If you liked Harry Potter, try…
Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George
Princess Celie loves living in Castle Glower, and she especially loves Tuesdays, the day that a new room, turret, or wing magically appears! No one can guess what the castle will do next, and Celie is the only one who takes the time to map the new additions. When King and Queen Glower are ambushed and foreign interlopers appear to try to claim the kingdom, Celie’s intimate knowledge of the castle will be key to protecting herself, her family, and her people. Celie’s unique friendship with the magical castle provides fodder for all sorts of fun adventures in this charming story!
Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
Kendra and her brother, Seth, have no idea that their grandfather is the current caretaker of Fablehaven. Inside the gated woods, ancient laws keep relative order among the greedy trolls, mischievous satyrs, plotting witches, spiteful imps, and jealous fairies. But when the rules get broken, powerful forces are unleashed, and Kendra and her brother face the greatest challenge of their lives. To save their family, Fablehaven, and maybe even the world, Kendra and Seth must find the courage to do what they fear most…
Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
The king’s priests have prophesied that one girl from Miri’s village will be the future princess of the realm, so the king’s ministers set up an academy for every girl in the village to teach all of them how to be a proper princess, in case the prince selects them at the end of the year. The possibility of a life of nobility unleashes vicious competition between former friends, but the would-be princesses have bigger problems: a group of bandits who set out to storm the academy and kidnap the future princess. Miri will have to use her unexpected new-found powers — and unite the competing girls — to save them all.
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
People in town think Meg is a loose cannon, her brother Charles Wallace is dumb, and her father ran off and left their scientist mother — but Meg doesn’t believe a word of any of it. So when an unexpected stranger appears in their kitchen and tells Meg about a tesseract — the “wrinkle in time” which her father was researching for the government — Meg decides to set off through space and time to find him. Her adventures with Charles Wallace and neighbor Calvin will require all of their strengths to accomplish!