Whether you have a child in your life that you are looking to indoctri– I mean, introduce to the fantasy genre, or you are seeking nostalgic and simple reads for a break between adult fantasy titles, children’s and YA literature has something to offer everyone. However, as the years have passed a lot of readers have started to find “qualms” with ye olde popular series of our childhoods. A lot of readers carry a “magical orphan child who goes to school and defeats the evil villain with help from their found family, as the prophecy foretold” shaped hole in their reading list, for whatever personal reasons.
Fear not! I have compiled a list of children’s lit (and even some YA) series that could possibly fill in the niche left behind by the mentioned unnamed series. While I do not personally know of any 1:1 series that shares all the exact same themes and components, I have listed each recommendation below with a brief synopsis of the series. Any components of the recommendation I find to be shared with the replaced series are denoted by being in bold type.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan
Likely the most popular series on this list, Riordan’s Percy Jackson series (and all spin off series) is the perfect boy coming-of-age series to recommend to children’s lit readers. Percy is a demi-god, a child of a Greek god and a human, and attends Camp Halfblood, a summer school camp for demi-god children to hone their skills and powers.
Throughout the series, Percy often feels torn between two worlds, often feeling left out at Camp Halfblood because of his unique lineage but not fitting in at public schools for mortal children. Percy becomes entangled in prophecies, foretelling a war between good and evil fought by the gods and demi-gods. This series is perfect for any children’s lit or YA reader, but most well-targeted for readers between the ages of 12 and 16. As a bonus, it has powerful representation for children with specific learning disabilities, dyslexia, and ADHD as well as children living in a one-parent household.
Nampeshiweisit series by Moniquill Blackgoose
This is an ongoing series, and one of the newest on the list. Anequs is an indigenous girl who finds a wild dragon egg, much to the dismay of the governing population. She is required to attend a school meant to teach dragon riders and their mounts how to control their magic, fly, and be upstanding citizens of the country.
Throughout the series, Anequs feels torn between two worlds, wanting to impress her peers and teachers in order to keep her dragon safe, but without losing her culture and connection to her tribe’s history and practices. To make matters worse, she is often the target of attacks, both verbal and physical, that she struggles against as she becomes a powerful voice against the prejudice her tribe faces. This is an ongoing series with the first two books, To Shape a Dragon’s Breath and To Ride a Rising Storm, currently available for purchase. The series features representation of indigenous cultures, autism spectrum disorder, and LGBT relationships and has themes of racial prejudice and the evils of colonization.
The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan
A short series by popular author Rick Riordan, The Kane Chronicles follows Carter and Sadie Kane as they struggle with the knowledge of their lineage after becoming orphans. As they come to terms with the loss of their parents and their connection to the Egyptian gods, they struggle to find their place between two worlds: their mortal relatives and friends, and the community of casters who see them as criminals.
In this split POV coming-of-age series, Carter and Sadie grow from being two children thrust into the world of gods without their parents, to the teachers of their own school for children of the gods. Together, and with their students and friends, they must find balance between order and chaos as they fight in a war against the evils of Apophis. This series features biracial characters and does a fantastic job of showing themes of homesickness and the resentment that come from losing your parents as a young child.
The Inheritance Cycle (Eragon) by Christopher Paolini
Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle (most known by its first book, Eragon) is the most mature series on this list and a true coming-of-age story, firmly within the YA label. It follows Eragon, an orphan boy who stumbles upon a dragon egg and has his world turned upside down.
This coming-of-age story features magic, different races of people, and the loss of the dragons and their riders at the hands of Galbatorix. The original four book series is a complete story of the war between good and evil as Eragon tries to liberate the continent of Alagaesia, but Paolini is continuing to write in the universe with new, more mature books. This book is perfect for high level readers who are interested in epic-length series without the more mature scenes found in popular adult fantasy series such as A Song of Ice and Fire or The Witcher.
His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman
A classic trilogy often overlooked due to the religious criticism in the subtext, His Dark Materials series (most notably starting with The Golden Compass if you’re Americanor The Northern Lights otherwise) is a coming-of-age story showing the struggles of children against the abusive and misguided establishments of the adults around them.
Lyra Belacqua is bonded with a shape-shifting animal named Pantalaimon, much like all of the humans in her world are paired with their own dæmons. She is gifted an alethiometer, a prophetic truth-telling device, often referred to as a golden compass, by the Master of the school she was raised in. After witnessing an attempted assassination and overhearing conversations about the existence of dust and dark matter, Lyra and her dæmon pursue the source and motives for these events while dodging the influence and rules of the Magisterium and using the alethiometer to guide their decisions. Her adventure turns into a multi-universe pursuit of a lost friend, and an epic war between the corrupt Magisterium and those who stand against it. With strong themes of questioning corrupt authority and not blindly following any establishment, this series is fantastic for the rebellious wild child with a high reading level.
The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander
The Chronicles of Prydain, commonly known for the book The Black Cauldron, is a classic coming-of-age story following the orphan boy Taran. He is raised by an enchanter and is the (assistant) caretaker for an oracular pig named Hen Wen, who gives prophecies to be interpreted by the Book of Three.
This series is a coming-of-age story in which Taran, along with friends Eilonwy, Fflewddur Fflam, and Gurgi, are fighting against the evil of Arawn, the master of the land of the dead. This series could be described as a young reader friendly option similar to The Lord of the Rings, with similar themes and inspirations. Even as an adult this Mabinogion-inspired story is worth a spot on your reading list, as it serves as the inspiration for many popular modern fantasy series, including Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses.
Serafina series by Robert Beatty (Riordan Presents)
Part of the Rick Riordan Presents Foundation, Robert Beaty’s Serafina series follows a young not-quite-human girl named Serafina as she keeps the inhabitants of 19th century Biltmore safe.
With many historical references and characters, this series focuses on learning how to belong between two worlds while fighting against evil forces and black magic of the Darkness that lingers in the nearby Blue Ridge mountains. This series has powerful themes of found family, finding your purpose, and how to “Stay Bold” in the face of evil and wickedness.
Underlander Chronicles (Gregor) by Suzanne Collins
Suzanne Collins’ lesser-known series, the Underlander Chronicles, starts with Gregor the Overlander. Gregor and his baby sister Boots fall into a civilization miles underground known as the Underland, where prophecies determine the course of history for the different inhabitants. Gregor’s family is deeply entangled in these prophecies, leading to Gregor having to find balance between two worlds: taking care of his financially struggling family at home, while also playing his part in the wars of the Underland.
This series has wonderful themes of unfair class structure, and Gregor and his sister Boots often speak out against the prejudices that certain Underland creatures, such as the roaches, face. Gregor’s family in this series gives great representation of PTSD, a financially struggling family, and many readers interpret the family as being black or biracial.
Guardians of Ga’Hoole series by Kathryn Lasky
Guardians of Ga’Hoole is a fantasy animal series in which owls of all different species are entangled in a war waged upon them by the evil barn owls that believe themselves to be the superior species. This series takes strong inspiration from World War II, and even has a character intended to parallel Winston Churchill and many of his famous speeches. The main characters, most notably Soren the barn owl, attend classes and learn how to be Guardians of the Great Tree.
It is up to these Guardians of Ga’Hoole to protect the weak and speak out against the prejudices and cruelty of the supremacist owls. This is a great series to introduce to children that struggle to relate to human characters, or need some extended reading to make history class a little less boring.
Renegades series by Erin Hunter (Warrior Cats)
A newly released series by popular children’s lit authors Erin Hunter, Renegades series opens with the first book, The Magic Awakens. Twin cats Luna and Willow find themselves tied up in a prophecy that will impact all the magical creatures of the human city they live in. A war is coming between the evil human magicians and the creatures they try to enslave as familiars. The sisters find themselves separated in two different worlds, but does that mean their fates will oppose each other?
This title was released in May. I have read an ARC (advance reader copy) and am excitedly waiting to see where this series will go, as it has the potential to outshine Erin Hunter’s original series. The next installment, The Broken City, is due out November 3, 2026.
Which brings us to.
Warriors (Warrior Cats) series by Erin Hunter
Erin Hunter’s original children’s lit series Warriors follows rivaling clans of feral cats surviving in the wild with the guidance and prophecies of their deceased ancestors in Starclan. In the first arc, the books follow Rusty, a kittypet who finds himself with a decision to make: live in the comforts of a human home or join Thunderclan, a nearby forest clan of wild warrior cats. While he struggles with feeling torn between the kittypet world and the clan he has dreamed of, he finds himself to be the center of the prophecy, “Only fire will save our clan.”
War is coming to the clans, and Thunderclan’s leader is convinced this orange kitten will fulfill the prophecy. While this recommendation is for the first arc (The Prophecies Begin), this franchise is massive, coming in at over 100 books and a personal favorite of mine even into adulthood.
I hope I have provided you with some alternatives and new children’s books to add to your reading list, whether you’re sharing with your kids or looking for a lighter reading break for yourself. This list certainly isn’t exhaustive, but titles I have personally read and can vouch for. If you have your own recommendations for me to add to my own reading list, please leave them in the comments so I can fill in the holes in my reading!
Featured image by Kenny Gaines.
Julia Kitvaria Sarene
Summer Hanford