If You Like Harry Potter, Then Read…

If You Like, Then Read is a feature where we offer reading suggestions based on books you already like.  This is the fifth week we are running it, and we schedule it once a month.  If you have more suggestions, feel free to tell us in the comments! 

100 Cupboards by N. D. Wilson

Twelve-year-old Henry York’s parents have been kidnapped in South America, meaning he has to go live in Kansas with his aunt and uncle and their three girls.  Due to his parent’s overprotective natures, Henry has never experienced a normal childhood: not only has he never tasted soda, but he’s never even played that quintessential American sport baseball.  Thus, even a small town in the middle of nowhere becomes enchanting as Henry learns to put aside caution and life live to the fullest.  The discovery of ninety-nine cupboards behind his attic bedroom wall only adds to the excitement.  Each door leads to a different world, tempting Henry and his cousin Henrietta to explore.  In the process, however, they awaken an ancient evil.  The first in the 100 Cupboards trilogy.

The Dragon’s Tooth by N. D. Wilson

Antigone and Cyrus Smith live in a dilapidated hotel with their older brother Daniel.  No one ever checks in, until the night a strange man requests a specific room.  That night, the man dies, the hotel burns to the ground, and Daniel disappears.  Informed that the only way to regain their brother is to join an ancient order of explorers, Antigone and Cyrus find themselves racing against time to find the order and swear their loyalty.  Not everyone in the order, however, welcomes the new initiates.  Antigone and Cyrus will have to fight enemies both from without the order and from within if they ever want to reunite their family.  The first in the Ashtown Burials series.  Read the review.

The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens

One night Kate, Emma, and Michael’s parents disappeared.  They have since grown up in a series of orphanages, Kate always insisting that their parents will return.  When the three are transferred to the mysterious orphanage at Cambridge Falls, they find a magical book that transports them back in time to a struggle between the locals and the evil witch.  At first the three only want to return home, but they soon realize that the fate of the local children lies in their hands.  The first of the Books of Beginning.  Read the review.

The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud

Eleven-year-old Nathaniel serves as an apprentice to a mediocre magician, but has aspirations far beyond what his master can help him achieve.  Insulted by another magician, Simon Lovelace, Nathaniel vows to get revenge by stealing from Lovelace the legendary Amulet of Samarkand. He summons the djinn Bartimaeus to carry out the deed , but Bartimaeus resents taking orders from a young boy and proves a crafty adversary, always searching for loopholes so he can end his contract.  The two will have to learn to work together, if not harmoniously, however, when they find themselves embroiled in an adventure far more dangerous than either could have imagined.  Read Briana’s review.

The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester

Born with the ability to fly, Piper McCloud does not quite fit in with her rural community.  She finds herself instead at a  secret school for children with special powers.  Piper hopes she’ll learn how to master her flying, but her new home has a hidden agenda and she may lose her unique gift altogether.

The Serpent in the Glass by D. M. Andrews

Eleven-year-old Thomas Farrell has grown up with the Westhrops and their daughter Jessica, always keenly aware that they treat him more like a servant than their adopted son.  However, when he learns that his father provided him with the means to attend Darkledun Manor, a school for gifted children, Thomas gains new hope.  He quickly makes new friends and he feels strangely like he belongs.  Even better, Thomas soon finds himself embroiled in adventure as he struggles to unravel the secrets surrounding the teachers and the school–secrets that may help him find his past.

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