Suggest a book/series for a Potter fan

MsGneiss

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What do you recommend for a young (but very well-read and intelligent child) who has enjoyed the following books:

- Harry Potter
- Redwall
- 39 Clues
- Bone
- Amulet
- The Hobbit
- Fablehaven
- Warriors
- Ender's Game

He has not really enjoyed some of the classics that I have given him (Tom Sawyer, Jules Verne, Dickens).

The child is still too young to deal with many adult themes (like you would find in Hunger Games) although his reading level is certainly up there.

I consider myself pretty well-read in the fantasy/sci-fi genres, but I am pretty much all out of ideas. I'm a huge Asimov fan, but I don't think he's quite at a level where he can appreciate the themes of the Robot and Foundation novels.

Thanks very much!
 
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Ramshackle

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I agree with Myrealana, Percy Jackson is pretty good. The School for Good and Evil might be another good series to try.

Oh and I'm a massive fan of the Skulduggery Pleasant books. Dark, but funny.
 

Sophia

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As you're an Asimov fan, you might like to introduce him to the Lucky Starr books. They are Asimov writing as Paul French. I loved them when I was young.
 

WriterTrek

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I'll second the Percy Jackson series. This is probably your best option all around.

I enjoyed the Darren Shan series as well.

He may or may not like the Bartimaeus Sequence. It sounds like he's in the target demographic but one of the two main characters is unlikable enough in this trilogy to turn off some readers.

Ranger's Apprentice is another possibility. I myself did not enjoy them, but I only read them as an adult and only the first two at that.

Are you sure he's still too young to deal with many adult themes, or is that an assumption? Often kids can understand more than anyone expects.

There's also a few "easier" classics you could consider. A Wrinkle in Time. The Phantom Tollbooth. The Neverending Story. Also several stories from Diana Wynne Jones.
 

Sage

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The Chrestomanci books by Diana Wynne Jones
 

Anninyn

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Will he read about girls as main characters? I know some boys won't.

If he will, try books by Tamora Pierce. Lots of magic and some fight scenes. The later books in all her series tend to have some romance in them, if that's not his thing.
 

Marian Perera

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Off the top of my head...

A Series of Unfortunate Events

Terry Pratchett's Bromeliad trilogy

A Wizard of Earthsea

And if you can get your hands on Asimov's Extraterrestrials/Mutants/Monsters (because they're all out of print), I recommend these because the aliens or monsters or whatever are all children.

Also, Willard Price's Adventure series doesn't have magic, but it's fun escapist fiction with two boys as main characters.
 
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briannasealock

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There is a series of books I read ages ago called the "Sorcerer's Apprentice". It's pretty dark though so I would not, in anyway compare it to Harry Potter. But I found it intriguing.
 

Brightdreamer

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Seconding recs for Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series, and Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus trilogy. (And the one character isn't really bad... he's just part of a corrupt class of magicians, and slowly comes to terms with the fact that he's on the "wrong" side of it.)

And for some totally random suggestions:

Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl books might fit the bill. They're funny, but with a little tooth to it.

A fan of the Warriors series might want to step up to Tad Williams's Tailchaser's Song. It has a bit of a slow start, but it's still good, and the themes shouldn't be too "grown up" for him. (No sex, and only a vague hint of romance, though there is one vague allusion to neutering.)

In addition to the Tortall quartets, which might be a bit girly but have a well-realized world, Tamora Pierce has her Circle of Magic books, which aren't quite as girl-centered (one of the main quartet is a boy.)

Have you tried Angie Sage's Septimus Heap series? The first one was pretty fun. (I thought the second one wasn't as good, but they have quite a following.)

Lloyd Alexander's Prydain chronicles are a little dated, but still decent fantasy with a bit of a classical Welsh flavor.

Charlie Fletcher's Stoneheart trilogy is a little like Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere for kids; a boy finds himself in the middle of an invisible war between gargoyles and statues in London's streets. Might be a bit scary, but it's fast-paced and interesting.

If you're terminally bored, I have plenty of book reviews - with links to books with similar ideas/themes - on my book review site, via the link in my signature.
 
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Myrealana

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How about Mary Stewart? I read a bunch of her books when I was a kid, and when Harry Potter first came out, I thought they reminded me of her.

The Little Broomstick
Ludo and the Star Horse
A Walk in Wolf Wood

Her Crystal Cave series about Merlin and Camelot is really good, too, but probably a bit advanced.
 

Amie Dore

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How about the Dark is rising sequence by Susan Cooper.
(Ignoring the rather shockingly bad movie that was made about them.)
 

Brightdreamer

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How about the Dark is rising sequence by Susan Cooper.
(Ignoring the rather shockingly bad movie that was made about them.)

As a possible warning, those things have Christian themes up the yin-yang...

Another thought, on roughly similar/Arthurian inspired lines - would he be too young for T. A. Barron's Lost Years of Merlin series?
 

ULTRAGOTHA

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Wow, lots of good recommendations already.

I also endorse anything at all by Diana Wynne Jones or Tamora Pierce. The Dark is Rising is very good (but not as Christianizing as, frex, Narnia).

I also second Artemis Fowl, A Wizard of Earthsea, and really, at that reading level, anything by Terry Pratchett not just his juvenile books.

Garth Nix's Keys to the Kingdom books (start with Mister Monday and go on through Lord Sunday). The hero is asthmatic if that makes it more appealing to you.

Arrows of the Queen, Arrows Flight and Arrows Fall by Mercedes Lackey.

These books are not SF/F or even YA but the Dick Francis mystery series might appeal to him. You might want to do some pre-reading there as some themes are more adult than others. Ditto with Elizabeth Peters Amelia Peabody mysteries.

The Graveyard Book, Coraline, and Stardust by Neil Gaiman. (And, whether he likes the book or not, you must see the movie Stardust!) Also Interworld Gaiman wrote with Michael Reaves.
 

DarthLolita

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Maybe His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman.

And I had a friend recommend to me once The Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins. I haven't read it myself, but she had high praise for it. (Even likes it more than THG, though TUC is for a younger audience).
 

soho-syndrome

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The Graveyard Book, Coraline, and Stardust by Neil Gaiman. (And, whether he likes the book or not, you must see the movie Stardust!) Also Interworld Gaiman wrote with Michael Reaves.

I was just about to mention The Graveyard Book! I really loved that novel for its effortlessly simple but vivid writing. After reading that book I vowed to myself to write much more imaginatively straightforward like him :)
 

Diana Hignutt

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The Narnia books by C.S. Lewis? A dash preachy here and there, but I enjoyed them as a youngster...

Watership Down by Richard Adams is the greatest book in the English language, so I always recommend it.
 

Torgo

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A cracking recent fantasy is Django Wexler's THE FORBIDDEN LIBRARY. I will declare an interest in that a loved one was involved in publishing it, but leaving that aside, it's superb.
 

K. Q. Watson

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If they don't mind a female protagonist, I suggest Dealing With Dragons and it's follow-ups by Patricia C. Wrede.
 

JetH7

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As several people have already said, 'Percy Jackson' is a great series for young readers (And old readers too, but I digress).

The entire 'Narnia' series is also absolutely wonderful. I can't count how many times I read 'The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe' growing up.

'A Wrinkle in Time' is worth checking out. Another personal favorite of mine.

'The Guardians of Ga'Hoole' was pretty good as well, but is a bit on the darker side.

Also on the darker side, 'Skulduggery Pleasant' is a thoroughly enjoyable read.

That's all I can think of at the moment. I'll post again if I come up with anything else.
 

poetinahat

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The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster - a classic

One caveat about the Percy Jackson books (which my son also devours): my brother mentioned that he's found words used incorrectly in the text.

My son is eight, so sometimes he'll ask what a word means, and we'll discuss it. So it can be a talking point. I haven't particularly noticed that. But it may be only because there are some dreadfully written children's books out there (example: the Zac Power series), and approximate coherence is becoming the minimum standard.
 

Tazlima

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Anything by Roald Dahl.

He may be old enough to enjoy Piers Anthony or Anne McCaffrey. I started reading both of those fairly young and enjoyed the heck out of them.
 

rugcat

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Susan Collins' Gregor the Overlander series.

I second the choice the of the Ranger series. (John Flanagan) no magic, but set a pre-industrial world. It's the kind of series that if a youngster gets into them, he or she won't be able to stop reading them. I understand why adults might not care for them, but they are brilliant and appealing to a certain age group and cover all the tropes.

The cirque du freak series. Terrible movies, books aren't too bad. Not to my taste and the writing is a cut below other popular series, but another series that kids seem to really like.
 

tiddlywinks

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Anything by Roald Dahl.

He may be old enough to enjoy Piers Anthony or Anne McCaffrey. I started reading both of those fairly young and enjoyed the heck out of them.

Might want to be a tad careful on Anne McCaffrey given some of the, er, things the dragonriders do that are of adult content, though tastefully alluded to. I confess to reading those early myself as well.

You could also try David Eddings - I started reading his series at a fairly young age.

Or, if he liked the hobbit, Terry Brooks's Sword of Shannara?

The Eragon books might be worth a look.

I was also going to go old school and say Secret of Nymh and the sequels.

And I second anything by Terry Pratchett or the Dealing with Dragons series!