Harry Potter-esque stories

[Argus Skyhawk]

Many of the novels by Diana Wynne Jones might be right up your alley. I was reading them just before I discovered Harry Potter, and I thought they were perfect for the same audience; wonderfully clever, lots of unexpected twists, lots of magic wizards, witches, etc. Plus, Diana Wynne Jones' characters are wonderfully quirky but very believable. Witch Week, Tale of Time City, Howl's Moving Castle, Charmed Life, and The Magicians of Verona are all great. My favorite of hers is Fire and Hemlock, although that one is not quite so Harry Potterish.

I also suggest The Alchemyst by Michael Scott and Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson.

 

[Technobuilder]

The Percy Jackson books, starting with The Lightning Thief, are really fun. I'd recommend them.

I too would recommend these books.

Just finished "The Last Olympian" the other day and over all I enjoyed the quintet. (But apparently there will be more...)

Percy Jackson & The Olympians series is a very quick read though. I finished all 5 in less than a week. (I did stay up into the wee hours on those nights however.)

HOWEVER, if you want something truly satisfying and are looking for a series to follow...

The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, would be the series to start reading NOW.

Book #12 - "Changes" will be realized the first week of April this year and I'm already awaiting book 13.

 

[Thespeckledkiwi]

Eragon trilogy.

I can't tell if your serious...

 

[aladinsane]

Hmm, orphan with a destiny, magical powers, Dumbledore like mentor figures...

Sounds like the Chronicles of Prydain to me . Maybe not as Harry Potter-esque as some of the other suggestions in this thread, but it's still a great fantasy series.

I LOVED the Prydain Chronicles when I was young. It was my Harry Potter in that it made me a voracious reader at a young age. Great series, the last of which won the Newberry if memory serves.

 

[cultcross]

Eragon trilogy.

I can't tell if your serious...

A better read than the book itself

 

[Theonethatis]

I grew up on Prydain' Taran gave me my love of Celtic Mythology.

 

[CaptainCanada]

The Percy Jackson books, starting with The Lightning Thief, are really fun. I'd recommend them.

I too would recommend these books.

Just finished "The Last Olympian" the other day and over all I enjoyed the quintet. (But apparently there will be more...)

Riordan has two new series starting this year. The Kane Chronicles, a projected three-book series dealing with Egyptian mythology, beginning with The Red Pyramid (due in May); and a followup to the Percy Jackson universe due some time in the fall that doesn't have any real information about it yet, including whether it will use the same characters.

 

[Sisko_is_my_captain]

If you like Harry Potter, I think you'd enjoy the series The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper. If you haven't seen the (horrible) adaptation to film, please ignore the movie. The books had virtually nothing to do with that movie (and the author's apologized for the movie).

Start with the second book, The Dark is Rising, and if you like that, go back and read book 1, Over Sea, Under Stone, and then proceed through the series. There aren't many spoilers that way, and I think book 2 is the better first one for the series.

The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander, starting with The Book of Three, are an absolutely fantastic series. I fell in love with the novels as a boy, and I believe they shaped who I am as a person. The second novel, The Black Cauldron, was possibly the best one in the series (won a Newberry Honor), but they're all good (the final novel won the Newberry medal). As with the Dark is Rising, ignore the lamentable Disney film version of The Black Cauldron - it's best forgotten. Read the books!