Fantasy Fiction: 7+

The Harry Potter books have to be commended and congratulated for getting so many kids interested in reading and fantasy books. However, they’re far from the only ‘Wizard School’ books suitable for kids of roughly 7-13.

The following titles offer much the same boarding school formula as Harry Potter but without serving as mere clones. Some kids may prefer them to Harry Potter and others will be happy to read them before or after Harry Potter.

The Worst Witch

Hettie Hubble and her many spellcasting mishaps have been around for longer then Harry Potter. The Worst Witch books combine a female ‘lead’ with plenty of comedy. Spells go wrong, Hettie’s naivety causes trouble and Hettie usually has to wake up to what’s going on to extricate herself.

The Worst Witch at School

There’s an almost endless range of slightly slapstick comedy resulting from the mishaps when spells go wrong. The school, Miss Cackle’s Academy, also provides plenty of laughs, as the teachers are more than a little eccentric and Hettie’s enemy, Belladonna, is usually just a little too clever for her own good.

Regrettably, many boys won’t give the Worst Witch a try for the same reasons as Hollywood didn’t come calling. Hettie is likeable but not heroic, the school is magical but not forbidding and the villains aren’t menacing. All pluses for a series of books which are great for newly confident, independent readers but not considered the stuff of blockbuster movies, so far.

The Worst Witch website is more to do with the TV series than the books.

Midnight For Charlie Bone

Jenny Nimmo established herself as a children’s writer years ago when she wrote her Snow Spider Trilogy. The Welsh-based fantasy trilogy was excellent but, possibly, a little too bleak to have as much international success as in the UK.

The Charlie Bone series is more recent than the Harry Potter titles and has just concluded with an eighth title. The writing is of a high quality throughout. The series can, perhaps, be read at an earlier stage than Harry Potter and kids of 8-12 are particularly likely to enjoy the set.

The usual absent parents, family bullies, boarding school trials and powers from the past are all ticked off but Bloor’s Academy is not quite as ‘by the numbers’ as Hogwart’s. The school is genuinely forbidding and there’s a skilful blend of mystery and novelty.

Charlie Bone And The Red Knight (Children Of The Red King)

As a descendant of ‘The Red King’, Charlie has powers that are a bit more subtle than Hogwart’s magic. The same applies to other descendants and the various powers add an amusing twist to the formula. For example, Charlie can travel into pictures and photographs, while another character has the ability to enchant clothing.

Unsurprisingly, the Harry Potter books and movies eclipsed Charlie Bone at first. More recently, they’ve been gaining ground and it will be no surprise if movies follow. Especially when kids who complete the first book tend to want to complete the series.

The same can be true of Harry Potter, but some of the later Harry Potter titles are so long that kids may falter part way through the set. As with Harry Potter many teenagers and adults should enjoy reading the The Charlie Bone series.

It might also have been a help if the outstanding cover art on the UK paperbacks had appeared on the US paperbacks, which have good but unspectacular cover art from the perspective of a ten-year-old.

The Charlie Bone Website is focused on the books and worth a visit – after reading the books!

The Wizard of Earthsea

The Wizard of Earthsea is shorter than our other titles, was written first and is the darkest of our fantasy recommendations. A young Sparrowhawk travels to a wizard’s school which has few of the privileges and affectations of a boarding school. Magic is dark, powerful and interwoven into the fabric of the many islands of the world of Earthsea.

Wizard of Earthsea (1st Edition Cover/ US Link to cheap copies)

The book stands out as a fantasy adventure story, a literary work on the power of language and a serious lesson about the consequences of our actions. The other books in what became a series are less immediately accessible. The Wizard of Earthsea is, probably, best read at an age of 11 or older to help kids appreciate a story as tense and compelling as anything Harry Potter has to offer.