Books Like Percy Jackson: The Best Adventure and Mythology Series for Readers
Updated September 2026
Books Like Percy Jackson: The Short Answer
The best books like Percy Jackson start on Rick Riordan's own shelf, with Heroes of Olympus, the Kane Chronicles and Magnus Chase. After those, try Aru Shah and the End of Time, Tristan Strong, The Storm Runner, Fablehaven and The 39 Clues. Each has what kids love in Percy Jackson and the Olympians: gods and monsters, a smart-mouthed narrator, or a quest with friends.
If your reader hasn't finished Percy's own books yet, our Percy Jackson books in order guide lists them all, and our Rick Riordan books in order guide maps out his other series. Once they've read those, these are the picks by other authors that work best:
- Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi (2018): Hindu mythology, the same humor, five books.
- Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia (2019): African American folk heroes and West African gods.
- The Storm Runner by J.C. Cervantes (2018): Maya gods in modern New Mexico.
- Loki: A Bad God's Guide to Being Good by Louie Stowell (2022): a Norse god stuck in a school, told as a diary.
- Fablehaven by Brandon Mull (2006): a secret preserve for magical creatures.
- The 39 Clues, beginning with Riordan's own The Maze of Bones (2008): a treasure hunt across history.
- Gods and Warriors by Michelle Paver (2012): the Bronze Age Greece behind the myths.
Full details on all eleven picks are below, with first books, years, ages and content notes.
In this guide:
- More Gods, New Pantheons: The Rick Riordan Presents Books
- If They Loved Percy's Voice: Mythology With Laughs
- If They Loved the Quest
- Going Back to the Source
- Which Pick Fits Which Reader
- Using Percy Jackson in a Homeschool Mythology Unit
- Shop Used Adventure and Mythology Series
- Frequently Asked Questions
More Gods, New Pantheons: The Rick Riordan Presents Books
Riordan's imprint, Rick Riordan Presents, launched its first book in 2018 and publishes other authors writing mythology adventures from their own cultures. These are the closest match to Percy in style: a modern kid, a hidden heritage, gods who behave badly, and plenty of jokes. The four below are where we'd start.
Aru Shah by Roshani Chokshi
Start with: Aru Shah and the End of Time (2018). Aru tells a lot of fibs. She lights a cursed lamp in her mother's museum to prove one of them and wakes an ancient demon. Then she finds out she's the reincarnation of one of the five Pandava brothers from the Mahabharata. This was the first book from the imprint, and it's the most Percy-like of the four. The series is complete at five books.
Ages: 8–12. Content note: monster battles and a parent kept at a distance; lots of jokes.
Tristan Strong by Kwame Mbalia
Start with: Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky (2019). Grieving his best friend, Tristan accidentally tears open a world where John Henry, Brer Fox and West African gods like Anansi are fighting for survival. It was a Coretta Scott King Author Honor book.
Ages: 9–13. Content note: grief over a friend's death; the story deals honestly with the history of slavery.
The Storm Runner by J.C. Cervantes
Start with: The Storm Runner (2018). Zane lives near a dormant volcano in New Mexico and walks with a cane. He learns that the volcano is a prison for the Maya god of death, and that his own father is a god. The parallels to Percy are strong, and the setting is very different.
Ages: 9–13. Content note: action violence and a few scary underworld scenes.
Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee
Start with: Dragon Pearl (2019). Min is a thirteen-year-old fox spirit hiding her shape-shifting powers. She stows away on a space cruiser to find her missing brother. It's Korean mythology set in space, a good choice for a Percy fan who also likes science fiction. A sequel, Tiger Honor, followed in 2022.
Ages: 10–14. Content note: space battles and deception; mild.
If They Loved Percy's Voice: Mythology With Laughs
A lot of Percy's appeal is how he talks: sarcastic, self-mocking and a little rude to the gods. These books have that same irreverent tone.
Loki: A Bad God's Guide by Louie Stowell
Start with: Loki: A Bad God's Guide to Being Good (2022). Odin sends the trickster god to Earth as a schoolboy, and he has to earn back his godhood by being good. The story is told through Loki's diary, which is enchanted to correct him every time he lies. It's a nice bridge for a Wimpy Kid reader who's discovered mythology; our list of books like Diary of a Wimpy Kid has more in that diary style.
Ages: 8–12. Content note: mild naughtiness, nothing more.
How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell
Start with: How to Train Your Dragon (2003). Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third is a small, unheroic Viking heir who has to catch and train a dragon. The books are very different from the films: funnier, sillier, and full of the author's own scratchy drawings. There are twelve books, and the series finished in 2015.
Ages: 8–12. Content note: Viking-style brawling, mostly played for laughs, and the later books get darker.
If They Loved the Quest
Every Percy book is basically a road trip with monsters. These series keep that sense of going somewhere with friends and something at stake.
Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
Start with: Fablehaven (2006). Kendra and Seth are sent to stay with their grandparents and find out the family estate is a secret refuge for magical creatures. Of course the rules are there for a reason. There are five books, plus a five-book sequel series, Dragonwatch.
Ages: 9–13. Content note: some frightening creatures and peril; a clean read overall.
The 39 Clues, beginning with Rick Riordan
Start with: The Maze of Bones (2008). Orphans Amy and Dan Cahill turn down a million dollars to compete for thirty-nine clues to their family's secret, racing rival relatives around the world. Riordan wrote the first book, and different authors wrote the rest. It's history-heavy rather than mythological, which homeschool families appreciate.
Ages: 8–12. Content note: action peril and villainous relatives.
Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan
Start with: The Ruins of Gorlan (2004). A small, overlooked orphan is apprenticed to the kingdom's mysterious Rangers and learns archery, stealth and patience. There are no gods here, just medieval adventure with a strong mentor-student bond. It's a great series for a reader who loved Percy's training at camp.
Ages: 10–14. Content note: battle violence that increases over the series.
Gods and Warriors by Michelle Paver
Start with: Gods and Warriors (2012). An outcast goatherd boy is hunted by a warrior clan in Bronze Age Greece, and a dolphin helps him. It's the world the Greek myths grew out of, told as a survival adventure. Paver also wrote Wolf Brother.
Ages: 10–14. Content note: some brutal violence from the villains and animal peril.
Going Back to the Source
One of the best things about Percy Jackson is that kids come away wanting to know who Hephaestus is and why everyone is afraid of Hera. Give them the real myths while they're curious.
D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths
Start with: D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths (1962) by Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire. It's the illustrated family standard: every major god and hero, in short readable chapters with big lithograph-style pictures. It's an easy pick for homeschool families, and it pairs naturally with Percy as a family read-aloud.
Ages: 7 and up. Content note: the myths themselves involve violence and the gods' bad behavior, told plainly but not graphically.
For more options, including retellings for older students, see our mythology books for fifth graders.
Which Pick Fits Which Reader
| If they loved... | Try | First book (year) | Ages |
|---|---|---|---|
| The whole package | Aru Shah | 2018 | 8–12 |
| Gods in the modern world | The Storm Runner / Tristan Strong | 2018 / 2019 | 9–13 |
| Mythology plus sci-fi | Dragon Pearl | 2019 | 10–14 |
| The jokes | Loki / How to Train Your Dragon | 2022 / 2003 | 8–12 |
| Magical creatures | Fablehaven | 2006 | 9–13 |
| Puzzles and history | The 39 Clues | 2008 | 8–12 |
| Training and combat | Ranger's Apprentice | 2004 | 10–14 |
| Ancient Greece itself | Gods and Warriors / D'Aulaires' | 2012 / 1962 | 7–14 |
Using Percy Jackson in a Homeschool Mythology Unit
Percy is one of the easiest ways into mythology we know. One approach that works well: read a Percy chapter, then look up the myth behind it in D'Aulaires', and talk about what Riordan kept, changed or made fun of. Older students can compare the Greek gods with the Norse ones in Loki or the Maya gods in The Storm Runner, and ask what each culture's myths say about what it valued.
Parents who have questions about the pagan gods should know they're treated as characters and not as something to worship. Many Christian families use the books as a starting point for talking about the difference between myth and faith. If a reader wants fantasy with a Christian foundation afterward, our books like Narnia guide is the place to go.
Shop Used Adventure and Mythology Series
Mythology series run long, and used copies are the practical way to keep a fast reader supplied. Browse our fantasy books and kids' books, or click any search link above to see what's in stock right now. Every copy is one of a kind, and orders over $15 ship free.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I read after Percy Jackson?
Start with Rick Riordan's other series set in the same world, beginning with The Heroes of Olympus. After those, Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi is the closest match by another author.
What are the Rick Riordan Presents books?
Rick Riordan Presents is a publishing imprint, launched with its first book in 2018, for other authors writing mythology adventures from their own cultures. Aru Shah and the End of Time was its first book. Others include Tristan Strong, The Storm Runner and Dragon Pearl.
Are there books like Percy Jackson for girls?
Aru Shah, Dragon Pearl and Fablehaven all have strong girl heroes. Annabeth and the other demigod girls in Riordan's later series are favorites too.
What age is Percy Jackson for?
Most readers are between 9 and 13. Strong younger readers often start at 8, and the humor and mythology keep teens and adults reading as well.
Are there Percy Jackson-style books with Norse mythology?
Riordan's own Magnus Chase trilogy is the main one. For younger or funnier reading, try Loki: A Bad God's Guide to Being Good by Louie Stowell, and for Viking adventure, How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell.
What is a good Greek mythology book to read alongside Percy Jackson?
D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths, first published in 1962, is the classic illustrated family reference. It covers every major god and hero in short chapters that pair naturally with the Percy books.
