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Books like Harry Potter
This question has two completely different answers depending on whether you are nine or thirty-nine.
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"Books like Harry Potter" is asked by two completely different people. One is buying for a nine-year-old and wants another magic-school series they will binge. The other is an adult chasing a feeling and will be disappointed by anything written for children. Lists that merge the two serve neither.
If you are buying for a child
The reliable answer is Percy Jackson. It has the same shape — an ordinary child discovers they belong to a hidden world — the same sarcastic first-person voice, and five books plus several follow-on series. Jesse Bernstein's narration is the series standard and keeps Percy's voice front and center.
After that: Amari and the Night Brothers for a modern take on the same structure, Keeper of the Lost Cities if they want something enormous to disappear into, and The Mysterious Benedict Society if they like puzzles more than wands. Audiobooks for ages 10 and up has more.
If you are an adult chasing the feeling
The thing to understand is that what you are missing is probably not magic school. It is the experience of a world opening up, which is very hard to recreate deliberately. Two routes work better than looking for a copy:
- Go older and better written. The Hobbit and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe are the books Potter was built on, and Andy Serkis and Michael York respectively perform them as storytelling rather than reading.
- Go to the grown-up version of the premise. A Deadly Education is a magic school where the building tries to kill the students; Ninth House is Yale's secret societies actually practicing magic. Both are considerably darker and neither is for children.
What to listen to after Harry Potter
For children and adults, labeled. Credits from the publisher's catalog; prices from Amazon at our last check.
| # | Title | Best for | Narrator | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  The Lightning Thief Rick Riordan · read by Jesse Bernstein A dyslexic twelve-year-old discovers he is a demigod and his teacher is a monster. The most reliably enjoyed middle-grade series going. | Ages nine and up, and the whole car | Jesse Bernstein | $15.75on Amazon |
| 2 |  The Hobbit J. R. R. Tolkien · read by Andy Serkis A reluctant burglar, thirteen dwarves and a dragon. The tightest thing Tolkien wrote and the easiest to hand to anyone. | A family listen or a first fantasy | Andy Serkis | $17.96on Amazon |
| 3 |  The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe C. S. Lewis · read by Michael York Four children, a wardrobe and a hundred-year winter. The best entry point to Narnia and the right length for a journey. | Ages six to ten, in the car | Michael York | $15.74on Amazon |
| 4 |  Amari and the Night Brothers B. B. Alston · read by Imani Parks A girl is recruited to a supernatural bureau to find her missing brother. Fast, funny and very easy to hand to a reluctant listener. | Ages nine to twelve | Imani Parks | $22.83on Amazon |
| 5 |  Keeper of the Lost Cities Shannon Messenger · read by Caitlin Kelly A twelve-year-old discovers she is an elf and transfers to a hidden world. Enormous series, extremely bingeable. | Ages nine to thirteen with a lot of car time | Caitlin Kelly | $19.04on Amazon |
| 6 |  A Deadly Education Naomi Novik · read by Anisha Dadia A magic school where the building actively tries to kill the students, narrated by the most abrasive girl in it. Very dense, very funny. | Dark academia that is actually dark | Anisha Dadia | $17.72on Amazon |
| 7 |  Ninth House Leigh Bardugo · read by Lauren Fortgang & Michael David Axtell Yale's secret societies really do practice magic, and the scholarship student sent to police them has seen worse. Hard-edged and genuinely adult. | Dark academia with a crime plot | Lauren Fortgang & Michael David Axtell | $21.65on Amazon |
| 8 |  The Mysterious Benedict Society Trenton Lee Stewart · read by Del Roy Four gifted orphans infiltrate a boarding school using puzzles and nerve. Long, clever and properly plotted. | Ages eight to twelve | Del Roy | $26.39on Amazon |
The picks, in detail
Our top pick · Ages nine and up, and the whole car
The Lightning Thief
by Rick Riordan · narrated by Jesse Bernstein
- Runtime
- Not published in our source
- Narrators
- 1
- Audio edition
- 2005
A dyslexic twelve-year-old discovers he is a demigod and his teacher is a monster. The most reliably enjoyed middle-grade series going.
On audio
Jesse Bernstein's reading is the series standard and keeps Percy's sarcasm front and center.
Who should skip it
- Formulaic quest structure.
- Five books, and then three more series.
#ad How we are funded · Audible price as of October 6, 2026
Pick 2 · A family listen or a first fantasy
The Hobbit
by J. R. R. Tolkien · narrated by Andy Serkis
- Runtime
- Not published in our source
- Narrators
- 1
- Audio edition
- 2020
A reluctant burglar, thirteen dwarves and a dragon. The tightest thing Tolkien wrote and the easiest to hand to anyone.
On audio
Andy Serkis performs it as a storyteller rather than a reader, and his Gollum is the voice most of the world already hears for the character.
Who should skip it
- The narrator's asides to the reader date it.
- The dwarves are largely interchangeable.
#ad How we are funded · Audible price as of October 6, 2026
Pick 3 · Ages six to ten, in the car
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
by C. S. Lewis · narrated by Michael York
- Runtime
- Not published in our source
- Narrators
- 1
- Audio edition
- 2005
Four children, a wardrobe and a hundred-year winter. The best entry point to Narnia and the right length for a journey.
On audio
Michael York's reading keeps the storyteller's warmth that the book is built on.
Who should skip it
- The Christian allegory is explicit by the end.
- Aslan's death frightens younger listeners.
#ad How we are funded · Audible price as of October 6, 2026
Pick 4 · Ages nine to twelve
Amari and the Night Brothers
by B. B. Alston · narrated by Imani Parks
- Runtime
- Not published in our source
- Narrators
- 1
- Audio edition
- 2021
A girl is recruited to a supernatural bureau to find her missing brother. Fast, funny and very easy to hand to a reluctant listener.
Who should skip it
- Conventional magic-school structure.
- Ends on a series hook.
#ad How we are funded · Audible price as of October 6, 2026
Pick 5 · Ages nine to thirteen with a lot of car time
Keeper of the Lost Cities
by Shannon Messenger · narrated by Caitlin Kelly
- Runtime
- Not published in our source
- Narrators
- 1
- Audio edition
- 2018
A twelve-year-old discovers she is an elf and transfers to a hidden world. Enormous series, extremely bingeable.
Who should skip it
- Very long and still going.
- Repetitive series structure.
#ad How we are funded · Audible price as of October 6, 2026
Pick 6 · Dark academia that is actually dark
A Deadly Education
by Naomi Novik · narrated by Anisha Dadia
- Runtime
- Not published in our source
- Narrators
- 1
- Audio edition
- 2020
A magic school where the building actively tries to kill the students, narrated by the most abrasive girl in it. Very dense, very funny.
On audio
Anisha Dadia carries a narrator who explains the rules while complaining about them, which is hard to keep likeable and mostly succeeds.
Who should skip it
- The first hours are nearly all exposition, in-voice.
- El's abrasiveness is a wall for some listeners.
#ad How we are funded · Audible price as of October 6, 2026
Pick 7 · Dark academia with a crime plot
Ninth House
by Leigh Bardugo · narrated by Lauren Fortgang, Michael David Axtell
- Runtime
- Not published in our source
- Narrators
- 2
- Audio edition
- 2019
Yale's secret societies really do practice magic, and the scholarship student sent to police them has seen worse. Hard-edged and genuinely adult.
On audio
Lauren Fortgang handles a fractured timeline and a protagonist who withholds everything.
Who should skip it
- Contains graphic sexual assault.
- The timeline jumps are harder to follow in audio than on the page.
#ad How we are funded · Audible price as of October 6, 2026
Pick 8 · Ages eight to twelve
The Mysterious Benedict Society
by Trenton Lee Stewart · narrated by Del Roy
- Runtime
- Not published in our source
- Narrators
- 1
- Audio edition
- 2022
Four gifted orphans infiltrate a boarding school using puzzles and nerve. Long, clever and properly plotted.
On audio
Del Roy handles a large child cast and a lot of riddles clearly.
Who should skip it
- Long for the age group.
- The puzzles slow the pace.
#ad How we are funded · Audible price as of October 6, 2026
Matched to who is asking
| Reader | Pick | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Child, 8-12, wants another series | Percy Jackson | The most reliable answer there is |
| Child, modern setting | Amari and the Night Brothers | Fast and funny; ends on a series hook |
| Child, wants something huge | Keeper of the Lost Cities | Very long and still going |
| Child, likes puzzles | The Mysterious Benedict Society | Long for the age group |
| Family listening together | The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe | Aslan's death frightens younger listeners |
| Adult, wants the classic | The Hobbit | Serkis performs it rather than reading it |
| Adult, wants dark academia | A Deadly Education | Dense exposition early; El is abrasive |
| Adult, wants properly adult | Ninth House | Contains graphic sexual assault |
Where to go next
- For children by age, audiobooks for kids.
- For the family car, family road trips.
- For adult fantasy, fantasy audiobooks.
- For the dark-academia shelf, young adult audiobooks.
Frequently asked questions
What should my child read after Harry Potter?
What is Harry Potter for adults?
Which Harry Potter audiobook narration is best?
Is Percy Jackson as good as Harry Potter?
What can the whole family listen to after Harry Potter?
Sources
Read next
Section
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For Kids
The best audiobooks for ten-year-olds
The children's canon is fully open, and several of these are better than most adult fiction.
By Occasion
The best audiobooks for family road trips
Books that hold a nine-year-old and an adult at once, with content warnings on every pick.
Genres
The best fantasy audiobooks
From one-volume standalones to hundred-hour epics, with the narrator named on every pick.
Genres
The best young adult audiobooks
The best-performed shelf in publishing, with honest notes on what the YA label does not mean.
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