What to read next

The Lost Years of Merlin
by T.A. Barron

This series for fans of myths, legends, magic, heroes, dragons, and ancient history. Lost in the mists of time, the series covers the adventures of the young wizard Merlin as he grows his power and wisdom in the years before he becomes chief advisor to King Arthur.

The Lost Years of Merlin  (1996)
The Seven Songs of Merlin (1997)
The Fires of Merlin (1998)
The Mirror of Merlin (1999)
The Wings of Merlin (2000)

Artemis Fowl
by Eoin Colfer

Artemis Fowl is a notorious young criminal genius. Greed and sheer criminality lead Artemis and his friends, enemies, and in-betweens into conflict and trouble with fairies, goblins, and the like, with non-stop action the whole time. “Die Hard” with fairies.

Artemis Fowl  (2001)
Artemis Fowl : The Arctic Incident (2002)
Artemis Fowl : The Eternity Code  (2003)
Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception  (2005)
Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony  (2006)

The Underland Chronicles
by Suzanne Collins

This series follows 11 year old Gregor’s prophesied adventures underground New York City, amongst groups of humans, bats, moles, and the strange creatures that live in the Underland. .

Gregor the Overlander (2003)
Gregor and The Prophesy of Bane (2004)
Gregor and The Curse of The Warmbloods (2005)
Gregor and The Marks of Secret(2006)
Gregor and the Code of Claw (2007)

City of Ember
by Jeanne DuPrau

This excellent and thought provoking series starts in a post-apocalyptic society, where a small group of citizens make up the underground City of Ember– but the last resources are dwindling, and the infrastructure is crumbling. Lina and her friend Doon have to find a way to save their world– or a way to leave it.

The City Of Ember (2003)
The People of Sparks (2004)
The Prophet of Yonwood (2006)

Shadow Children
by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Set in an overpopulated and resource deprived future, these books follow the saga of Luke Garner, a Shadow Child– a child born without official approval. Luke has to hide his true identity in order to survive, and to fight the oppressive government.

Among the Hidden (1998)
Among the Impostors (2001)
Among the Betrayed (2002)
Among the Barons  (2003)
Among the Brave (2004)
Among the Enemy (2005)
Among the Free (2006)

The Chronicles of Narnia
by C.S. Lewis

This classic series follows the adventures of children who discover a way through space and time to a hidden world– Narnia, where magic, talking animals, and epic battles between good and evil take place.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950)
Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia (1951)
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952)
The Silver Chair (1953)
The Horse and His Boy (1954)
The Magician’s Nephew (1955)
The Last Battle (1956)

Twilight
by Stephanie Meyer
Fantasy/horror/gothic romance? All of the above. Bella Swan’s new life in Washington becomes complicated when her brooding new boyfriend turns out to be a vampire.

Twilight (2005)
New Moon (2006)
Eclipse (2007)

Charlie Bone, or The Red King Series
by Jenny Nimmo

These books are for readers who love the magical boarding school idea. Admittedly similar in general plot premise to the Harry Potter books, Charlie’s skills and challenges are unique, and the series appeals those with a taste for the English-boarding-school flavor of fantasy..

Charlie Bone and The Wizard’s Rock (2002)
Charlie Bone and The Time Twister (2003)
Charlie Bone and The Invisible Boy (2004)
Charlie Bone and The Castle of Mirrors (2005)
Charlie Bone and The Council of the Firebird (2006)
Charlie Bone and The Beast (2007)

Immortals
by Tamora Pierce

This series is for true lovers of fantasy.  Set in the Kingdom of Tortall, which readers may recognize from Pierce’s other series, Song of the Lioness, heroine Daine’s “wild magic” enables her to communicate with animals. As her skills as a Mage develop, political intrigue and epic battles take place over the course of the series.

Wild Magic (1992)
Wolf-Speaker (1994)
The Emperor Mage (1995)
The Realms of the Gods (1996)

Cirque du Freak
by Darren Shan

This series is for those who like the darker side of things– the main character, Darren, becomes a half-vampire after a visit to a bizarre freak-show, and the saga follows his adventures as he tries to adjust to his new life and fights evil.

Cirque du Freak (2001)
The Vampire's Assistant (2001)
Tunnels of Blood (2002)
Vampire Mountain (2002)
Trials of Death (2003)
The Vampire Prince (2004)
Hunters of the Dusk (2004)
Allies of the Night (2004)
Killers of the Dawn (2005)
The Lake of Souls (2005)
Lord of the Shadows (2006)
Sons of Destiny ((2006)

The Lord of The Rings
by J.R. Tolkein

Classic high fantasy, done right. Hobbits, Elves, Orcs, Fairies, Dwarves, a vital quest, a heroic journey– the reason it might sound familiar is that this is the original. If you have any interest in fantasy at all, give this a try. Companion book: The Hobbit.

The Fellowship of the Ring (1954)
The Two Towers (1954)
The Return of The King (1955)

Uglies
by Scott Westerfeld

This fantastic series is exciting, thought provoking, and fun to read. Set in the not-too-distant future, the heroine Tally Youngblood must face societal pressure to become a “Pretty”- an adult who has had mandated plastic surgery to become both ‘beautiful’ and partially lobotomized. Tally’s struggle to maintain control over her life turns into a thrilling action-adventure.

Uglies (2005)
Pretties (2005)
Specials (2006)
Extras (2007)

Booklist developed by Lexi Henshel.