Readalikes: Percy Jackson.

Okay, so I have a new patron who has just discovered Percy Jackson, and is IN. LOVE. 

Knowing that he's blowing through the series at, like, MACH ZILLION, I threw this list of Percy Jackson readalikes together this morning at work:

• First of all, there's Rick Riordan's Heroes of Olympus series, which is set in the same world as Percy Jackson, and features the same blend of humor and action and smarts as well as appearances by all of your favorite characters, but it stars a different trio of characters. 

• Also by Rick Riordan are the Kane Chronicles books, a trilogy about Egyptian gods suddenly released into the modern world, and the two siblings who are tasked with setting things to right.

• If you especially like Percy for the humor and action, you might want to try the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer. Artemis is a twelve-year-old criminal mastermind who gets more than he bargained for when he kidnaps a fairy... who just so happens to be a cop!

• Derek Landy's Skulduggery Pleasant isn't a cop, he's a detective... who is also a walking, talking, wise-cracking, nattily-dressed skeleton. Super funny, super exciting, super AWESOME.

• Jeff Smith's comic Bone ran for 13 years, and it's about the adventures of cousins Fone Bone, Phony Bone, and Smiley Bone. There's plenty of humor, especially at the beginning, but it's also an epic fantasy that deals with themes of friendship, family, heroism, and power.

• In the Fablehaven books, by Brandon Mull, siblings Kendra and Seth go to stay with their grandparents for the summer... and discover that not only is their grandfather the caretaker at a reserve for magical creatures, but that their grandmother is missing.

• The Alchemyst, by Michael Scott, is the first book in a series about Sophie and Josh Newman, fifteen-year-old twins who get pulled into an age-old battle between good and evil... but, according to an ancient prophecy, no one knows if the Newman twins will ultimately fight for or against the powers of Good. Like the Percy books, it's chock-full of magic, mythology, and adventure.

• In The Shadow Thieves, by Anne Ursu, trouble is a-brewing in the Underworld, and it's starting to affect our world. In order to stop a quickly-spreading plague, cousins Charlotte and Zee have to do battle to gain control of Hades and put things right. Like Percy Jackson, it's funny and fast-paced and exciting!

• If it's the Greek mythology that you love, try on Tobias Druitt's Corydon series for size: it features the gods and beasties you got to know in the Percy Jackson books, but it's actually set in ancient Greece!

• Carolyn Hennessy's Mythic Misadventures series is also set in ancient Greece. It starts with Pandora Gets Jealous, a frothy adventure about thirteen-year-old Pandy, who releases the Seven Deadly Sins out into the world, and is tasked by Zeus to recapture them.

• Although Cornelia Funke's Inkheart books don't deal strictly with Greek mythology, they do feature a similarly irresistible premise: twelve-year-old Meggie's bookbinder father has the power to read fictional characters to life! It's an adventure and a mystery, but it's also a story about the love of stories.

• Before The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins wrote Gregor the Overlander, the first book in a series about a boy who dives into a laundry chute after his little sister... and winds up in another world. Adventure, magic, epic battles, and an ancient prophecy: Gregor has it all.

• Lastly, as Percy Jackson is so often included on lists of Harry Potter readalikes, I'll do the same here: after all, both series start out with an eleven-year-old boy discovering that he not only has magical powers, but that he's fated to change the world... and both boys become best friends with a somewhat bumbling boy and a super-smart girl!

Since, as I said, I kind of threw it together, am I missing anything major?

Comments

[Kimberly]

I think Sarwat Chadda's The Savage Fortress is a great readalike for Percy Jackson. It features a tween/early teen boy tackling Indian mythology, and there's tons of action.

[Leila]

Ooo, awesome! Thanks!

[Maureen E]

If he likes the graphic novel world, what about Amulet? I read most of the first one and it seemed like a really solid hero quest type deal.

[Leila]

Good call on that one, too! Excellent.

[Beth]

Thanks for posting this list! My son finished the Percy Jackson series this summer and just finished the Harry Potter series last weekend. He is going through serious withdraw! He started HP book 1 all over again. What age is Skulduggery Pleasant geared toward?

[Leila]

Skulduggery's partner is twelve, and SLJ lists it as geared to grades 5-8.

Suddenly I totally want to read them all! I've only read the first one.

[Katie]

Oh I always rec The Heir Chronicles for these kids, a present day fantasy by Cinda Chima. It starts with The Warrior Heir; the fourth is coming out this year. She also has an epic fantasy series starting with The Demon King.

[Beth]

Great! I have been eying up the series for awhile and it gives me an excuse to buy more books.
My son is 7, but is an insatiable reader. We are having trouble finding books for him that are challenging and meeting his reading needs but appropriate content wise for his age. Any suggestions would be appreciated! You always have fantastic recommendations. I totally bought "Conjured" the other day because of your review!

[Leila]

@Katie: OH, RIGHT! That's one of those series I keep MEANING to read, but still haven't gotten to! I'll read the first one, STAT!

@Beth: I hope it's a good match! If you remember, let me know what you think of it. :D

[Beth F.]

Here are a few other series that may appeal to the Percy Jackson crowd:

Beyonders, a trilogy by Brandon Mull
The Land of Elyon, a series by Patrick Carman
The Books of Umber, a trilogy by P.W. Catanese
100 Cupboards, a trilogy by N.D. Wilson
The Sisters Grimm, a series by Michael Buckley

These are not greek mythology, but they do include fantasy and fairy tales. My daughter and I loved the Percy Jackson series, as well as many you listed above. Just thought I'd add these others to your list!

PS. Thanks for the heads up, I have to check out the Corydon series, hadn't heard of it!!

[Tammy]

Michelle Paver's Chronicles of Ancient Darkness has that boy-and-prophecy plotline and might be a good fit.

[Brigitte]

Can I copy your read-alike list and use it?
I am a YA librarian in NJ.

[Leila]

@Beth F.: Awesome! Thanks for that!

@Tammy: Cool, I'll look it up!

@Brigitte: No problem at all, as long as you credit your source! :)

[Brigitte]

Thanks!

[CC]

For the more hardcore Greek mythology fans there's also Padraic Column's retellings of the Iliad, Odyssey and Golden Fleece; also Edith Hamilton's Mythology is very accessible for youngish readers and, of course, there's also Lloyd Alexander's the Arcadians.

There's a book about a 12ish boy who finds a portal to the underworld in a fountain in Central Park; lots of ghosts/Greek mythology stuff. Can't remember the title, and wasn't personally a fan, but might be especially good for the quieter types.

[Gillian Wiseman]

Rick Yancey's Alfred Kropp series is a good one. Action and adventure; maybe a little more gruesome than Rick Riordan. Arthurian connected.

Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain are Welsh mythology-based. Maybe a little younger. Susan Cooper's Dark is Rising is also Welsh/Arthurian. Ignore the horrible movie from a few years back.

[erin]

One of the best Percy Jackson read-alikes I've come across is Loki's Wolves by Kelley Armstrong & Melissa Marr. It has the mixture of action, humor, and emotion that makes Percy such a win, and it's focused on Norse mythology.

Also, Michelle Paver, whose Chronicles of Ancient Darkness is mentioned above, has a new series based on Greek mythology--the first one is Gods and Warriors.