12 Fantasy Series for Kids Who Aren't Ready for Harry Potter

It can be hard for a child to wait until he or she is old enough to read the Harry Potter series (or even just to read the later books.) Still, the stories are best enjoyed when a child is old enough to appreciate the subject matter. Luckily, there are plenty of wonderful fantasy series out there which focus on many of the same themes as the Harry Potter books, but which appeal to a slightly younger audience. Twelve of them are listed below and sorted into four main categories: Witches & Wizards, Supernatural Schools, Fantastical Creatures, and Magical Adventures.

Witches & Wizards

• The Familiars
  by Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson
  (Book 1: The Familiars)
  A supposedly ordinary alley cat is mistaken for a magical creature when a young wizard-in-training chooses him as his familiar.
• The Worst Witch
  by Jill Murphy
  (Book 1: The Worst Witch)
  Mildred Hubble does her best to get by in witch school despite her constant mistakes and disasters.
• Heidi Heckelbeck
  by Wanda Coven
  (Book 1: Heidi Heckelbeck Has a Secret)
  Heidi Heckelbeck is a lot like other kids her age - except that she is secretly a witch!

 

Supernatural Schools

• Dragon Slayers' Academy
  by Kate McMullan
  (Book 1: The New Kid at School)
  Eleven-year-old medieval peasant Wiglaf of Pinwick enters school at the Dragonslayers Academy to become a hero, as foretold by a traveling minstrel.
• Scary School
  by Derek the Ghost
  (Book 1: Scary School)
  Though Derek becomes a ghost after he is killed in a science experiment at Scary School, he continues to keep notes on everything strange or spooky that happens there, including events surrounding the arrival of Charles Nukid.
  
• Vampire School
  by Peter Bently
  (Book 1: Casketball Capers)
  At St. Orlok's kids like Lee learn all the skills required to become successful vampires.

Fantastical Creatures

• Beast Quest
  by Adam Blade
  (Book 1: Ferno the Fire Dragon)
  Tom sets off on a journey to help save his village from mysterious bad happenings, but he ends up battling many different beasts all over the kingdom.
  
• How to Train Your Dragon
  by Cressida Cowell
  (Book 1: How to Train Your Dragon)
  A viking named Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third must catch and train a dragon to complete his viking initiation.
• Spiderwick Chronicles
  by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi
  (Book 1: The Field Guide)
  Three kids find an old field guide that teaches them about the magical creatures living all around them.

Magical Adventures

• Little Wings
  by Cecilia Galante
  (Book 1: Willa Bean's Cloud Dreams)
  A young cupid with wild hair is nervous about starting school because she has not yet learned to fly.
• Magical Mix-Ups
  by Lynne Jonell  (Book 1: Hamster Magic)
  When the kids in the Willow family make wishes, things don't always turn out as planned!
• Secrets of Droon
  by Tony Abbott
  (Book 1: The Hidden Stairs and the Magic Carpet)
  When Eric and his friends discover a portal to the world of Droon in his basement, they have many mysterious adventures.

Best of Baby Story Time: Bounces

After reviewing my baby story time plans, and attending a number of baby story times as a mom, I’ve pulled together my list of the best materials and activities I have found for this age group. Today, I'm sharing my list of the best bounces for baby story time.

Bounces are a key component of baby story time and one is that unique to this age group. I have a few favorites:

• All the Little Babies
  Originally found at Baby Songs and Rhymes; lyrics tweaked slightly by me.
  This song to the tune of "Shortnin' Bread" involves bouncing, leaning, and hugging - the perfect way to promote cozy child/caregiver interaction. I have sung this song at almost every baby story time I've ever done, and almost always, every adult in the room sings along.
• Bumpin’ Up and Down
  Original version can be heard here.
  I borrowed this song from Raffi and made it more baby-friendly. This is an especially fun bounce, because it also gives the babies the opportunity to practice a favorite skill - waving to their friends! I especially like to use this song for a colors theme, and for transportation-themed story times.
• A Bouncing We Will Go
  From King County Library System's Tell Me a Story wiki.
  This is another adaptation of a children's favorite, "A-Hunting We Will Go." It starts with bouncing, then moves onto tickling and rocking. Almost any action your group likes to do can be added to the song as well.
• Mother and Father and Uncle John
  Traditional nursery rhyme.
  This nursery rhyme is fun for slightly older babies because they giggle at the sensation of "falling off" a caregiver's lap. The best part of this rhyme is the way the rhythm suggests the galloping motion of a horse, so it's important to emphasize the rhythm as you bounce to the beat.
• Old Joe
  Heard at story time; tune available here.
  This bounce is brand-new to me, but it has quickly become my daughter's favorite. I like to sing the song three times through - first at a slow walking pace, then at a medium trotting pace, and finally at a quick (but still gentle) galloping pace. Each time, I slow way down for the "whoa Joe" and tip my daughter all the way back until she laughs. This is a great alternative for audiences that don't click with Mother and Father and Uncle John and also a great one for farm animals, cowboys, transportation, and fast and slow themes.

A full archive of my baby story times is available here. This is the final post in my Best of Baby Story Time series. Click here to view the full set of posts.

12 Middle Grade Series About Friendship for Girls

 

Friendships become more complex as girls enter late elementary school and middle school. The following twelve fictional series explore the many changes, joys, frustrations, and complications that occur in relationships between tween girls.

• The Snob Squad
  by Julie Anne Peters
  (Book 1: Revenge of the Snob Squad)
  Jenny, Maxine, and Prairie - all outsiders - form an unlikely bond when they take up against the principal's daughter and her friends. 
• Nerd Girls
  by Alan Lawrence Sitomer
  (Book 1: The Rise of the Dorkosaurus)
  Maureen, Allergy Alice and Beanpole Barbara make a pact to beat the popular girls, known as the ThreePees, in the school talent show.  
• Dork Diaries
  by Rachel Renee Russell
  (Book 1: Tales from a Not-So-Fabulous Life)
  In her daily diary, Nikki Maxwell shares the dorky moments of her life, and comments on her friendship with best friends Chloe and Zoey.

• Camp Club Girls
  by Renae Brumbaugh, et. al.
  (Book 1: Camp Club Girls & the Mystery at Discovery Lake)
  A group of Christian girls who meet at camp solve mysteries at various American landmarks.  
• Pink Locker Society
  by Debra Moffitt
  (Book 1:  Only Girls Allowed)
  Jemma, Piper, Kate, and Bet are tapped for a secret organization designed to provide information about puberty to girls in their school.  
• The Baby-sitters Club
  by Ann M. Martin
  (Book 1: Kristy's Great Idea)
  Kristy, Claudia, Mary Anne, and Stacey form a babysitting club to help their neighbors find reliable babysitters.

• The Winnie Years
  by Lauren Myracle
  (Book 1: Eleven)
  Winnie's adolescence is marked by ups and downs, including the loss of her childhood best friend, Amanda, to the popular girls, and the discovery of new friends in outspoken Cinnamon and awkward Dinah.  
• Alice McKinley
  by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
  (Book 1: The Agony of Alice)
  *Note: Later books in this series are classified as Young Adult.
  Alice and her best friends Pamela and Elizabeth navigate adolescence in this series, where Alice grows up alongside the reader. 
• Annabelle Unleashed
  by Leslie Margolis
  (Book 1: Boys Are Dogs)
  Annabelle and her new middle school friends discover lots of truths about life and boys.

• The Secret Language of Girls
  by Frances O'Roark Dowell
  (Book 1: The Secret Language of Girls)
  Everything changes for childhood friends Marylin and Kate when middle school begins and they begin to drift apart. 
• Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls
  by Meg Cabot
  (Book 1: Moving Day)
  Allie Finkle collects rules for every situation, including saying goodbye to old friends and making new friends at a new school. 
• Summer Camp Secrets
  by Katy Grant
  (Book 1: Pranked)
  Different characters relate their experiences during the same summer at camp in this six-volume series.

Browse all my middle grade reviews here.

LibraryAdventure.com: 20 Songs to Develop Literacy Skills in Kids Ages 0 to 5

Today, I'm over at The Library Adventure sharing a set of songs for families to sing together in the morning, at mealtime, on the go, at bathtime, and at night.