8 enchanting junior fiction series that simply must be read!

Book are so important for kids at literally every age, but perhaps especially when they reach that reading level we often call “Middle Grade” or “Junior Fiction” (roughly 8-12 years old). This is the age when many kids fall so deeply in love with a certain magical story that they seal their fate and become life-long booklovers. The books that kids read at this age so often remain beloved favourites that they will return to time and again.

So, if you know any burgeoning young book lovers in this age group who are hungry for tales of magical adventure, look no further than this list of bestselling junior reads. Read on!

Nevermoor

by Jessica Townsend

This is the fantasy series that has become a worldwide phenomenon, and for good reason – it’s impossibly charming. Look out for Book 3 around July next year!

Start with: Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow

Morrigan Crow is cursed. Born on an unlucky day, she is blamed for all local misfortunes, from hailstorms to heart attacks – and, worst of all, the curse means that Morrigan is doomed to die at midnight on Eventide. But as Morrigan awaits her fate, a strange and remarkable man named Jupiter North appears to whisk her away to a magical city called Nevermoor. It’s there that Morrigan discovers Jupiter has chosen her to contend for a place in the city’s most prestigious organisation: the Wundrous Society. In order to join, she must compete in four difficult and dangerous trials …

The Jane Doe Chronicles

by Jeremy Lachlan

Described as His Dark Materials meets Mad Max, this is a fantastic series for those with an adventurous soul! Even better, Book 2 will be coming in February, so now is the perfect time to get into this series!

Start with: Jane Doe and the Cradle of All Worlds

When a fierce quake strikes the remote island of Bluehaven, and her father disappears, Jane Doe is thrown headfirst into an epic quest to bring him home. But this ain’t no ordinary rescue mission. Her father is lost in a place between worlds; a dangerous labyrinth of shifting rooms, infernal booby traps and secret gateways. And Jane has to find him fast, because someone else is searching for him, too. A man who knows her father’s secrets. A man who has an army.

Harry Potter

by J.K. Rowling

It’s Harry Potter. ‘Nuff said.

Start with: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

On Harry Potter’s eleventh birthday, a great beetle-eyed giant of a man called Rubeus Hagrid bursts in with some astonishing news: Harry is a wizard, and he has a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. An incredible adventure is about to begin!

The Land of Stories

by Chris Colfer

Chris Colfer delighted us as Kurt Hummel on our TV screens in Glee and now he’s delighting us on the page too with this fantasy junior fiction series that is just gorgeous.

Start with: The Wishing Spell

Alex and Conner Bailey’s world is about to change.When the twins’ grandmother gives them a treasured fairy-tale book, they have no idea they’re about to enter a land beyond all imagining: the Land of Stories, where fairy tales are real. But as Alex and Conner soon discover, the stories they know so well haven’t ended in this magical land …

Wings of Fire

by Tui T. Sutherland

The Wings of Fire series is HUGELY popular, which just goes to show that you honestly can’t go wrong when it comes to dragons in fantasy! This series follows a series of young dragons as they fulfil a mysterious prophecy.

Start with: The Dragonet Prophecy

Clay and his friends have grown up under a mountain, secretly raised by the Talons of Peace to fulfil a mysterious prophecy. The five young dragons are destined to end the war that’s been raging between the tribes of Pyrrhia but how they’ll do this, none of them knows. But not every dragonet wants a destiny. When one of their own is threatened, Clay and his friends decide to escape. Maybe they can break free and end the war at the same time or maybe they’ll risk everything …

Pages & Co.

by Anna James

Famous literary characters like Alice in Wonderland and Anne of Green Gables come to life in this utterly delightful new series that is sure to captivate young bookworms everywhere.

Start with: Tilly And The Bookwanderers

Eleven year-old Tilly has lived above her grandparents’ bookshop ever since her mother disappeared shortly after she was born. Like the rest of her family, Tilly loves nothing more than to escape into the pages of her favourite stories. One day Tilly realises that classic children’s characters are appearing in the shop through the magic of ‘book wandering’ – crossing over from the page into real life. With the help of Anne of Green Gables and Alice in Wonderland. Tilly is determined to solve the mystery of what happened to her mother all those years ago.

The Inkheart Trilogy

by Cornelia Funke

Magic is weaved through every sentence in this enchanting series that is set to become a classic in junior fiction. If you haven’t read this, you simply must!

Start with: Inkheart

Meggie loves books. So does her father, Mo, a bookbinder, although he has never read aloud to her since her mother mysteriously disappeared. They live quietly until the night a stranger knocks at their door. He has come with a warning that forces Mo to reveal an extraordinary secret – a storytelling secret that will change their lives for ever.

The Rogues

by Lian Tanner

This fantastic new adventure series from homegrown talent Lian Tanner is set in the same world as her brilliant Keepers series – and is just as enthralling!

Start with: Accidental Heroes

In the city of Berren, strange things happen. People disappear, trees sprout overnight. But no one believes in magic. No, to believe in magic would be disloyal…

The devious Lord Rump and his granddaughter, Duckling, need a disposable boy, and Pummel, a farm boy looking for work in the city, fits the bill perfectly. Duckling is happy to tangle him in her grandpa’s web, as long as Grandpa keeps his promise – that this is his very last Scheme. Lord Rump’s machinations take both children into the Strong-hold of Berren – where time has stopped and no one can leave – and before long they are entwined in a plot to kill the heir to the Faithful Throne. If they want to protect the Young Margrave, and save themselves from an awful death, Duckling and Pummel must learn to use the magic that no one else believes in.

Have you read any of these junior fiction series? Tell us your favourites in the comments!

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About the Contributor

Sarah McDuling

Sarah McDuling is Booktopia's Category Manager for Children's and Young Adult Books. She has been in the bookselling game for almost a decade and a dedicated booklover since birth (potentially longer). At her happiest when reading a book, Sarah also enjoys talking/writing/tweeting about books. In her spare time, she often likes to buy a lot of books and take photographs of books. You can follow her on Twitter and Instragram @sarahmcduling

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