Books like So you want to be a wizard
So you want to be a wizard by Diane Duane reads as whimsical, adventurous. These 12 books share its genome — matched by how they actually read, not just their shelf label.
What So you want to be a wizard is like to read
A bullied thirteen-year-old finds a manual of wizardry in the library and steps into a larger, stranger cosmos — an earnest, imaginative middle-grade/YA fantasy about choosing agency over violence. Best for: younger readers who want a bookish, ethically serious portal fantasy with a girl protagonist.
A Wrinkle in Time
Madeleine L'Engle · 1962
A brainy, awkward girl is flung across dimensions to rescue her father, and the book's warmth — its faith in love as a real force against cosmic conformity — carries you as fast as its plot does.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
J.K. Rowling · 1997
An earnest, conversational introduction to the wizarding world through a young protagonist's eyes, blending whimsical discovery with underlying dark forces.
The Chronicles of Narnia
C. S. Lewis · 1970
An earnest, immersive epic fantasy where four children discover a magical land and embark on adventures alongside mythic figures and talking beasts, establishing the foundational m
Into the Land of the Unicorns
Bruce Coville · 1994
A gentle portal-fantasy quest that reads as an accessible adventure for younger readers, following a girl and her unicorn companion across a magical land.
King of Shadows
Susan Cooper · 1999
A time-slip adventure that plunges a modern boy actor into Shakespeare's Globe, mixing period immersion with a warm mentor bond.
A Wizard Abroad
Diane Duane · 1993
A teen wizard's family-vacation-turned-magical-crisis, blending Irish folklore and history into an adventurous, emotionally grounded quest.
Dealing with Dragons
Patricia C. Wrede · 1990
A brisk, witty fairy-tale subversion where a headstrong princess chooses dragon-service over palace boredom and finds herself tangled in magical politics.
Westmark
Lloyd Alexander · 1981
A brisk political adventure that mixes con-artist charm with real stakes — murder, conspiracy, and a fugitive printer's boy thrown into a plot to save a grieving kingdom.
The Year of the Griffin
Diana Wynne Jones · 2000
A young griffin's first year at wizard school, mixing school-story camaraderie with danger from pirates, assassins, and sabotage.
Nicobobinus
Terry Jones · 1985
A whimsical children's quest romp in search of the Land of Dragons, where the adventures pile up faster than the heroes can handle.
The Magic of Oz
L. Frank Baum · 1919
A light, whimsical adventure through Oz with a young protagonist learning a magic word and facing a villainous ex-king, told in Baum's simple episodic style suited to children.
The Boy Who Reversed Himself
William Sleator · 1986
A strange, unsettling YA sci-fi where a curious girl is drawn into a dangerous, mind-bending friendship with a boy who can manipulate the fourth dimension — tense and conceptually eerie rather than action-driven.
About So you want to be a wizard — what the genome says
Is So you want to be a wizard a complete story or a cliffhanger?
The main arc resolves, with wider series threads left open.
How scary is So you want to be a wizard?
Mildly eerie — tension without real scares.
Who is So you want to be a wizard for?
It's young adult — teen protagonists with crossover appeal.
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