Dark Academia Month: Dark Academia and Adjacent Genre Alternatives to Harry Potter(For Kids, Middle Grade, and younger YA readers)
This list will be helpful for younger readers who might not quite be ready to deep dive into Dark Academia full force.
From readalouds to middle-grade chapter books and branching into YA, you’ll find a wide selection of dark magical adventures and whimsical academia themed options. Some are long hailed as classics for kids, and others are breaking new ground as new classics!
Check them out and let us know what you think.
Have a fave we’ve left off this list?
We want to hear about it! Let us know in the comments!
For ages 4 through 8 years old
Kindergarten through Grade 2
Larry starts a prestigious job at the Museum of Natural History in New York City. What Larry assumes will be an easy job turns out to be anything but! After falling asleep on the job (oh no!) he discovers some of the museums most prized dinosaur collection has vanished. Will Larry be able to solve the mystery and return the skeletons to their rightful home? Were they stolen or is somehting more mysterious at work here?
For Ages 4 to 8 years old.
Grade Levels 1 through 4.
This classic trilogy of spooky substitute teacher mayhem has been delighting families for years! A staple in childhood libraries, this wacky series is sure to delight with mild scares and plenty of humor. When Substitute Teacher Viola Swamp takes over Room 207 a the Horace B Smedly School, plenty of madcap misadventures ensue!
Ages 6 to 8 years
Grades 1 through 3
This beautiful boxed paperback set will delight readers looking for a bit of adventure, spookiness, and mystery. Follow hall monitor Sam Graves as he protects his fellow classmates against a sundry of evildoers and hauntings. With four different books in the set, these early independent readers will occupy your youngster through to Halloween. Just in time for spooky season!
Ages 7 through 10
Grades 1 through 5
Mallory and her younger twin brothers Jared and Simon have stumbled upon a mysterious field guide in the old, crumbling mansion they’ve moved into. And, kids being kids, they just can’t resist their curious instincts of course! The trio go tumbling down the rabbit hole and into the mysterious parallel world of faerie. Will the trio be able to make it back home safely? Will they be able to win over the dark, mysterious faeries who sare determined to send them away? Find out!
Ages 8 through 11 years
Grades 3 through 7
Morrigan Crow was unfortunately born on the unluckiest day of the year, Eventide; as a result, she’s cursed and blamed for all the misfortune her hometown experiences. Legend has it that she’s also doomed to expire on midnight on her 11th birthday, how terrible! But when Morrigan meets a strange traveler named Jupiter North, her luck begins to change. When she arrives at the secret safe haven of NEvermoor, things begin to turn around. Will Morrigan be able to pass the trials and tasks of the Wundrous Society? Or is she doomed to her dark fate?
For readers Age 8 through 12
Grade Levels 4 through 6
When siblings Claudia and James decide to run away from home, they can think of no better place that’s move-in ready than their favourite museum: The Metropolitan Museum of Art! When she discovers a mysterious statue at the museum that’s stumped even the in-house curators, it’s up to Claudia and James to figure out the mystery.
For ages 8 to 12
Grades 3 through 7
This four book collection has updated covers and interior artwork to accompany the classic wild and whimsical short stories about the students and teachers of Wayside School. Readers who enjoy a little bit of zany, absurd humor mixed in with a little mayhem and mystery will really enjoy this collection. Each turn of the page is full of strange student activities and mysterious classrooms and truly offbeat educational experiences!
Ages 8 through 12
Grades 3 through 7
This series is the perfect antidote to the void left behind by abandoning the Wizarding World series penned by She Who Must Not Be Named. Join the secret underground society beneath the city streets of London in this whimsical, magical trilogy! While their grandmother is whisked away for a medical emergency, Ivy Sparrow and her brother Seb must battle the forces of evil and uncover a mysterious family secret in the underground city of Lundinor. Will these two be able to work together with their peers to save the day? Will they get to the bottom of this mystery before it’s too late?
Ages 9 through 12
Grades 3 through 7
Serafina lives a secret life in the basement of the Biltmore Estate where her father works the grounds as a maintenance worker. Suddenly, children on the estate begin to go missing under chilling and mysterious circumstances. Serafina and her best pal Braedan take it upon themselves to get to the bottom of this terrifying time. With Serafina’s expert knowledge of secret passageways and sneaking about unseen and unheard, the pair must find out who the Man in the Black Cloak is before it’s too late!
Ages 9 through 12
Grades 4 through 7
The Templeton Twins, John and Abigail, are very intelligent and clever, just like their father, the brilliant and scatterbrained inventor. But the Templeton Twins aren’t the only witty, clever twins out there! Dan D. Dean and Dean D. Dean are two dastardly grownups with their own set of evil plans, and they kidnap John and Abigail in order to ransom them for their father’s spectacular creations. Follow the misadventures of these two crafty kids as they outwit their kidnappers and try to save their father and his invention!
Ages 12 and up
Grades 6 and up
The perfect replacement for anyone looking to dump HP and dive into a brand new wizarding world! Simon Snow is in his last year at Watford School of Magick, but it’s been a real whirlwind. He’s got gal troubles, pal troubles, and everything in between! Nothing is going right for Simon and he’s just trying to make it to graduation. From evildoers to missing roommates and spooky vampires, Simon’s last year is shaping up to be total chaos. This melodramatic and magical tie-in to Rowell’s previous novel “Fan Girl", the Simon Snow series is sure to bring delight to anyone looking for romance, mystery, magic, and more than your fair share of monsters.
Ages 14+
Grades 9 and Up
Morwenna Phelps was raised in Wales by a mother with a dark past and magical powers, and just like her mum, Mori is capable of existing between the realms, befriending spirits who live in the ruins nearby. But her real passion lies in the science fiction books which allow her freedom and respite from her real life. After her mother takes a dark turn with nefarious intent Mori tries to escape the difficulties and violence of home by running away to her estranged father. It doesn’t last long, and she’s eventually sent away to England fro schooling. But in Mori’s quest to forge new friendships and escape loneliness, she makes a terrible mistake that sets her mother on a path to an ill-fated reunion. Will Mori be strong enough to protect herself this time?
Listicle by Ellen Avigliano
www.imaginariumarts.com
Twitter: @ImaginariumCS
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