Hogwarts House Recommendations: Hufflepuff

“The villagers of Little Hangleton still called it ‘the Riddle House,’ even though it had been many years since the Riddle family had lived there.”

First line in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling

Last week I posted my recommendations for Gryffindor and as I’m doing this alphabetically, we’ve made it to Hufflepuff. I identify as a Hufflepuff myself so I was naturally very excited for this one. In case you’ve never read Harry Potter and don’t know anything about those houses with weird names, here are a few characteristics of a typical Hufflepuff:

• Hard working
• Patient
• Loyal
• Humble
• Benevolent
• Not competitive
• Too trusting

I’ve picked out 5 books in which the main characters exhibit some of those traits. In that sense, this is a list of recommendations if you want to read books about Hufflepuffs. You don’t need to be a Hufflepuff yourself. As I see it, one’s personality and one’s reading tastes don’t necessarily match in that way. But let’s get onto the books. 

The Queen’s Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

If you ask me to name the series with the most loyal friendships, I will forever mention The Queen’s Thief. There are so many good friendships in this one and so many of the scenes makes me want to cry from the softness. They go to great lengths to help and support each other and that is the definition of a Hufflepuff to me. Not every character is a Hufflepuff but I still think that the feeling of these books will appeal to Hufflepuffs.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

I think many Hufflepuffs are wallflowers (and I mean that in a very positive way). They are observant and don’t need to be at the center of attention, which is a trait you often see at the other houses. I also think The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a Hufflepuff book because it’s a very slow character-driven story about Charlie who’s not exactly the best at anything. He doesn’t strive to be but instead focuses on his relationship with his friends.

Circe by Madeline Miller

Circe is probably the biggest Hufflepuff I’ve ever read about and I love her. She wasn’t born to be the heroine of any story. She’s not powerful. She’s not beautiful so she is shunned because what is she actually good for? She’s the character that wasn’t born for greatness but had to work hard to get what she wants. Throughout the book, she displays a great deal of other Hufflepuff characteristics but I really think you should read it and see for yourself.

The Binding by Bridget Collins

In this case, I wouldn’t say that the main characters are Hufflepuffs, but the atmosphere of the book just gives me Hufflepuff vibes. It’s about finding yourself (and Hufflepuffs are great finders lol) and accepting who you are. And it has a fantasy element relating to books! I won’t spoil it for you but it creates a very cool setting for the characters to maneuver in. I also believe that Hufflepuffs will find the relationships between these characters very endearing. I know I did at least.

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Carry On is the rewritten Harry Potter that you didn’t know you needed. I’ll almost say you have to have read Harry Potter before reading this although it’s not a requirement of course. You just won’t get all the hilarious references. I’ve included it on this list because I often see people describing this as “if Harry Potter was a Hufflepuff” and that is just too accurate.  Simon Snow is the Chosen One but he’s very bad at it. His wand doesn’t work and he’s all kinds of unlucky, but he’s still expected to beat the bad guy. As a true Hufflepuff, Simon isn’t the best at anything, but he cares deeply for his friends (and also someone who’s not his friend yet).

I hope you found this interesting and maybe added something to your TBR. Let me know if you did or if you’ve already read some of them. The next house will be Ravenclaw so look forward to that.