5 Books Like Percy Jackson to Dive Into

Riordan created a game-changing formula. Here are books like Percy Jackson packed with the same heart, humor, and mythological excitement.

Since Percy Jackson discovered his true identity, readers have craved more stories rooted in mythology and adventure. Riordan created a game-changing formula that blends relatable middle-grade challenges with godlike supernatural abilities.

Unfortunately, the inevitably long gaps between major releases often leave fans stranded, perpetually chasing that same mythological high.

So what does the reader binge when they’ve finished the Percy Jackson series and want to keep reading? Here are books like Percy Jackson packed with the same heart, humor, and mythological excitement.

1. The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan

For those who want to stay within the mythology space, this trilogy is the ideal transition.

The story follows Carter and Sadie Kane, siblings who were raised apart after their mother’s death. After six years of living apart, the siblings have almost nothing in common until their father reunites them.

When their father accidentally unleashes five ancient Egyptian gods, the siblings discover a secret global society of magicians.

To save their father, they must embark on a dangerous journey, a quest that brings them closer. Carter and Sadie must learn the grueling art of Egyptian magic while acting as human “hosts” for Horus and Isis.

The Kane Chronicles combines action-packed adventures with relatable protagonists. The sibling dynamic between Carter and Sadie makes the series feel both epic and deeply personal.

2. Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard by Rick Riordan

Rick Riordan’s mythology tour continues with Norse legends in the Magnus Chase series.

The Gods of Asgard series introduces Magnus Chase, a homeless teenager from Boston.

Magnus’s life takes a bizarre turn when he learns he is the son of a Norse deity. Ofcourse, this is right before he dies in battle against a fire giant.

After his death, he is taken to Valhalla, where he begins to learn more about his ancestors and his family’s past.

Finding himself in Hotel Valhalla, the eternal training ground for Odin’s army, Magnus is tasked with preventing Ragnarok alongside a fiercely unique crew.

This series is ideal for older tweens and teens, with slightly more complex plots and darker themes inherent in Norse mythology.

3. Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia

Tristan Strong is a seventh-grader from Chicago carrying a heavy burden of grief. After a bus accident takes the life of his best friend, Eddie, Tristan is sent to his grandparents’ farm in Alabama to recover and learn the family boxing trade.

All he has left of Eddie is a journal of stories. When a strange creature steals the journal, Tristan pursues it, and in a last attempt to wrestle the journal out of the creature’s hands, Tristan punches the tree, accidentally ripping open a chasm into the MidPass, a world where West African gods reside.

Tristan finds himself caught in a war against iron monsters born from the trauma of the transatlantic slave trade.

In order to get back home, Tristan and these new allies will need to entice the god Anansi, the Weaver, to come out of hiding and seal the hole in the sky.

4. Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

Artemis Fowl II is a twelve-year-old Irish criminal mastermind, a psychological genius, and the cold-hearted heir to the Fowl criminal empire.

Looking to restore his family’s fortune, Artemis discovers the Book of the People, a holy text belonging to an underground society of technologically advanced fairies, elves, gnomes, and goblins.

Instead of asking for a wish, Artemis kidnaps Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon unit and demands a ransom of one ton of 24-karat gold.

Unfortunately, this brilliant scheme doesn’t go off without a hitch. It turns out there are ample consequences in store for this supernatural caper.

Throughout the series, Artemis finds himself involved in kidnappings, heists and dangerous battles with a host of supernatural beings, including goblins, pixies, dwarves and trolls, each with their own quirky characteristics.

Among the many books like Percy Jackson, Artemis Fowl stands out because its protagonist isn’t immediately heroic. Artemis begins as an antihero, making his development throughout the series especially satisfying.

5. The Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan

This massive five-book saga is the direct continuation of the Percy Jackson universe, beginning with The Lost Hero.

It introduces Roman mythology alongside the established Greek mythological universe.

The stakes are escalated from a localized Greek conflict to a global crisis: Gaea, the ancient primordial goddess of the Earth, is awakening to destroy Western Civilization.

To stop her, a new prophecy demands that seven demigods unite. However, this requires bridging a centuries-old, bloody rift between the Greek demigods of Camp Half-Blood and the highly disciplined, militaristic Roman demigods of Camp Jupiter.

The quests are more dangerous, the mythology becomes more complex, and the threats facing the heroes are far greater than anything Percy and his friends encounter during his earliest adventures. For readers who aren’t ready to leave Camp Half-Blood behind, this series is the natural next step.

Final Thoughts

Rick Riordan permanently altered the landscape of youth fiction by proving that ancient gods could thrive in a world of smartphones, subway systems, and teenage sarcasm.

While waiting for the next books like Percy Jackson can feel like an eternal punishment, the literary world provides a number of options to keep the adventure alive.