Geri Halliwell-Horner
Rosie Frost and the Falcon Queen
A solid, low-stakes fantasy adventure that works well for readers who want magic without the darker emotional weight of Harry Potter.
Read this next
All picks after this →
Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz
by L. Frank Baum
Middle grade · ages 8–12 · 720L · 2018
The fourth Oz book is looser and more digressive than The Wonderful Wizard, with a genuine earthquake as inciting incident and stranger magical lands; kids who love worldbuilding over tight plotting will devour it.
The Enchantress Returns
by Chris Colfer
Middle grade · ages 8–12 · 750L · 2014
A solid middle-grade fantasy sequel that delivers what fans want—bigger stakes, deeper world-building, and twin protagonists who actually work together—without losing the series' warmth.
Dragon Cursed
by Elise Kova
Middle grade · ages 8–12 · 750L · 2025
A solid fantasy-adventure with a strong female lead learning to own her power — engaging enough to hold older MG readers, with enough peril to feel real but not genuinely scary.