What To Read When You’re Tired Of Re-Reading HP

Magic or Madness by Justine Larbalestier
How It’s Like HP: The main character isn’t like anyone else she knows, and
she finds out that it’s because of magic. Reason learns that the women in her family are destined to be
one of two things: magic-users, or madwomen. Which one is her mother? Her
grandmother? And what about Reason herself?

How It’s Different: If your favorite part of the HP books was Hogwarts,
you might miss the “wizarding school” side of things.

Try It If You: want to read a book that takes place in Australia (it’s
like a free vacation!), or enjoy mysteries.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
How It’s Like HP: It’s full of intense action, fighting, friendship, and a
touch of romance. The main character, Katniss, is chosen to fight in the
annual Hunger Games. The Games are a fight to the death, and one of her
best friends is also in them. Will she sacrifice him, or herself?

How It’s Different: There’s no magic in The Hunger Games, so if magic’s
your thing, try a series like So You Want To Be A Wizard by Diane Duane, or a book like Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones.

Try It If You: want to read a fast-paced book with great characters and
tons of suspense.

The Science of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials Trilogy by Mary and John Gribbin
How It’s Like HP: It’s imaginative, and like the HP series, it uses examples
from fantasy to illuminate reality. The His Dark Materials books use science to explain what the HP books present as magic. This book shows that some of the trilogy’s strangest ideas, like the multiple interconnected universes, are based on reality. It totally blew my mind.

How It’s Different: It’s a non-fiction book, but because it’s inspired by
fiction, the examples are enjoyable and easy to understand.

Try It If You: Like The Golden Compass, like science, or want to find out why some of what we think of as “fantasy” is actually fact.