Working in an elementary school, I've got the oppertunity to read quite a bit of children's literature. Seriously, if anyone wants me to investigate a book so they don't have to be seen reading it, let me know. I've got about 1-1.5 hours to kill a night.
Somethingorother Nimmo writes the Charlie Bone series. Which is CLEARLY NOT HARRY POTTER. Put it down after about 100 pages of it not getting any better, and more and more clearly becoming NOT HARRY POTTER.
The Artimus Fowl books are a fun read. They were compared to Harry Potter for some reason that is, having read the books, rather unfathomable. Good reads, the lot of them (there's one more coming out, I'll probably get it read, too).
The Lemony Snicket books rule. The first couple are kinda iffy, but about book 4 or 5, they go from amusing to becoming righteously entertaining. I just finished 10 of 13.
Reading Solomon Snow and the Silver Spoon right now. Middling, but the story is just now starting. Hoping it doesn't suck.
Also ripped through "Among The Hidden," the first book in the Shadow Child sequence (whatever that means), and it was surprisingly good. Story about an illegal third child in a population controlled distopia. And it's a young adult book. Going to see if they've got more of them floating around.
A Wrinkle In Time is, unfortunately, drivel (in my opinion, anyway).
On my own time, I'm currently reading The Man Who Was Thursday, and have William Gibson's The Difference Engine lined up to go next.