Books about magic school

[denodik]

I like idea about school of witchcraft and wizardry. Do you know any other books with such school?

[AldeberanBlack]

The Worst Witch

[Wab]

Discworld has the Unseen University for older students of the arts.

[Mad_Druid]

Groosham Grange by Anthony Horowitz.

[NeonGenesis]

Ursual K Le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea features a school for wizards in it and Ged's rival in the book is a prototype for Draco Malfoy.

[Exodus2000]

Users of the Mind is not about wizards, but there is a school in that story that is teaching the Arts of the Mind, a "real life wizardy" so to speak, based on laws of nature (mostly biology and evolution) that affect human behavior. Pretty interesting, especially when those things can be learned in "our world", without the need to be a true magician That story can be read also online, just google Users of the Mind.

[UselessCharmMaster]

Akademia Pana Kleksa (Mister Inkblot's Academy), by Polish wirter Jan Brzechwa (original name Jan Wiktor Lesman).

I don't think it was translated into English, but I believe the movie adaptation (1984) was available in Europe.

[HMN]

Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell
(young adult - more for older teens)
Well, it's not about magic school, but it's about a girl in college who writes fan fiction based on her favorite book series that is based on a magic school.

The Magicians: A Novel, and The Magician King by Lev Grossman
(adult fiction - definitely not for kids)
Like everyone else, precocious high school senior Quentin Coldwater assumes that magic isn't real, until he finds himself admitted to a very secretive and exclusive college of magic in upstate New York. There he indulges in joys of college-friendship, love, sex, and booze- and receives a rigorous education in modern sorcery.

A Great and Terrible Beauty (The Gemma Doyle Trilogy) by Libba Bray
(young adult)
It’s 1895, and after the suicide of her mother, 16-year-old Gemma Doyle is shipped off from the life she knows in India to Spence, a proper boarding school in England. What will her entanglement with Spence’s most powerful girls—and their foray into the spiritual world—lead to?
-- More spiritual magic happening than being taught magic

Gallagher Girls (series) by Ally Carter
(young adult)
Ok, again not magic, but it's a boarding school for spies. Similar action, sneaking around, friendship issues.

[LuceMalfoy91]

You should definitely check out the Hex Hall series by Rachel Hawkins. The first book is Hex Hall and follows a girl who is a witch and goes to a boarding school place that fairies, warlocks and even vampires attend. I highly recommend it.

[HMN]

Not necessarily about magic school, but I just came across this list of Harry Potter read-alikes:
http://www.hbook.com/2014/07/blogs/o...read-alikes/#_ May have to check some of those out...

• So You Want to Be a Wizard by Diane Duane
• The Merlin Conspiracy by Diana Wynne Jones
• Sabriel by Garth Nix
• The Magic Thief written by Sarah Prineas
• The Cabinet of Wonders by Marie Rutkoski
• The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens
• Charmed Life, The Magicians of Caprona, Witch Week, The Lives of Christopher Chant, Mixed Magics: Four Tales of Chrestomanci, Conrad’s Fate, and The Pinhoe Egg by Diana Wynne Jones

[Midnightsfire]

Originally Posted by HMN

The Magicians: A Novel, and The Magician King by Lev Grossman
(adult fiction - definitely not for kids)

And not fun to read either.

[MrSleepyHead]

Originally Posted by Midnightsfire

And not fun to read either.

And one I just finished reading. I agree, though I still want to know more. I think it's largely because however interesting some concepts and characters, Grossman does a poor job of developing those characters, setting, or story. Add to it the depression that is pervasive throughout the book, and it is a bit tough to wade through - yet there are parts that make the read worthwhile and somewhat rewarding.

[Midnightsfire]

Yeah, but there was an entire element missing as well; the sense of wonder.
Still I admit I only read about half of the book before tossing it to the side.
My earlier review, spoliered in case of too much detail:

Spoiler: show

I started reading the Magicians by Lev Grossman, and I dumped it about halfway through. The book billed as some sort of adult Hogwarts theme is contrived, dull, full of filler, boring, and depressing. One key note in writing fiction of this kind (yes, I'm arrogant enough to presume here) is to create some sort of sympathy with either the protaganists or the events happening. Our alleged "hero" really isn't. He's some sort of self-absorbed/self-involved jerk who whines incessantly about how dull the world is, then when he realizes he's been accepted in a school of magic, (Brakebills) whines incessantly at how dull the school is.

The author tries to invest the reader into the characters but plods on and on about how miserable they are...and you realize you really don't care. The characters themselves are just as unlikable as they behave pretentiously, drinking and drug-using and whining about the fallout from their behaviour.

And as for the supposed school of magic, there was rather little magic than the Hogwarts theme suggests. (And that's not going into how much that was ripped from the Chronicles of Narnia). There are none of the moments filled with wonder that there are in JK Rowlings books.

[magic1013]

Vampire Academy ~By Richelle Mead

The series is about vampires (three species - based on real folklore species of vampires), but these vampires have magical powers (control fire, water, earth, air and or spirit) which make the story unique and interesting. It's written well too, which is a bonus. Highly recommend this series, there is also a spin-off series to some of the characters in VA = lovely too.

I don't recommend the movie - hollywood trying to make a buck (made author sign a contract making her believe she couldn't have say so in what they made which is bogus - she posted this on her blog).. this type of deal ruins the greatness of the books, IMHO.