The Harry Potter books have been a publishing phenomenon, with parents and children alike scrambling to grab up the doorstop-sized volumes the moment they hit the bookstores. But here's a little secret that you won't find in all the articles and press releases and features and posters and hype: Not every child loves Harry Potter. While some kids with learning disabilities have developed a passion for reading because of the boy wizard, others look at that huge number of pages and those scary made-up words and those intricate plotlines and give it all a big, "No way!"
If your child's not wild about Harry, here are five book series that employ various combinations of Potter-like supernatural elements, resourceful children, and when's-the-next-one-coming? motivation for further reading -- but do it in ways that may be more manageable for reluctant or struggling readers.
#1: THE MAGIC TREE HOUSE SERIES
The author:
Mary Pope Osborne
The first:
Book #1, Dinosaurs Before Dark, was published in 1992.
The latest:
Book #42, A Good Night for Ghosts, has a release date of July 28, 2009.
The basics:
A young brother and sister travel through history in a, well, magic tree house, having adventures and learning about famous people, places and events along the way.
The magic:
Morgan le Fay, of King Arthur fame, is the power behind the tree house, often sending the children on magical adventures for particular purposes, such as gathering books for Camelot's library; recent additions have had them working for ol' Merlin himself.
- #2: The Time Warp Trio Series
- #3: The Bailey School Kids Series
- #4: The Artemis Fowl Series
- #5: A Series of Unfortunate Events
