Harry Potter is a difficult series to beat. It's also a hard series to follow. But for the many children delighted with it, life must continue once the tales have ended, and so must reading. Often faced with the question: "I loved Harry Potter, but I don't know what to read now?" from middle graders themselves, I was happy to be able to recommend a number of good series that would satisfy their thirst for thrilling entertainment. My favorite of them all, and the one I recommended regularly, was Fablehaven, by Brandon Mull.
If the middle graders you're trying to find books for are like me and believe in magical beings, they may wonder where all the fairies, gnomes, and satyrs have gone. The answer lies between the pages of this well-written, fanciful, and suspenseful book--the first in the five-book series. Imagine a world where all the mythical creatures they ever read about in legends, fairy tales, and mythology still existed and lived together in a sanctuary that prevented their extinction. And imagine that they stumbled upon that sanctuary and got to see and live amongst them. When they open the pages of Fablehaven they will.
Once inside, like the book's protagonists, Kendra and Seth, they will become involved in solving a mystery whose final clue is "drink the milk", which will open their eyes to the magic that surrounds them. Then they will learn about the rules, which govern Fablehaven and all who inhabit it, and, which must never be broken. But, of course they are, and when that happens life for the reader, as well as the characters, becomes a ride full of hairpin curves that never slows down until its jaw-dropping conclusion.
The series is great for girls because it features a bright female protaganist with all the self-doubts of a normal adolescent who discovers she has more courage than she ever knew. And it's great for boys, because, Seth, Kendra's brother, is a typical eleven-year-old whose curiosity gets the better of him landing him in the middle of a thrilling adventure. Above all, though, Fablehaven, like Harry Potter, re-opens the world of magic to kids who may have thought they were getting too old for it, but find that they are able to fall in love with fairies, goblins, and elves all over again.
http://brandonmull.com/site/archives/32
Once inside, like the book's protagonists, Kendra and Seth, they will become involved in solving a mystery whose final clue is "drink the milk", which will open their eyes to the magic that surrounds them. Then they will learn about the rules, which govern Fablehaven and all who inhabit it, and, which must never be broken. But, of course they are, and when that happens life for the reader, as well as the characters, becomes a ride full of hairpin curves that never slows down until its jaw-dropping conclusion.
The series is great for girls because it features a bright female protaganist with all the self-doubts of a normal adolescent who discovers she has more courage than she ever knew. And it's great for boys, because, Seth, Kendra's brother, is a typical eleven-year-old whose curiosity gets the better of him landing him in the middle of a thrilling adventure. Above all, though, Fablehaven, like Harry Potter, re-opens the world of magic to kids who may have thought they were getting too old for it, but find that they are able to fall in love with fairies, goblins, and elves all over again.
http://brandonmull.com/site/archives/32
