As for the Harry Potter comments, please read A Wizard of Earthsea by U. LeGuin. Harry Potter is just a Disney like ripoff of this great work of art.
I respectfully disagree; having read both series, I find the only thing in common is the idea of a "school for wizards". In HP, the school is pretty much the main focus; in WOE LeGuin focuses more on the personal quests of Sparrowhawk. The two series have completely different target audiences. I consider WOE to be serious fantasy, while HP is "Goosebumps" for advanced (juvenile) readers.
