putting together a book list can be a bit tricky. You don't want to suggest books that are a retelling of the same story, nor do you want to give away all the details in your synopses. So with careful consideration, I've brought together a handful of titles that elicit as much excitement for the reader as Harry Potter; and that my family has enjoyed reading.

While I have a sweet spot for hidden literary gems, there's something to be said for award-winners and best sellers. More than a couple of these are classics that everyone should read at some point in their life. And if you're looking for the best Harry Potter projects, tutorials, and lists be sure to check out RaeGun Ramblings Series. 

5 BOOK SERIES FOR POTTER FANS

MYTHOLOGY IN MODERN TIMES

1. Percy Jackson & The Olympians: Percy Jackson is the perfect reimagining of modern day and mythology in my opinion. This is a very extensive series, with many offshoots, that can get redundant. My family stuck to the original five books, and it was the perfect length. If you want another modern day mythology series, The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel gets high marks in my book too!


PUTTING THE SCIENCE IN SCIENCE FICTION

2. Wrinkle In Time Quintet: This series can be a real lesson in dimensions, tesseracts, DNA. There's actual science mixed in with this fiction, and it's wonderful! Plus, it's the ONLY series on this list, where the main protagonist is a girl.


SIDESHOW CIRCUS & TIME TRAVEL

3. Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children Trio: Time travel and peculiar people, what's not to love about this quirky series? P.S. Like nearly EVERY other book in this list, the book is WAY better than the movie!


EVERY LIST NEEDS A DYSTOPIC SERIES

4. The Giver Quintet: Truth be told, I have never personally read The Giver. Instead, we got the set for my 11-year-old son for Christmas. He read them all within 12 days and now compares all dystopic YA series to this group of books. FYI: The Insurgent series didn't interest him nearly as much, we haven't tried The Hunger Games yet.


SPACE INVADERS WITH A TWIST

5. Ender's Game: Something about this story always reminds me of the '80s Space Camp movie. According to Wiki, the Ender's series is up to 15 books, um, I don't know who would want to read that many books in a series. That's why I'm recommending you stick with the first Ender's Game.

*If you're looking for more interesting and unusual reads check out titles by these two authors!*

For the younger crowd, there is Roald Dahl. These are seriously quick and easy reads that are imaginative and enthralling for readers of any age. Dahl's stories are particularly ideal for reading out loud.

For the tweens and young adults, there's Neil Gaiman. Coraline and Stardust are two main stream movies based on Gaiman's books, but they're only the tip of the iceberg that is Gaiman's genius.

Please, please, add your recommendations in the comments. But only if they don't include the Lord of the Rings or Chronicles of Narnia. Great movies, but both are horribly overrated book series in my humble opinion...but that's another story!