Word & Film is reporting that the next Harry Potter film might be Eli Anderson’s Oscar Pill series. Anyone who has read some of the YA science fiction and fantasy over the past few years knows there’s some amazing works being published right now and Hollywood can’t seem to option the film rights fast enough. But not every great story gets an immediate screen treatment. And that’s where I began to wonder if there were a few series that had the same spirit that captivated audiences throughout the Harry Potter books, without necessarily using the same formula.
And the answer arrived quickly: of course there are!
So I thought it might be fun to offer up a few alternatives to the “next Harry Potter series” contestants currently in the news. In doing so, I thought I’d also try to stick to a few conditions to keep things interesting (and in-line with the idea of discovering a series. In the end, I settled on four rules that will guide the selections.
They are…
The Rules
| 1. | It has to feature a young main character (or characters) against incredible odds. |
| 2. | It should not already be a movie (this disqualifies the brilliant Books of Ember which you’d probably enjoy). |
| 3. | The story arc has to take up multiple books. We need a series. |
| 4. | Selections should be contemporary fiction (that is, written relatively recently). |
So with those parameters in mind, here are a few suggestions with enough magic and wonder to keep you turning the pages book after book:
The Books
The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens (pictured above)
The Books of Beginning series
What it’s about: One winter’s night three children—Kate, Michael, and Emma—are taken from their home in an attempt to protect them from a horrible evil with devastating power. Ten years later they are sent to a mysterious orphanage where they find an enchanted atlas that leads them on a journey to dangerous and secret corners of the world filled with magic and mayhem. Determined to save their family, the children will first have to save the world.
Why you might like it: Evil witches, undead armies, ancient prophesies, magic and mystery combine in an exciting kick-off novel to the series. Plus it’s a new series and you get the excitement of reading along and discovering the story along with everyone else.
Find out more at: The Emerald Atlas Website
100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson
The 100 Cupboards Series
What it’s about: Twelve-year-old Henry York wakes up one night to find bits of plaster in his hair. Two knobs have broken through the wall above his bed and one of them is slowly turning… Henry scrapes the plaster off the wall and discovers cupboards of all different sizes and shapes. Each door is a portal to another world: worlds of magic, adventure, and danger. Henry is thrilled to explore them all, but he just might find out that doors easily opened, might be hard to close again.
Why you might like it: One of my favorite finds of the past year, this series features intoxicating writing and is just dripping with story and imagination. The book blends humor and adventure really well as some rooms are exciting, some dangerous, and some are (humorously) mundane but it’s all a joy to read.
Museum of Thieves by Lian Tanner
The Keepers Trilogy
What it’s about: Goldie Roth has lived in the perilous city of Jewel all her life. Like every child in the city, she wears a silver guardchain and is forced to obey the dreaded Blessed Guardians. She has never done anything by herself and won’t be allowed out on the streets unchained until Separation Day. When Separation Day is canceled, Goldie runs away, risking not only her own life but also the lives of those she has left behind. It is then that she is lured to the mysterious Museum of Dunt, where she meets the boy Toadspit and discovers terrible secrets.
Only the cunning mind of a thief can understand the museum’s strange, shifting rooms. Fortunately, Goldie has a talent for thieving. Which is just as well, because the leader of the Blessed Guardians has his own plans for the museum—plans that threaten the lives of everyone Goldie loves. And it will take a daring thief to stop him…
Why you might like it: Who hasn’t imagined (either as a child or a child-at-heart) that a new or exotic place your visiting is somehow enchanted? Or that feeling that a painting is watching you? And, of course, a museum—with shifting rooms, no less—is a fertile playground for an imaginative author. This is a book that balances silly humor and serious consequences so well it’ll spoil you against more mediocre efforts elsewhere.
An Amazon Book of the Month for October 2010, this novel flew under the radar of too many readers. Don’t miss out on it again.
Find out more here: The Keepers Trilogy Website
The Alchemyst by Michael Scott
The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series
What it’s about: Twins Sophie and Josh Newman are just normal kids working in a bookstore. Or are they? Their boss turns out to be none other than Nicholas Flamel, a man who was considered to be the world’s greatest alchemist in his time (that being some 700 years ago). The secret of eternal life is hidden within the book he protects—the Book of Abraham the Mage. It’s the most powerful book that has ever existed. In the wrong hands, it will destroy the world. That’s exactly what Dr. John Dee plans to do when he steals it. And if the prophecy is right, Sophie and Josh Newman are the only ones with the power to save the world as we know it.
Of course, this is all news to Sophie and Josh, who must now discover and then learn to harness and use this power they possess. They are about to find themselves in the middle of the greatest legend of all time and together they just might have a big part to play…if they don’t turn on each other first.
Why you might like it: Think of this as a magical thriller where history comes to life (or just never actually died). There’s plenty of depth here too as author Michael Scott mixes a lot of history and trivia in to the tale. As School Library Journal wrote in their review: “While there is plenty here to send readers rushing to their encyclopedias . . . those who read the book at face value will simply be caught up in the enthralling story.”
Find out more here: The Immortal Nicholas Flamel Website
Have you read these series? What did you think? Do you have other suggestions? We want to hear from you.
I really think the Belgariad series by David Eddings would be a great fit for a series of movies. Those books definitely fit the requirements!
I totaly agree with scott the Belgariad series needs to be done I just found it last week and have already started the Malloreon the continuation of the epic.
Not a new series, but Diana Wynne Jones’s Chrestomanci books, starting with Charmed Life, would be great dramatized.
And, as Disney did such a terrible job with The Black Cauldron, I’d also suggest Lloyd Alexander’s Prydain series, starting with The Book of Three.
@Laurie—I thought long and hard about including the Chrestomanci books in this list. Glad to see you recommending them. And as for the Black Cauldron, I had almost blocked that from my memory.
@Scott & Ken—I haven’t read the Belgariad, but your enthusiasm for them makes them sound intriguing!