Recs if you like The Alchemyst (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, #1)...

JK Rowling is a bigot who uses her platform to hurt transfolks and other marginalized groups (plus she literally just quoted Mein Kampf on the bird site). If you're still supporting her in 2025, don't bother talking to me.

Though there's plenty of names here that you'll recognize! I enjoyed plenty of these as a kid and wanted to share them, especially since most of these authors have other books that get more attention. Plus, books by smaller authors. How many did you read?

These middle grade series may not have seven movies, a TV show, and a literal theme park dedicated to them, but they sure deserve it! Especially because they weren't written by JKR. All recommended by Pagebound users, and suggestions are always always welcome -- middle grade fantasy/mystery series-starters only, please! Let's foster a love of reading in kids without supporting bigotry and hatred.

An eclectic mix of fantasy, sci-fi, and nonfiction that either reimagines our world, builds an entirely new one, or reveals the wonders of the real world. If a book is part of a series, I’ve only included the first one.

Fiction and nonfiction set in (or at least partially!) the San Francisco Bay Area.

best sellers and other peak books from middle school era for those of us that aren't quite millennials but are also definitely not core gen z

for when you forget how beautiful life is

from magic worlds to time travel, these books full of adventure, romance, folklore and magic will definitely make you have a good time.

I love YA. It can suck pretty bad when the books try to copy each other. But when some of those gems pop up...wowza! Who knew you could tell such a hard-hitting story without having to resort to 1,000 pages & sex?

epic tales about epic adventures