This month we asked local librarians to play a game they call “readalikes.” Let’s say a kid walks in and says, “I just finished the entire Harry Potter series and I have absolutely nothing else to read. Nothing will ever be as good as Harry Potter!” a good librarian can say, “Well, actually, we’ve got several books and series you really ought to try if you liked Harry Potter that much.”
I come from a family of librarians and suspect this is one of those games they play at their librarian happy hours, when things really start to get rowdy.
When the recommendations came in, it was a joy to read them. For each recommendation I had one of two reactions: “Oh, perfect!” and “I’ve never heard of that one. I’ll add it to our library list.” But then came the inevitable: “What about…?” Because, as the granddaughter, daughter, and sister of librarians, I was bound to have my own readalike suggestions, wasn’t I?
So here they are:
Fans of The Magic Tree House will love The Secrets of Droon series. Yes, it’s derivative. Yes, it’s predictable. That’s why kids love series books. It’s also funny — if you’re still young enough to think a tribe of talking warrior pillows is funny.
Fans of Captain Underpants will love Franny K Stein. The misfit mad scientist just doesn’t understand why her schoolmates don’t love science — that is, the kind of science that involves severed limbs and lots of oozy goo — as much as she does.
Fans of Ramona, Age 8 will love Judy Moody and Clarice Bean. Judy Moody has gotten a bad rap. She uses some nonstandard English and is far from well-behaved in school, but early readers identify her and always learn something. Clarice Bean, well she’s a bit of a mouthy one, too, but the prose and the stories — from the author of the Charlie and Lola books — flow so well that her sass comes off as endearing. And both are firmly in the tradition of our beloved Ramona.
Fans of Harry Potter will love The Chronicles of Prydain series. Lloyd Alexander’s breathlessly paced adventure stories have magic and danger to spare. They also introduced a generation of girls to a strong young maiden who is pretty darn handy with a sword.
Fans of the American Girl books will love All-of-a-Kind Family. Five stair-step sisters are growing up on New York’s Lower East Side. The first book follows the tight-knit, loving family through the cycle of the Jewish year, focusing on the holidays. The next books follow the girls as they grow and explore the larger world.
