Book Series to Read After Harry Potter
By R.J. Roark, author of Amelia Moon and the Sundance Shadow (middle grade fantasy, ages 9–12). Updated September 2026.
The best series to read after Harry Potter are Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Keeper of the Lost Cities, Nevermoor, and The Chronicles of Narnia. Each delivers a piece of what Harry Potter does: a hidden world folded inside the ordinary one, friendships under pressure, and a kid who turns out to matter more than anyone guessed. Every entry below is spoiler-free and carries the publisher's stated age band, so you can match it to your reader.
Why Amelia Moon Is the Book to Read After Harry Potter
Full disclosure: this one is mine, so judge the pitch accordingly. If your reader loved how Harry's world was hiding inside the ordinary one — a letter away the whole time — Amelia's works the same way: a Wyoming town that has been keeping her family's secret in plain sight. Like Harry, Amelia starts with almost nothing from her parents — a letter and a necklace — and every answer she finds raises a better question. The differences matter too: the setting is the American West instead of a boarding school, and the mystery runs on a small town's history rather than a castle's. Kirkus Reviews called it a "diverting, otherworldly tale" with "sensational young heroes."
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1. Amelia Moon and the Sundance Shadow — R.J. Roark· Ages 9–12 · Book 1 of the Adventures of Amelia Moon
Full disclosure: this one is mine. Here is exactly who it's for.
If your reader loved how Harry's world was hiding inside the ordinary one — a letter away the whole time — Amelia's works the same way: a Wyoming town that has been keeping her family's secret in plain sight.
The necklace arrived on Amelia Moon's thirteenth birthday. So did the nightmares. All she has left of her mother is a letter, a family heirloom pendant, and questions no one in Sundance, Wyoming will answer. Then a photograph surfaces at the Historical Society, taken decades before Amelia was born — and around the neck of a woman she has never seen hangs her own necklace. With her best friend Veyla, obsessed with the world's loneliest whale and determined to leave no mystery unsolved, Amelia sets out to learn who her family really was.
Kirkus Reviews: "Sensational young heroes fuel a diverting, otherworldly tale." The Children's Book Review: "Perfect for young readers hungry for a hidden-world adventure with real-world roots."
Best for: readers 9–12 who like a mystery with a real place behind it, a best-friend team, and a small town keeping a secret.
Also available on Kindle →
2. Percy Jackson and the Olympians — Rick Riordan · Ages 9–12
Percy Jackson is the most natural next step after Harry Potter, and the parallel is structural: a boy discovers at twelve that he belongs to a hidden world, finds his people at a camp instead of a castle, and grows into stakes that rise book by book. The voice is funnier than Harry Potter — Percy narrates in first-person snark — and the mythology is Greek gods loose in modern America rather than wizarding Britain. The original five-book arc is complete, with sequels and spin-off series waiting after it.
Best for: readers 9–12 making their first jump from Hogwarts.
3. Keeper of the Lost Cities — Shannon Messenger · Ages 8–12
Sophie Foster hears thoughts, doesn't fit the human world, and gets pulled into a hidden elvin civilization where her past makes her a target. For Harry Potter readers, this is the series to live inside: nine-plus long books of hidden-world politics, found family, and slow-burn mysteries about the protagonist's origins — the same engine that powered Harry's seven books, with more runway. Later books add light romance the way later Harry Potter books did.
Best for: readers 8–12 who want months of reading, not weeks.
4. Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow — Jessica Townsend · Ages 8–12
Structurally, this is the closest match to Harry Potter on the list: a blamed, unwanted child is rescued into a magical society, taken on by a mentor with secrets, and made to prove she belongs through trials. The difference is the world itself — Nevermoor is stranger and more whimsical than Hogwarts, closer to invented-from-scratch than borrowed-from-folklore. Four books published, series ongoing.
Best for: readers 8–12 who want the Harry Potter feeling most of all.
5. The Chronicles of Narnia — C.S. Lewis · Ages 8–12
The portal that started portal fantasy: four siblings, a wardrobe, and a world at war between good and evil. Narnia is simpler prose than Harry Potter, which makes it the right pick for the younger end of the band or for reading aloud, and its wonder is the undiluted kind — talking animals, deep magic, ordinary children crowned. Families should know the Christian allegory is real and central; some read for it, some past it. Seven books, complete.
Best for: readers 8–10, and families who read together.
6. Fablehaven — Brandon Mull · Ages 9–12
Kendra and Seth discover their grandparents' estate is a preserve for magical creatures — and the rules keeping everything in balance are breakable. Where Harry Potter hides its creatures in a curriculum, Fablehaven makes the creatures the whole world: the closest thing in middle grade to living inside Fantastic Beasts. It gets darker as it goes, on roughly the Harry Potter curve. Five books, complete, plus a sequel series.
Best for: readers 9–12 who loved the creatures more than the classes.
7. The Land of Stories — Chris Colfer · Ages 8–12
Twins fall into their grandmother's book of fairy tales and have to quest their way home through stories they thought they knew. This is the gentlest entry on the list — lighter peril, more humor — which makes it the bridge for readers at the young end of the Harry Potter band who aren't ready for the later, darker books. Six books, complete.
Best for: readers 8–10 who want wonder without the dread.
8. Artemis Fowl — Eoin Colfer · Ages 8–12
Twelve-year-old criminal mastermind discovers fairies are real and kidnaps one for ransom — this is Harry Potter told from something like Draco's chair, and the long arc of the series is a villain slowly becoming a hero. The fairy world runs on technology instead of wands, and the humor is drier than Rowling's. Eight books, complete.
Best for: readers 10–12 who like their heroes morally complicated.
9. Amari and the Night Brothers — B.B. Alston · Ages 8–12
Amari Peters gets recruited into the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs while searching for her missing brother — a hidden-world story where the hidden world has job badges and elevators with personalities. The Harry Potter DNA is explicit (an outsider kid, a magical institution, a talent she's told to be ashamed of), transplanted into modern America with sharper things to say about who gets believed. Series ongoing.
Best for: readers 8–12 who want the hidden world to look like their world.
10. His Dark Materials — Philip Pullman · Ages 10 and up
Lyra Belacqua's world gives every human a dæmon — a soul in animal form — and her hunt for kidnapped children opens into a conspiracy across universes. This is the graduation pick: the publisher's band starts at 10 and the ideas (free will, authority, the soul) run older than anything in Harry Potter, so it fits best at the top of this list's age range and beyond. Three books, complete, plus a prequel trilogy.
Best for: readers 10–12 at the top of the band, ready for heavier weather.
| Series | Ages · Length |
|---|---|
| Amelia Moon Family-secret mystery, hidden history |
9–12 Book 1; series in progress |
| Percy Jackson Humor, found family, rising stakes |
9–12 5 books + spin-offs |
| Keeper of the Lost Cities Hidden world, origin mystery |
8–12 9+ books, ongoing |
| Nevermoor Overall feel: society, mentor, trials |
8–12 4 books, ongoing |
| Chronicles of Narnia Portal wonder, good vs. evil |
8–12 7 books, complete |
| Fablehaven Magical creatures |
9–12 5 books + sequel series |
| Land of Stories Lightness and humor |
8–12 6 books, complete |
| Artemis Fowl Morally complex protagonist |
8–12 8 books, complete |
| Amari and the Night Brothers Outsider joins magical institution |
8–12 Series ongoing |
| His Dark Materials Ambition and depth |
10 and up 3 books + prequels |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best book series to read after Harry Potter?
The most recommended series after Harry Potter is Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan, which matches Harry Potter's humor, found-family warmth, and hidden-world structure. Keeper of the Lost Cities and Nevermoor are the strongest picks for readers who want a long series or the closest overall feel. For something newer in the same lane, Amelia Moon and the Sundance Shadow by R.J. Roark is a middle grade fantasy for ages 9–12 about a girl uncovering her family's hidden history in small-town Wyoming.
What order should you read book series after Harry Potter?
A reading order that works for most kids after Harry Potter: Percy Jackson first (similar tone, easy entry), then Nevermoor or Keeper of the Lost Cities (deeper hidden worlds), with The Chronicles of Narnia anytime for younger readers. Save His Dark Materials for the top of the age range — its themes run older than the rest of this list.
Are there any book series as good as Harry Potter?
Several series stand comparison with Harry Potter on the things that matter: Percy Jackson matches its humor and momentum, Keeper of the Lost Cities matches its immersive hidden world, and His Dark Materials exceeds its philosophical ambition. No single series replaces Harry Potter — the better approach is matching what a reader loved most (creatures, mystery, humor, wonder) to the series built around it.
What age is Harry Potter for?
Harry Potter is generally recommended for ages 8 and up for the first three books, with the later books fitting ages 10 and up as the tone darkens. Many families read the early books aloud with younger children and let kids grow into the later ones — the same pattern most series on this list follow.
About the book
Amelia Moon and the Sundance Shadow is a middle grade fantasy novel by R.J. Roark for readers ages 9 to 12. It is set in Sundance, Wyoming, and is the first book in the Adventures of Amelia Moon series, published by Inner Citadel on February 3, 2026. The story follows thirteen-year-old Amelia Moon, who receives a family heirloom pendant and a letter from her late mother, and, with her best friend Veyla, begins to uncover what the town has been keeping about her family. It was positively reviewed by Kirkus Reviews, Foreword Reviews, and The Children's Book Review. It is available as a Kindle ebook and directly from ameliamoon.com.
