50 Books if You Like Harry Potter

Harry Potter books have formed an entire generation of young adults. You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who hasn't read them or at least heard of them. And for diehard fans, the question of “How many Harry Potter books are there?” has only one answer. Not enough.

So what exactly was it that made this phenomenon possible? What factors came into play? Let’s look and see if there is anything capable of getting remotely close to the glory of the franchise of the boy who lived. So get an essay writing service to help you with your school assignments and prepare for a week of binge-reading.

Who is J.K. Rowling? Harry Potter Author Bio

Every book starts with an author. In our case, it is the world-famous J. K. Rowling. Just like most authors, she started out as a pretty unremarkable person with a pretty normal job. After getting her education, she trained as a bilingual secretary and started taking temp jobs. The first Harry Potter books were in the works when her mother died, affecting her writing and forming an evident underline throughout her writing.

This started a dark period in J. K. Rowling’s life. She faced economic scrutiny, a crisis in her marriage, and had to raise her daughter alone after a rough divorce. But throughout all this time, J. K. Rowling's books were steadily being worked on. She managed to find enough time to focus on writing and would eventually finish and publish them. The entire process took years. Throughout these years, she would improve her writing skills, learn how to create content, and accumulate plenty of helpful tips on fiction writing.

Writing fiction is way different than writing blog posts, for example. The type doesn’t really matter. It can be a fashion and lifestyle blog, an education blog, or a digital marketing blog. The challenges writers face are not even remotely similar. Instead of search engine optimization, digital marketing, blog covers, keyword research, and coming up with the blog's title, a professional blogger cares about creating a successful blog, while a fiction writer has to pay more attention to prose and content.

This is not to say it is easy to create a great blog post. You can try doing some keyword research to make your own blog. It’s pretty hard, especially for new bloggers, to write even a single blog page without running into some sort of issues like poor content marketing or missing your target audience. But creating an award-winning blog doesn’t necessarily mean you will be able to write a good fiction book.

After the stunning initial success, Rowling’s books would transform into a huge franchise featuring J. K. Rowling movies, merch, amusement parks, websites, and a huge fan following.

Despite the heavy overtones, in the first books of J. K. Rowling, children were her audience. And a lot of loyal readers grew up with the story, which is what made it so unique and dear to many people. They walked their life along with the characters of their favorite books.

J. K. Rowling's net worth in 2022 (more than two decades after her first Harry Potter book was published and 21 years after the first of J. K. Rowling movies were filmed) makes up a whopping $1.1 billion. Her journey is covered in more detail in a J. K. Rowling biography movie called Magic Beyond Words: The J. K. Rowling Story.

When did the Harry Potter Books Come Out?

The first of the Harry Potter collection books came out in 1997. Yes, they are older than some of the fans reading them today. Feeling old yet?

Why is Harry Potter Worth Reading?

There are a lot of opinions about the Harry Potter series books. Some people love them; others hate them. Some think they lost their charm gradually as the series went on. But no one can deny that these books have greatly impacted human culture worldwide. It is the first series that comes to mind whenever someone thinks of children’s books about magic. And even though many tried to emulate the Harry Potter book series success, few have come close to creating a feeling even remotely comparable to what the readers felt throughout the first Harry Potter book.

It is most definitely worth reading. If only to understand what all the fuss is about. It’s not enough to buy essay analysis on the subject, and you have to experience it yourself. The Harry Potter books have been regarded as classics and added to the school program in some countries. You are very likely to enjoy reading them greatly – it's an experience like no other that you must partake in.

Is ‘Harry Potter’ Movie a Book Adaptation?

All Harry Potter movies are book adaptations. There are certain differences that inevitably pop us during the transition from book pages to the big screen. But even though attentive readers interested in this sort of thing will spot some discrepancies, the plot stays pretty much the same. Those who have purchased Harry Potter illustrated books can even spot some shots from the movie.

There are a lot of books like Harry Potter out there. But none of them have had even remotely similar success. The movie adaptation basically created a new life for the series. Nowadays, some people haven’t even touched the books, yet they are fully immersed in the cinematic universe and consider themselves staunch fans of the series.

Interesting Facts About Harry Potter

So why is Harry Potter so popular? Part of its secret is that it has lots of interesting details hidden in plain sight. An attentive reader can spot some of them, while others become evident only after you do some digging. In any case, just like in the halls of Hogwarts, there are plenty of interesting facts to find about the story long after you close the book. We’re going to skip boring questions like “Why did Harry Potter drop the resurrection stone” and “why did Voldemort kill Harry Potter’s parents” and instead move straight to the more interesting tidbits.

Why is Harry Potter so special? You might know that he survived a death curse and carries a distinct scar on his forehead. You might think that it’s shaped like a lightning bolt. But some fans from the online community theorize that it’s actually a projection of the hand motion wizards use to cast a death curse. A subtle detail.

Why is Harry Potter's birthday July 31st? It may seem like an insignificant, randomly chosen date. But in actuality, the protagonist of the world-famous series shares his birthday date with his creator. J. K. Rowling was born on July 31st, 1965. Fifteen years before her character.

What to Read After Harry Potter?

That’s the question pretty much every person that closes the last Harry Potter book asks themselves. Obviously, if you like Harry Potter books, your best bet would be to look for more stories set in the same universe. You’ll definitely miss the friendship of the iconic Hogwarts trio. But it can be interesting to take a look at how the wizarding world looks on the outside.

The first stop would be ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ by J. K. Rowling. These series branch off into their own franchise and already have a couple of pretty good movie adaptations. So you’ll be able to prolong your stay in the world of magic for at least a couple of weeks. There are some minor spinoffs to the Harry Potter universe, but eventually, you’ll have to look elsewhere. And here are some of the best books similar to Harry Potter out there for you.

Adult Books Like Harry Potter

The Harry Potter series range wildly in tone and style. The first books are a pretty light read. They can be considered a fairytale rather than serious adult novels. However, there are certain serious moments. And as the characters of the story grow up, so does the story itself. It deals with more and more complex issues.

For those who don’t really like the fairytale approach - there are plenty of very well-written books similar to Harry Potter that adopt a mature adult-oriented approach right from the very beginning. So here are a few books like Harry Potter for adults that fit this vibe perfectly and won’t let even the most jaded and mature readers get bored.

• The Bartimaeus Series by Jonathan Stroud

This series has a couple of very special features. It deals with the magic world, the same as Harry Potter. But it focuses more on the adult world of intrigues, politics, deceit, and backstabbing. It’s a very interesting read, especially considering it’s written in first person from the point of view of a magical creature.

• The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

This one will fit those who value the mystery aspect of magic more than anything else. While in Harry Potter novels, magic is pretty a matter of fact, here, a lot of attention is paid to making it look like something otherworldly and unknown as all magic should be.

• Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey

Detective noir meets Harry Potter. Could there ever exist a better combination? Possibly, yet highly unlikely. You will get to immerse yourself into the murder mystery with a sprinkle of magic to spice up your usual investigative routine.

• Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

While most movies here have a novel foundation, with Neverwhere it’s the other way around. It’s a novelization of a pretty neat TV series. You can watch and read them both in tandem even though they don’t have major differences. All you need to know is Neil Gaiman does not disappoint.

• The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly

This one deals with the transition from adolescence to adulthood. It could probably be put in the teen section, but it fits slightly better here.

• The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N. K. Jamisin

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is the first novel of a great trilogy. Why point out this one specifically? Because it’s a great read. The other books won’t disappoint you as well. But you’ll remember the first most vividly.

Books Like Harry Potter for Teens

J. K. Rowling's books found the most traction among the teen audience. And even though the first fans grew up, the new generation picked up right where the old one left off.

• The School of Good and Evil by Soman Chainani

There’s no clever metaphor in the name of this book. It’s as straightforward as it sounds. Yet the simple premise doesn’t make it any worse. It’s still a pretty nice way to spend an evening for a teenager.

• The Arc of Scythe by Neal Shusterman

In the perfect world where there are no diseases, misery, hunger, or wars, a couple of teens are training to be the death itself. What would someone’s routine day look like with a job like this? Open the book and find out. 

• Dragons Green by Scarlett Thomas

A post-tech Earth filled with magic and mystery is a perfect world for a teenager to spend their time exploring. And it’s written rather well. Perhaps some of the phrases you spot there can be used as an inspiration for your own writing.

• Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Vampires, school relationships, romance. We’ve seen it all before. It’s a tested formula that keeps drawing the attention of a certain demographic. Find out how this one stands out from the crowd.

• The Nsibidi Scripts by Nnedi Okorafor

Another story where an unlikely protagonist enters an unfamiliar mysterious world. The book is filled with issues that can be pretty relatable to teenage audiences, which is what makes it so great.

• The Alchemyst by Michael Scott

J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter books briefly touch on the philosopher's stone and its creator Nicholas Flamel. It’s a very intriguing subject that this novel decides to explore in full. A plot revolving around an artifact capable of granting eternal life? Yes, please.

• Scholomance by Naomi Novik

A magical school where failure means death. Some teenagers certainly feel like they’re living it. Perhaps they’d be interested in reading about the world where it’s taken literally.

Books for Children Similar to Harry Potter

And here are some books like Harry Potter for kids. Even the original series get pretty heavy-handed close to the end when the protagonists mature. But if you want to keep it light - there are a couple of options out there that could keep your kid busy while they accumulate enough life experience to consume darker content without putting too much strain on their psyche.

• Pennyroyal Academy by M. A. Larson

This one is one of the best books like Harry Potter for kids. Who didn’t want to become a princess or a knight when they were little? Well, the heroes of this book got that opportunity. Will they be able to use their new skills to save the world?

• An Epic Series of Failures by Chris Rylander

If the name alone doesn’t intrigue you - you may be dead. And it stands up to the content of the book as well! The story is as chaotic as it gets, and it will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat up until the very last page.

• Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

This one is a bit unique. The book itself tells a magical, a bit eerie story. But what makes it different is that the author used some pretty interesting photos. Some of them are featured in the best photography blog examples. You definitely have to see it to make up an opinion. But it will certainly leave a strong impression.

• Dragon Keepers by Kate Kiimo

Despite how children-friendly the Harry Potter books are, some younger readers may not be ready for them. In this case, the Dragon Keeper series might be the next best option for them. This series is not exactly a substitute but a pretty great and layered story of its own.

Fantasy books

Some books don’t really fit the label of “Harry Potter-like”. But that doesn’t mean they are not worthy of your attention. Fantasy is a very diverse and interesting genre with a lot to offer its readers of any preference. Here are some of the brightest representatives that you might want to pick up. These are not necessarily “books to read if you like Harry Potter” but “books to read if you like great storytelling and fantasy in general”.

• Discworld by Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett is a very special sort of author. His witty humor, distinct writing style, and love for the absurd make for an unbelievably engaging read every time he gets to typing. The Discworld series is no exception.

• The Legend of the Condor Heroes by Jin Yong

A great eastern-themed read. This story follows some classical tropes, but it doesn’t let them get stale. You’ll be able to find pretty much every element of a good fantasy story in it, yet close the book with a unique and pleasant feeling.

• A Winter’s Promise by Christelle Dabos

A post-apocalyptic world that resides on the floating shard worlds. A vast canvas for all sorts of intriguing and fascinating storylines. You’ll have a lot of fun exploring this world as you flip the pages.

• The Book of Pearl by Timothee de Fombelle

We are very much used to the story of mundane characters finding themselves in unusual circumstances. But what about the other way around? This french book shows us that the formula can be flipped and still work just as well.

• The Watcher in the Shadows by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

A teenager, a beautiful remote location, and plenty of mysteries around. This is the foundation of a great fictional story. The thrill of the looming danger adds some extra spice to the mix.

• The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis

Few people haven’t heard of the Chronicles of Narnia. An entire world is hidden within the confines of an unremarkable wardrobe. You may have seen a movie or two - the books were adapted for the big screen. But getting to experience the source material is another matter entirely.

• The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

Welcome to the world where your soul has a physical manifestation. Your animal companion is always with you and shares your adventures and miseries. This backdrop makes the exciting plot of The Golden Compass even better.

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