books like harry potter

[jerrichase]

Lots of interesting books have been suggested.  Some I liked and 
others I didn't.  It seems that everyone must make up their own mind.

Some that haven't been mentioned this thread, that I have seen:

Lloyd Alexander's Westmark trilogy and his Prydain series.  The 
Prydain series (The Book of Three, Black Cauldron, etc) are coming of 
age books.  Westmark trilogy is something special, about in part, war 
and what it can force good people to do.

Patricia Wrede's Enchanted Forest books, Talking to Dragons, etc.  
Fun, fairy tale land set on it's head.  First book from POV of a 
young princess who runs away to live with drangons, next from a male 
POV, next from POV of an older woman, last one from the POV of the 
son of the princess from the first book.  She has written other good 
fantacy.

Inkheart by C. Funkie or Funke?  A great book, I especially loved the 
audiobook version.  I didn't care for the 2nd book as much, 
Inkspell.  The third is to come out sometime this year.  Special 
people can read characters into and/or out of books.

Tamora Pierce has several worlds and series of books for young 
people.  

Intended for older readers are the books by Mercedes Lackey.  The 500 
Kingdoms books are romantic fantasy for adults.  There is a series 
set in an alternative world with magic, all but one in England.  Fire 
Rose is the one set in that world in the U.S.  The Chicago Fire and 
SF earthquake are the result of magic gone wrong.  And the books set 
in and around Valdemar are wonderful!  I recommend starting with the 
first published trilogy, Arrows of the Queen, Arrows Flight, and 
Arrows Fall, published also in a three-in one volume called "Queen's 
Own".

Jerri