Hi, my name is Jen and I’m a children’s librarian who’s never read Harry Potter. Shame! (A reference to a fandom I do subscribe to.)

But, as even most Muggles know, a new Harry Potter book was released this week. “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” the eighth book in the series, is set 19 years after the previous book. Harry is now married with three children and an employee of the Ministry of Magic. This book differs from the first seven as it is actually the script to a two-part stage play, currently being performed in London.

The release of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” has Potterheads everywhere rejoicing. But, after you reserve a copy from Polk County Public Library and speed through all 327 pages, what’s to read next? Here are some recommendations for all Harry Potter lovers, from kids to teens to adults.

“Akata Witch” by Nnedi Okorafor tells the story of 12-year-old Sunny. It has a similar plot line (a group of teenagers discover magical powers and go to a secret school) but the book takes place in Nigeria. It was a finalist for the Andre Norton Award for Best Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy and was also named as one of 2011’s “Best Books of the Year” by Amazon.com and YALSA. A sequel is in the works.

The Rithmatist series by Brandon Sanderson is set in an alternate fantasy steampunk world where people called Rithmastists use their magic to create Chalklings, as well as defend themselves and fight against Chalklings. Joel, the son of a chalkmaker at the school for Rithmastists, wants to become a Rithmatist but lacks the magic needed. Then students start disappearing and Joel is assigned to assist the professor who is investigating the crimes.

In the Magicians trilogy by Lev Grossman, Quentin Coldwater is admitted to an exclusive college of magic where he receives an education on the practice of modern sorcery. There he discovers that the magical land of Fillory, the setting for a series of fantasy novels he was obsessed with as a kid, is real.

“Fangirl” by Rainbow Rowell is much different than the other books I’ve listed here, but Harry Potter fans may be able to relate to the main character. Cath Avery is a college freshman with social anxiety who writes fan fiction about a boy magician named Simon Snow. “Fangirl” was a New York Times Best Seller as well as a New York Times Book Review Notable Children’s Book of 2013.

Older Harry Potter fans might enjoy J. K. Rowling’s first adult novel, “The Casual Vacancy.” Published in 2012, the book is set in a quaint British town where a member of the parish council has just passed away. A seat on the council is now vacant and those who campaign to fill it find their darkest secrets revealed on an online forum, leaving the election in turmoil.

Jen Pace Dickenson is the Youth Services Librarian at Polk County Public Library. For information about the library’s resources, programs, and other services, visit www.polklibrary.org or call 828-894-8721.