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Lemony Snicket
Readalikes
Suggested Reading List
Wicked Good Fun
A House Called Awful End
~ Philip
Ardagh
The first book in the Eddie Dickens trilogy,
young Eddie is sent away to live with Mad Uncle Jack and Even
Madder Aunt Maud along with a visit
from strolling theatricals and quite possibly to the
orphanage. A sure pleaser for Lemony Snicket and Roald Dahl fans.
2002
The Doom of the Haunted Opera
~ John Bellairs
(completed by John Bellairs)
This tale of suspense takes friends
Lewis and Rose Rita on a trip beyond their everyday worlds where
fateful intrigue draws them closer to an evil plot
that is innocently masquerading under the guise of a renovated
opera house. 1995
The House with a Clock in Its Walls
~ John
Bellairs
Young Lewis Barnavelt goes to live with his
magician/sorcerer uncle in a mansion that has a clock hidden in
its walls that is ticking off the time until doomsday.
1973
Artemis Fowl
~ Eoin Colfer
Artemis Fowl is not a wizard, but he is a
twelve-year-old genius, a devious one, whose plans include magical
surprises that cover fairies, gnomes and trolls. This thriller
fairy tale is also recommended to Harry Potter fans. Try cracking
the code that appears at the bottom of each page. This is the
first book in the trilogy. 2001
Matilda ~ Roald Dahl
Matilda discovers mental powers that help rid
the mean headmistress of her school and bring her nice teacher,
Miss Honey, back to the classroom.
1988
The Witches ~ Roald Dahl
A boy and his grandmother together thwart the
witches’ plans to destroy the world’s children. 1983
The Tower at the End of the World ~ Brad
Strickland
Based on the characters created by John
Bellairs in this sequel to The House with a Clock in Its Walls,
Lewis finds himself and his good uncle (who happens to be a
sorcerer) in yet another battle in which evil wizards want to take
over the world. 2001
Brothers and Sisters
Gregor the Overlander ~ Suzanne Collins
Common sense, quick wit and determination are
the tools Gregor needs to understand and find his and his
two-year-old sister’s way back out of the hole they have fallen
into beneath New York City where they encounter giant cockroaches
and vicious rats. Be
sure to read the sequel: Gregor
and the Prophecy of Bane. 2003
The Thief Lord ~ Cornelia Funke
Two runaway brothers find protection with
Venice’s infamous Thief Lord while their guardians and a hired
detective search the city. 2002
Circle of Doom ~ Tim Kennemore
To their increasing surprise, Lizzie’s
younger brothers watch their thirteen-year-old sister make a batch
of potions using both ordinary and extraordinary ingredients. 2003
Secret in St. Something ~ Barbara Brooks
Wallace
Eleven-year-old Robin escapes with his baby
brother to live with street boys in New York City after fleeing
from their cruel step-father. 2001
Orphans Only
Crispin: The Cross of Lead ~ Avi
Crispin flees his fourteenth-century English
village to escape punishment for crimes he did not commit and
meets a juggler who knows of a secret both dangerous and
life-threatening. 2002
Ruby Holler ~ Sharon Creech
Young teenage fraternal twins, Dallas and
Florida, grew up in a terrible orphanage, but find magical changes
in their lives when an odd yet sweet older couple invites them on
an adventure. 2002
The Several Lives of Orphan Jack ~ Sarah
Ellis
Many adventures wait for the orphan,
OtherJack, after he leaves school for the real world where he
discovers his true calling as an “ideas peddler.”
2003
Brainboy and the Deathmaster ~ Tor Seidler
Twelve-year-old orphan, Darryl, is adopted by
a technological mastermind and finds his life endangered when he
discovers himself in the main role of a disastrous video game.
2003
Sparrows in the Scullery ~ Barbara Brooks
Wallace
How can a kidnapped orphan, left at a
terrible home for boys, find a will and a way to live on his own
and make friends? 1997
Fantasyland
Coraline ~ Neil Gaiman
Compared to Alice in Wonderland and The
Chronicles of Narnia in an eerie fashion, this twisted tale of one
girl’s move to a new home turns her greatest fear into a very
strange sub-reality. 2002
The Field Guide ~ Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly
Black
A group of siblings move to their Great
Aunt’s dilapidated Victorian mansion, discover a field guide to
fairies and encounter strange new creatures inhabiting the house
and surrounding area. First book in The Spiderwick Chronicles.
2003
Island of the Aunts
~ Eva Ibbotson
A group of sisters decide to kidnap children
and bring them to an isolated island to assist with the care of
mythical sea creatures. 2000
Monsieur Eek ~ David Ives
When a mysterious stranger arrives in
MacOongafoondsen, thirteen-year-old Emmaline Perth and a
neighborhood friend seek justice as their tiny town tries to
convict him; a thoughtful story with a funny twist on the sensible
and the ridiculous. 2001
Mystery and Intrigue
The Game of Sunken Places ~ M.T. Anderson
Brian and Gregory are invited to stay in a
relative’s old mansion in rural Vermont where an old board game
is discovered and draws them into a mysterious adventure.
2004
The Last Treasure ~ M.T. Anderson
Ellsworth visits relatives he has never met
and joins his cousin in uncovering family secrets and a hidden
treasure. 2003
Chasing Vermeer ~ Blue Balliett
An international art scandal causes
eleven-year-olds, Petra and Calder, to piece together the
seemingly unrelated clues to solve a mystery.
2004
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E.
Frankweiler ~ E.L. Konigsburg
Twelve-year-old Claudia runs away with her
younger brother to live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art where
she tries to keep order in their new home while becoming a changed
and heroic person. 1967
Researched
and compiled by M. Sulikowski
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