Our Kids booksellers recommend exploring these fantastic titles that go beyond the world of Harry Potter… check out their favorites!
Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia
“My favorite new hero’s journey! When Tristan Strong, wracked with grief and guilt over a friend’s death, is tricked into destroying a bottle tree on his grandparents’ farm, he sets off a chain reaction that leads to the discovery of his own power!” –Thomas
The Magnificent Monsters of Cedar Street by Lauren Oliver
“Newt Scamander has nothing on Cordelia Clay. When her father 
and their motley menagerie of rescued and carefully tended magical creatures disappear one night, she and her friend Gregory determines to follow their (slimy green) trail along with a baby dragon, a flatulant filch, and a loyal zuppy (zombie puppy) in Lauren Oliver’s rousing adventure about love, loyalty, evolutionary science, and the true nature of monstrosity.” – Meghan
Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi
“This is such an incredible new addition to mythology fiction! Between Roshani Chokshi’s incredibly beautiful descriptions and her thorough primer on ancient Hindu mythology, this new book is a gorgeous examination of legends I’ve rarely seen explored in American literature/entertainment. I love Roshani’s youthful and contemporary voice with Aru that keeps things feeling familiar and fantastic all at once. I already wish I could go back and explore the Night Bazaar, or the Pandava’s forgotten palace.” – Tomoko
Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins
“If Alice’s Wonderland had existed under New York City instead of the pristine English countryside, Underland is probably the kind of world she would have found. After following his little sister through a grate in the basement of his apartment building, Gregor discovers a world that only he can save.” – Madeline
When the Sea Turned to Silver by Grace Lin (and the whole trilogy!)
“Lin’s gorgeous prose and full-color illustrations build an epic tale of emperors and storytellers, of tears and courage, of immortality and greed, and most of all of the power of stories to shape the world. Fans of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon will find much to recognize, but new readers will also savor every word.” – Meghan
Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier
“Peter Nimble, an unfortunate orphan whose eyes were pecked out by ravens as a wee babe, has grown into a master thief due to his hard luck upbringing as a blind toddler on the streets. But when he steals a box of magical eyes of onyx, gold, and emerald, he finds himself, unexpectedly and suddenly on an impossible quest to save a lost kingdom- a quest that seems strangely suited to an eyeless boy with a brilliant knack for theft.” – Meghan
Charlie Hernández and the League of Shadows by Ryan Calejo
“First and foremost the thing you should know about this book is that it is a really fun read. Playing out a like a mixture of the Percy Jackson books and the Spiderwick Chronicles, we follow Charlie Hernández during what is probably the worst part of his life. It has been a short two months since his parents disappeared and his house burned down. Needless to say things are looking grim, but school has started which has provided SOME sense of normalcy. But that is shattered when he begins growing feathers! And then all of a sudden all these figures and creatures from the stories his abuela always told him have started showing up. This is a really sincere and funny story that has a lot of heart and deals with some myths that are not often given the spotlight.” – Will B.
Lalani of the Distant Sea by Erin Entrada Kelly
“Determined to reverse her mother’s illness and a magical wish gone wrong, Lalani sets sail for a legendary paradise for help (a quest from which no sailor has ever returned alive) in this wondrous and richly drawn fable about the power of hope.” – Meghan
Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee
“I LOVED THIS BOOK! Min, a fox creature, just wants to join her brother in the Space Cadets. But when a special inspector shows up to figure out why her brother deserted, Min knows that something is wrong and that she’s the only one who can figure it out. The worldbuilding in this was INCREDIBLE. The way Lee merges mythology and sci-fi is something I’ve never seen before–and something I want more of!” – Rachel R.
The Bartimeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud
“When he summoned an ancient djinni to help wreak revenge on a cruel older magician, Nathaniel was not entirely prepared for the sly, wise-cracking (and wildly entertaining) mischief-maker he got in Bartimaeus or the deep corruption and dark secrets lurking within the magicians’ ruling elite…secrets that pull Nathaniel and Bartimaeus in deeper with each book in this outstanding trilogy.” – Meghan
The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
“Barnhill’s ‘enmagicked’ story of witches and dragons, sorrow and starlight spins an irresistible tale surging with the primordial poetry of life itself as castles rise and fall, as girls grow into grandmothers, as families are made and chosen, and true love becomes courage to save the world.” – Meghan
Inhkeart by Cornelia Funke
“Meggie and her father share a rare gift. When they read aloud, books come alive- characters and objects literally materialize from the page into the real world. Now Meggie must deal with the book characters in the real world and the real people in the book world.” – Madeline
York by Laura Ruby
“The legendary Morningstarr twins transformed New York City with their brilliant inventions before they disappeared a century ago. Now with that legacy under threat, three kids decide to tackle the famously unsolvable cipher the Morningstarrs literally built into the city in this dazzling steampunk mystery.” – Meghan
BookPeople 