So, you've finished all of your Harry Potter books. Maybe you've even read them more than once, and listened to the audiobooks, too. Still, you're hungry for more stories about colorful worlds filled with wizards, witches and magical creatures. We know the feeling. That's why we've gathered together these tales of fantasy, magic and adventure that are sure to grab your attention. Some were written long before Harry Potter ever came on the scene; some are newer, but all of them will sweep you away for an unforgettable reading experience. So, go ahead and explore these terrific books. We think you'll be glad you did.

--Shannon Maughan

THE TIME WARP TRIO: KNIGHTS OF THE KITCHEN TABLE
By Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Lane Smith
(Puffin Books, $3.99)
ISBN: 0140346031
Ages 7-11
55 Pages
When Joe receives a magic book for his birthday, he and friends Fred and Sam are transported to a time when evil knights, fire-breathing dragons, and vile-smelling giants roamed the lands.

REDWALL
by Brian Jacques
(Ace, $6.99)
ISBN: 0441005489
Ages 9-up
333 pages
A vivid world known as Mossflower Wood comes to life in this fine fantasy-adventure, the first volume in Jacques' popular Redwall series. The kind and peaceful mice who live in Redwall Abbey are preparing for the worst. They've heard the rumor that Cluny the Scourge, an evil one-eyed rat, and his gang are coming to invade the Abbey. The mice believe that only the powerful sword of their legendary hero Martin the Warrior can save them. Unfortunately it's been lost for years. But young, bumbling mouse Mathias gathers up all his courage and sets off to find the sword so he can protect his friends and the beloved Abbey. He faces lots of danger and excitement along the way. Don't miss this thrilling read or the other Redwall Books.

THE BOOK OF THREE
by Lloyd Alexander
(Yearling Books, $5.50)
ISBN: 0440407028
Ages 9-up
This is the first book in the magical Chronicles of Prydain series, which also contains THE BLACK CAULDRON, THE CASTLE OF LLYR, TARAN WANDERER and THE HIGH KING. As the book begins, the mythical kingdom of Prydain is in trouble. Taran, the Assistant Pig-Keeper who longs to be a hero, must set out on a perilous journey to save Prydain from the evil doings of the Horned King. Lots of adventure and plenty of laughs await you in this series.

PASSAGER (The Young Merlin Trilogy)
By Jane Yolen
(Scholastic, $3.50)
ISBN: 0590370731
Ages 9-up
Abandoned as a child in a dark wood, Merlin, then called PASSAGER, was forced to use every ounce of his intellect and courage to survive. When Merlin is taken in by a kind but mysterious falconer (a person who trains falcons), the wizard-to-be once again learns to live indoors. Weaving together nearly fifteen centuries of Arthurian lore, historical events, and information on falconry, Yolen has created an enchanting introduction to Arthurian fantasy.

INTO THE LAND OF THE UNICORNS
By Bruce Coville
(Scholastic, $4.50)
ISBN: 0439108381
Ages 9-up
After leaping from a church steeple, Cara leaves her familiar world behind and lands in the mysterious land of Luster. At first, she can't believe her fairy tale-like surroundings. This strange, new world seems older than time itself. Filled with wonderful and not-so-wonderful creatures, she is attacked by delvers, rescued by a bear-man, and healed by a rebellious young unicorn named Lightfoot --- all before setting off to find the old one. Together, Cara and her newfound friends, Lightfoot, Dimblethum, Thomas, and Squijim, must get to the Unicorn Queen before the mysterious person following them.

THE WIZARD'S MAP
by Jane Yolen
(Harcourt Brace, $15)
ISBN: 0152020675
While on vacation in Scotland, Molly and her twin siblings, Jennifer and Peter, discover what, according to their mother, they sorely lack: patience. Only this patience is an old card game with sinister intentions. When played, this game summons forth an ancient map with the power to alter the world. Find out how Molly, Jennifer, Peter, and a trio of enchanted creatures manage to defeat the powerful black magic of one of Scotland's wickedest wizards.

THE SECRET OF PLATFORM 13
by Eva Ibbotson
(Puffin, $4.99)
ISBN: 0141302860
Ages 8-12
If you think Platform 9 and 3/4 is the only unusual one at King's Cross station in London, think again. In this book, originally published years before Harry Potter arrived, there is a doorway under Platform 13 that leads to a magical island world filled with mermaids, ogres and mistmakers. But when the island's Prince was a baby, he was kidnapped and taken to London where he's being raised as a human boy. Now the King and Queen send a hag, a wizard, an ogre and a fey to the big city to retrieve their son and bring him home. Will the rescuers succeed? Will they be unnoticed by humans?

WHICH WITCH?
by Eva Ibbotsen
(Puffin, $4.99)
ISBN: 0141304278
Ages 9-12
256 pages
Arriman the Awful, a wizard is ready to get married. And who do wizards marry? Why, witches of course! So in order to find the best witch bride in the land, Arriman holds a spell-casting contest. Who will win? A hilarious, magical fantasy.

THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE (NEW EDITION)
by C.S. Lewis
With new full color plates by Pauline Baynes
(HarperCollins)
ISBN: 0060277246
Ages 8 and up
175 Pages
While visiting a family friend (in order to escape the violence of London during World War II) four British children --- Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter --- stumble upon a magical wardrobe in an otherwise empty room. As they explore the wardrobe, the children discover it is a porthole to the fantasy realm of Narnia, a land cursed by the White Witch to endure eternal winter. In this strange new world they meet a cast of amazing creatures including Aslan, the noble talking lion that breaks the witch's spell and helps the children overthrow their enemies.

This deluxe edition of THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE also features 19 new full-color plates by Pauline Baynes, the original illustrator of The Chronicles of Narnia, first published in the 1950s.

C.S. Lewis gallops through a swirl of human emotions (greed, fear, regret and bravery, to mention only a few) for a robust adventure you won't soon forget.

WITCH AT THE DOOR Spell Casters #1
by Holly Warriner
(Aladdin)
ISBN: 0689818998
Ages 8-12
144 pages
Everyone wonders about 12-year-old Lucinda, the new girl in town. She definitely seems out of the ordinary. And she is --- she's a witch. Soon Lucinda is using her special bewitching powers to help find her Aunt Delilah, who has disappeared.

KNIGHT'S CASTLE
by Edward Eager
(Harcourt Brace, $6.00)
ISBN: 015202073X
Perhaps magic runs in some families. In KNIGHT'S CASTLE, we meet the children of Katharine and Martha, who run into a bit of magic themselves.

Martha's kids, Anne and Roger, must stay with their Aunt Katharine and their cousins Eliza and Jack while their father is in the hospital. Unfortunately, "[t]he last they'd seen of Eliza she'd been just about the bossiest nine-year-old girl on her, or any other, block. As for Jack, all he cared about was his Leica camera, and spent all his time in his darkroom, only coming out for meals, or, as Ann once said wittily, to cast his shadow, like Groundhog Day." The cousins bond, however, over their love of Ivanhoe and Aunt Katharine's present to Roger: a marvelous castle.

After Roger wishes on his most prized soldier, called The Old One, strange things begin to happen: "The castle was there, all right, but it seemed hundreds of times bigger, and yet at the same time it seemed hundreds of times farther away. And then Roger looked down, and saw that he wasn't in his room at all." The castle, of course, is magic, and the four children find themselves immersed in the days of Ivanhoe.

Eager has fun with his farcical land, replete with Robin Hood and his merry band, the nefarious Brian de Bois-Guilbert and Maurice de Bracy, the simpering Rowena and the lovely Rebecca. What the children play during the day becomes colorful reality at night, and they brush elbows with literary creations who speak a hilarious mix of old and new English ("'Never did Brian de Bois-Guilbert quail before witch or warlock. I defy the foul fiend. And besides, I don't believe it, anyway'"). Eager deftly slips in quotes from Shakespeare and references to The New Yorker and great books --- readers will feel no annoyance at such serious fare; the adventures rule the day.

THE WITCHES
by Roald Dahl illustrated by Quentin Blake
(Puffin Books, $4.99)
ISBN: 0141301104
Ages 8-12
208 pages
This is not a fairy tale. This is about real witches! Grandmamma loves to tell about witches. Real witches are the most dangerous of all living creatures on earth. There's nothing they hate so much as children, and they work all kinds of terrifying spells to get rid of pesky kids. A boy listens closely to his Grandmamma's stories of the evil witches, but nothing can prepare him for the day he comes face to face with The Grand High Witch herself!

ELLA ENCHANTED
by Gail Carson Levine
(HarperTrophy, $5.95)
ISBN: 0064407055
Ages 9 to12
240 pages
Gail Carson Levine puts a new spon on the Cinderella fairy tale in this magical book.

When Princess Eleanor (Ella for short) is born, a fairy named Lucinda blesses her with the gift of obedience --- meaning she must obey ANYTHING that ANYONE tells her. As Ella grows older she learns that this "gift" is more of a curse and she is determined to find Lucinda and have the spell reversed. Along the way, Ella must do battle with he yicky stepmother and stepsisters-to-be. She also falls in love with handsome Prince Charmont. Now she's more determined than ever to make things work out. Find out if she succeeds in this entertaining tale.

CHARMED LIFE
by Diana Wynne Jones
(BeechTree, $5.95)
ISBN: 0688155464
Ages 10-up
224 pages
Cat and Gwendolen are two orphans whose parents drowned in an accident. Cat is now protected by his unusual big sister, Gwendolen. She's one of the most promising young witches ever to live on Coven Street in Wolvercote. But it's not easy to find a proper school for her talents. Soon Chrestomanci, a mysterious and powerful man who knew their parents, invites the children to come and live in his castle. That's when the trouble --- and magic --- really begin. This is the first of the Chrestomanci Novels, followed by THE LIVES OF CHRISTOPHER CHANT, THE MAGICIANS OF CAPRONA and WITCH WEEK.

THE GOLDEN COMPASS
by Philip Pullman
(Knopf, $10)
ISBN: 0679893105
Ages 11-up
After her best friend is taken by the Gobblers, Lyra heads to the far north to save other children from becoming caught in some evil experiments and to rescue her Uncle Asriel. She doesn't know the danger that awaits her, or her uncle's true intentions. Talking, armored bears, a bleak kingdom of ice and snow are just the beginning of the memorable images in this rich fantasy-adventure. This is the first title in the His Dark Materials trilogy, followed by THE SUBTLE KNIFE and THE AMBER SPYGLASS (October 2000).

THE LOST YEARS OF MERLIN (Lost Years of Merlin, No. 1)
by T.A. Barron
(Berkley, $5.99)
ISBN: 044100668X
Ages 9-up
284 pages
Lost at sea and suffering from amnesia, a 12-year-old boy can't remember his name or his family. He's taken in by a witch/healing woman named Bronwen who claims to be his mother. She calls the boy Emrys. All the while the boy doesn't feel right about his new situation. And when he discovers that he has unusual powers, things become even more difficult. Emrys uses his power in anger, to defend Bronwen and he is blinded in the process. As he heals, he discovers he has the power of a "second sight" and he's encouraged to find his true name and true heritage. So begins this first book about the strange childhood of Merlin, the most powerful wizard of all, known for serving King Arthur.

THE DARK IS RISING
by Susan Cooper
(Aladdin, $4.99)
ISBN: 0689829833
Ages 8-up
On his 11th birthday, Will Stanton finds out that he has special powers; he is a Sign-Seeker. As the seventh son of a seventh son, he learns that he is the last of the Old Ones and is responsible for fighting the evil of the Dark. His greatest mission is to find and then protect the six Signs of the Light. Find out if he succeeds in this thrilling book, the first in a five-book series.

THE BAD BEGINNING: A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book the First
by Lemony Snicket
(HarperTrophy, $8.95)
ISBN: 0064407667
Ages 9-up
192 pages
Fourteen-year-old Violet Baudelaire, her 12-year-old brother Klaus and their baby sibling, Sunny, are the orphan stars of this wildly fun and mysterious book. Watch out for suspenseful plot twists, gargoyles and a new guardian named Count Olaf who is after the Baudelaire's inheritance. And don't miss the other books in this growing series, which include THE REPTILE ROOM and THE AUSTERE ACADEMY.

THE DARK PORTAL
by Robin Jarvis
(SeaStar, $17.95)
ISBN: 1587170213
Ages 10-up
240 pages
If you like the Redwall books, give this exciting adventure tale a try. It's the first in a trilogy about the mice and rats that live in the mysterious world of the sewers of Deptford.

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