Book suggestions for 10 year old ds who loves Harry Potter

[daffodilsarebest]

DS has always been a very able reader and has always read a wide selection of books from the library, school etc. Recently though he will only read Harry Potter and has read books 1-7 at least five times now and is back on book 1! I have tried encourage him to read other books, but he just wants Harry Potter. I'd love some suggestions of other things that may entice him away! Thank you.

Lockwood series by Jonathan Stroud. Or his Bartimaius chronicles?
They deal with magic.
Dept 19 series by Will Hill? Vampires v humans in those.

Or The Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix.
He has an interactive website as do Stroud and Hill so maybe get him to check them out?

I've read them all and they are brilliant.

Dark is Rising?

The above are all good. Here are a few more, most of them are series even when I've only mentioned the first one the rest will be good:
Eragon by Christoper Paolini
Stoneheart by Charlie Fletcher
Anything by Garth Nix, not just the old kingdom books.
Dragons Blood by Jane Yolen.
Percy Jackson books by Rick Riordan
Enders Game by Orson Scott Card

Do you think he'll have an issue with female protagonists? If not you can try the following:
The early Pern books by Anne McCaffrey, especially Dragonsong, Dragonsinger and Dragondrums
Circle of Magic books by Tamora Peirce
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

Oh and the Only you can save mankind by Terry Pratchett (Or just about anything else that Sir Terry wrote)

The Belgariad and the Mallorean series - 5 books each, by David Eddings.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card.

All the above have child/teenage boy protagonists.

Truckers/Diggers/Wings by Terry Pratchett, or The Wee Free Men, the Amazing Maurice, the Johnny Maxwell trilogy.

may I take your advice as a Potter expert? My 7 yr old is currently OBSESSED with them. She's just finished the third one. now I am aware that the films suddenly get much darker at that point but i don't know if that reflects the books or simply that the older the cast got, the more they could get from them. Would you let a 7 yr old near HP parts 4 - 7? thank you

I recommend The Hobbit, Skulduggery Pleasent, any of Terry Pratchett's wonderful children's books (my favourite is the Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents), I second the Garth Nix suggestion as well. Artemis Fowl is pretty good too, at least the early ones.
At this age, and reading at this level I wouldn't be above heading into your nearest book shop and just letting him have a bit of a hunt for himself.
Tranmere Rover, I think you would probably be alright with book 4, Goblet isn't much more scary than Azkaban. Also it's huge so hopefully by the time your DD has finished it she might be that bit older and you can reassess about book 5 (Umbridge was truly awful).

My seven year olds read the lot and also saw the HP films... one of the children is very timid and still loved it (though there was a bit of eye covering in the last ones). My only advice re harry potter is not to take them to harry potter studios until you've done all the books, otherwise you will learn major plot facts you would rather have kept hidden...

I should add that I am sure a lot of the later books went over their heads... there is a lot of simmering love interest and what have you... which provoked quite a few ooooohs, but would probably mean more if they were older. Also all the good/evil, myths etc. But I guess that means they will get something new out of it on their second reading.

There is a lot of exposition in one book - number four - I think, which was a little tedious (even they cottoned on, and when we listened to it in the car would shout out NOOOOO!!!! EXPOSITION!!!!).

fantastic - thank you for that ladies, especially the tip about the studios!
(is it true that various main characters end up married to each other at the end? someone in her class told her but wtf, aren't they just 6th formers by the end?)

i was going to come and say Atremis Fowl too, really good books for children.

Tranmere- there is a bit of a jump forward to several years into the future where Harry and Ginny are married with Children, as are Ron and Hermione!

A Wizard of Earthsea
Septimus Heap
Second The Dark is Rising
Wolves of Willoughby Chase

And now for something completely different:
Gerald Durrell?
Swallow and Amazons?
Just William?

good lord, it's true then. I thought it was malicious stirring!

Tranmere - my 7 year old DD has devoured the lot (I reckon she has read the series back to back at least 4-5 times). She is usually timid and self censors if she is finding something a bit much, but no problem here for some reason. She has also watched the films. I think they go over her head a bit TBH and would be scary, except that she knows the stories inside out, so it doesn't bother her. I'd def do books, then films, then Harry Potter world (which we are planning for her birthday). In terms of what next - its hard to figure out something age appropriate. My Dad asked for a recommendation in a book shop without telling them her age and came out with the hunger games...

Philip Pullman, His Dark Materials trilogy?

Very extremely good

One good thing about multiple re-readings, is that it is very good for learning vocabulary!

Diane Wynne-Jones wrote a number of books he might like: the Lives of Christopher Chant, The Ogre Downstairs, the Homeward Bounders, Tale of Time City and Witch Week all involve male protagonists.

I sometimes recommend what I call "Value Added" books, that is they have an aspect in addition to just reading a story.

The best one is Arthur Ransome's "Coot Club" set on the Norfolk Broads in 1930. All the places in the book are actual locations, and can be found on the Ordnance Survey 2-1/2inch map of the Broads. All the villages, rivers, lakes, pubs and windmill pumping stations can be seen on the map. Apart from some railways being closed, and there now being more main roads, little has changed. It also gives interesting insights to the social history of the '30s: the children want to contact friends in a nearby village, and say if they post a letter in the morning, it will get there by the second post in the afternoon! When they buy provisions at a riverside shop, the shop-boy carries the goods down to their boat for them.

Another book in a 'real' place, is "Watership Down". The rabbits' home threatened by development is actually on the outskirts of Newbury, in Berkshire. There are several web sites about the locations, and even guided tours sometimes to places featured in the book.

Septimus Heap series - Angie Sage
Alcatraz series - Brandon Sanderson

YY to Septimus Heap - fast-paced, exciting, good vocab.

What about Diana Wynne Jones' Chrestomanci books? (I am not a fan, oh noooo )

YY to Diana Wynne Jones. Fab magical world construction. I think Charmed Life is a good place to start coming from HP.

Yes to loads of these.

I'd also add the Charlie Bone books by Jenny Nimmo (boarding school, magic, main character is a boy who doesn't know he has magic powers at first... sounds familiar? ).

The Witch Trade series, and The House on Falling Star Hill too.

I really appreciate all these great suggestions. DS has looked at some of them and I have ordered him a couple for now. He is really looking forward to receiving them.