9 Charming Children’s Fantasy Books Like Unicorn Academy

At the Enchanted Pony Academy, beautiful glittering ponies are taught to harness their magical abilities for the good of the world. Daisy is the newest student, a pink pony who cannot wait to learn how to use her power. But, unlike other ponies, her sparkly hooves don't give off glitter, and she has no idea what her special ability will be. Will the Academy help Daisy discover her magic and make all her dreams come true?

Arlo Finch dreamed of becoming a park ranger, learning wilderness skills to work in the wilds and preserve the nation's natural beauty. But upon arriving in the tiny town of Pine Mountain, Colorado, Arlo soon learns there's so much more going on beneath the surface. These are no ordinary rangers. They are trained to harness wild magic that seeps through the woods and reveals parallel realms of immense danger. A malicious and ancient force is sending threats into the real world, and it's up to Arlo and his friends, Indra and Wu, to take on the darkness.

Tanya has a secret. She can see fairies… but not the fairies you'd imagine from childhood tales. These fairies keep taunting Tanya, casting spells on her and throwing her out of her bed. Disturbed by her daughter’s behaviour, Tanya’s mother sends her away to live with her grandmother at Elvesden Manor, a secluded countryside mansion on the outskirts of town. There, an old photograph leads Tanya to an unsolved mystery. 

Fifty years ago, a girl vanished in the woods and nobody seems willing to talk about what happened. Tanya is determined to uncover the truth, walking deeper into the woods where few people go, and even fewer return from.

Olivia Grace Clarisse Harrison has long been something of an outsider. Brought up by her aunt's family in New Jersey, she's a bookish girl who feels alone and destined to be a wallflower. But then Mia Thermopolis, Princess of Genovia, pops into her school and announces that Olivia is her long-lost sister. Olivia is a princess. Now, she’s being whisked off to a whole new country for a life of tiaras, balls, and royal drama. Is she ready for this strange world and the madness of being a literal princess? 

With her parents off traveling the globe, Lenora is alone and bored senseless. She craves a life of adventure like her family, but it seems out of reach until she discovers a secret doorway into the most incredible library. 

Within these endless rows of shelves, this library contains all known wisdom and knowledge in the universe. Every book ever written, and every fact ever known, can be found within its walls. And Lenora has been chosen to be the newest assistant apprentice librarian, tasked with keeping its secrets hidden and preserving it for future generations.

Skandar Smith has always yearned to leave the Mainland and escape to the secretive Island where majestic unicorns roam across the landscape. He’s spent years studying for his Hatchery exam, the annual test that selects a handful of Mainlander teens to train to become unicorn riders. But Skandar's hopes seem dashed on the day of his exam. Then, a mysterious figure knocks on his door at midnight, bearing a message: the Island is in danger, and only Skandar can save it.

The day Christopher saved a drowning baby griffin from a hidden lake was the day that changed his life forever. This act of heroism led him to uncover the Archipelago, a cluster of secret islands where magical creatures of all kind have lived in peace from humanity for millennia. It was also the day that he met Mal. Together, the kids race from island to island, searching for a solution to the strange affliction hurting the Archipelago. 

Sphinxes, kraken, dragons, and more: they're falling sick and dying. The magic of this world is fading, and soon, everyone could perish of Mal and Christopher don't find a cure.

Ember is a world full of monsters. Young children give up everything to train in the art of hunting them. Twelve gave up her name to do just that, or so she says. The truth is much more deadly. In reality, she trains to take revenge on those who took her family from her. But when Twelve's new home is attacked, she'll be forced to confront her dark past and save the world.

Quinton Peters was the golden boy of the Rosewood area, but when he mysteriously disappeared, the police were no help and assumed he'd done something wrong. It fell upon Quinton's little sister Aari to uncover the truth. A strange ticking briefcase in his closet reveals that Amari has been nominated for a summer try-out at the secretive Bureau of Supernatural Affairs. She's thrown into a world of magic, mermaids, and strange new worlds, one where kids like her train to work alongside it. 

But Amari is new to all of this, and her classmates have grown up knowing everything about magic. With an evil magician threatening the whole supernatural world, and her own classmates thinking she is an enemy, Amari must become the hero.