Philip Pullman, His Dark Materials

The Author: Philip Pullman, a former English teacher, wrote 8 novels before the trilogy, His Dark Materials. He became the first children’s author to win the Whitbread Book of the Year with the third book, The Amber Spyglass.

The Book: Inspired chiefly by Paradise Lost, His Dark Materials tells how a new Eve, Lyra, finds her way into another world from an Oxford where souls are visible as animals, or daemons. Her Adam is Will from our world, armed with a magical knife, which Lyra’s father needs to aid him in his battle against the fundamentalist Authority. A fourth, The Book of Dust, following Lyra’s adventures three years after The Amber Spyglass, is in the pipeline.

The Buzz: Witches, angels, armoured bears and daemons make this the hottest ticket of the year, with the film of the first book (The Golden Compass) out in November. Made by New Line, which brought us Lord of the Rings, it is the best bet to succeed Harry Potter as family entertainment.

The Critical verdict: A towering imagination and a prose-style that knocks spots off Rowling’s. He is loved by children, parents and critics, and his potential audience can only get larger.

The Bottom line: Sheer genius, it will be read in 100 years time - but lacks the comfort factor Potter provided.

Michelle Paver, Chronicles of Ancient Darkness.

The Author: A former City solicitor and successful writer of historical romances, Paver earned a £2m advance for her six-book series.

The book: Torak, a Stone Age boy, an orphaned wolf cub, and Renn, a girl from another clan fight the evil Soul Eater mages who murdered Torak’s parents. Four out of six completed to growing readership. The fourth, The Outcast, published September.

The Buzz: Natural magic, maturing characters and battles against evil make this especially appealing to Potter fans, as does the meticulous research into primitive methods of hunting and survival. Film optioned to Ridley Scott, director of Gladiator. Rights sold to 37 countries. Strongly marketed from the start.

The Critical verdict: Strong characterisation, pacey plots, crisp prose and originality make this consistently rewarding.

The Bottom line: Not for the nerdier end of Pottermania, but ideal for Dangerous Book fans and reluctant readers.

Joseph Delaney, The Wardstone Chronicles.

The bottom line: Former English teacher living in Lancashire, using its landscape and legends, signed to do a seven-part series.
The books: Tom is the seventh son of the seventh son, so the ideal apprentice to the local Spook, or exorcist. He learns to battle boggarts, ghosts and witches with the help of his elderly master, a young witch called Alice and his mysterious mother’s silver chain. The fourth, The Spook’s Battle, just published.

The bottom line:A sense of realism and strong characterisation dramatised by gripping plot-line and a darkening sense of evil makes this one to watch. It lacks the humour and rich sense of detail of Rowling’s books, but has a sense of wisdom and mysteries waiting to be discovered. Film optioned to 20th Century Fox. Grew by word-of-mouth. Rights sold to 20 countries.

Critical verdict: Impressive and intriguing, especially now it is blending Greek myth with English legend, but may be too limited a canvas.

Bottom line: Less nasty than Darren Shan, its creepy overtones make it perfect for fans of the Leakey Cauldron’s darker clients.

Cressida Cowell, Heroic Misadventures of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III)

The author : Initially an illustrator and author of picture books, this young mother of three was inspired by family holidays on a remote Scottish island.

The Books: Hiccup is a Viking nerd who learns to be a dragon-whisperer to his smallest dragon, Toothless. Constantly picked-on by swaggering bullies, he repeatedly saves his tribe, the Hairy Hooligans, from death and disaster. The eccentric illustrations and varied typefaces make it ideal for younger readers and dyslexics, but it’s sophisticated enough to be enjoyed by 11+ too. A sixth book, How to Twist a Dragon’s Tale, out September.
 
The buzz: Came out of nowhere following a picture-book about Hiccup, and has grown by word-of-mouth before being sold to Dreamworks. The film, scheduled for 2009, is being made by the same team who did Shrek. Audiobooks read by David Tennant have helped it grow. Sold to 33 countries.

Critical verdict: The new star for younger children of 7+ - exceptionally funny and touching.

The bottom line: Perfect for Rowling’s youngest fans.

Rick Riordan, Percy Jackson series.

The author: Still an English teacher in Texas, he wrote a clutch of hardboiled detective novels before switching to children’s novels to help his dyslexic son.

The books: Percy discovers the reason why he’d dyslexic and had Attention Deficit Disorder is because he’s a demi-god – son of Poseidon. If he can survive the monsters sent to kill him until he’s sixteen, he may save the world.

The buzz: Won the Red House award, as Harry Potter did, and is growing by word-of-mouth. The third, Percy Jackson & the Titan’s Curse, on the New York Times best-seller list, and the film is slated to be directed by Chris Columbus, who directed the first two Harry Potter films. Has only sold 125,000 copies – less than the Artemis Fowl series at 2.5m – but has more of Rowling’s touches.

The bottom line: Transporting Greek myth to modern America is inspired. Gripping, touching and deliciously satirical, it locks onto teenager’s desire to go to a high school not a boarding school. This is the one most likely to succeed Rowling in commercial terms.

The bottom line: Puffin is onto a winner with this, though Eoin Colfer’s Artemis Fowl series may yet beat it once the film is made.

Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams

The authors A failed City financier and an artist who first met at university. In 2004 they got together to write Tunnels, which they self-published in 2005.

The book: Tunnels is the first in a series of fantasy adventures about a boy archaeologist, set in a lost world deep beneath London.

The buzz: Barry Cunningham of the publisher Chicken House was the first to sign J. K. Rowling, and is touting Tunnels as his “best bet” for a successor to Harry Potter. He is republishing it with a fanfare involving global translation rights and a major movie deal. Gordon and Williams are already beginning the third book.

The critical verdict: Poorly plotted and derivative, this is a real case of hype over substance.

The bottom line: Real phenomena like Harry Potter come out of nowhere: Tunnels has already been so aggressively marketed that it cannot help but disappoint.