What to Read After Percy Jackson [Librarian Suggests]

If Willy Wonka designed a library-themed escape room, this would be the book about it. Kyle wins the opportunity to spend the night at a library designed by his favorite game-maker with twelve other kids. And it is fun, until the morning when the doors still don’t open. The kids have to solve their way out of this puzzle to escape the library.

This is a great series for kids who loved the humor, mystery and friendship in the Percy Jackson series. Get the paperback box set below.

Don’t be fooled by the cover or the “Rick Riordan Presents” publishing. This hilarious story of middle grade shenanigans leans much more into the sci-fi than fantasy and includes no mythology. Rather, the story focuses on science, the multiverse and magic tricks all while balancing less discussed topics of disabilities, language barriers and a unique perspective for children’s books- Cuban American culture.

This is an excellent choice for anyone who wants a laugh-out-loud story about the ridiculous, science fiction and kids who don’t quite fit in.

Cole stumbles into a life of magic and other worlds entirely on accident, like most of the characters in the Percy Jackson Universe. He sets out to rescue his friends and finds his way onto The Outskirts, the entrance to another world. From the Outskirts he must travel to the Five Kingdoms to save his friends and the world of the new friends he makes along the way.

The story is full of action, adventure, bravery, friendship and magic. It is perfect for any lover of Percy Jackson or any of the other Olympian heroes. Get the paperback box set of all five books below.

In the dystopian society of Quill children are separated into classes of Wanteds, Necessaries and Unwanteds between the ages of 10-16. The Unwanteds are removed from society and destroyed, or at least that is what the Quillian’s have always believed.

These Unwanteds are actually sneaked off to a secret city called Artime where their unique, creative and magical talents are nurtured and developed. Alex is deemed an Unwanted while his twin brother Aaron is kept in Quill as a Wanted. Their separation challenges their bond and when a threat to Artime arises it pits them against each other.

Like the battle at Camp Halfblood, can Artime stand up to invading forces?

Valor’s twin sister Sasha has been falsely imprisoned in the harshest prison their country has to offer. Valor is going to get her out- by being thrown in prison with her and breaking themselves out. No one has escaped Tyur’ma in centuries. But Valor is determined to save her sister.

This is a fast-paced and action packed story of a strong heroine who is brave, clever, has a deep love for her family and a strong sense of justice.

Written by Shannon Messenger

Like many of Riordan’s characters, Sophie seems like a normal girl, but she has never fit in at home or with any of her peers at school. She has a secret power, she is a Telepath, but no one knows about it. When she meets Fitz she discovers she is not alone in her abilities. Sophie is whisked away to an Elvin school in the Lost Cities where she spends the school year with her new friends, who are like her. When Sophie and a friend are kidnapped from school, they have to try to make it back alive.

This story is full of bravery, adventure, humor and many of the structural tropes we love from Riordan’s writing.

The first book in a series about trusting your friends, being the underdog, deciding who you are and trying to figure out which adults are out to get you has some Rick Riordan tones along with it’s own unique sense of adventure and intrigue.

When Eli discovers something is off about his idyllic town in New Mexico, he and his friends investigate and discover the shocking truth about their town and that no one is who they appear to be. This story leans more toward adventure and science fiction than fantasy or mythology, but the mystery of uncovering the truth about yourself and themes of friendship and being a misfit make this a great read-alike for Riordan lovers.

How do you trap a dragon? Feed it chocolate and it becomes human. Adventurine wants nothing more than to fly and be considered a real dragon by her family, but everywhere she turns she is told she must wait until she has grown. But Adventurine does not like to wait. In her attempts to prove her family wrong she is transformed into a human and trapped in a new body.

The story is told from a non-human point of view, making it one of the fair few told in that manner. Adventurine is impatient and stubborn, but also kind and a good friend, making it a good follow up to Riordan lovers.

Emily and Navin have suffered a terrible loss with the death of their father, but to make matters worse something is attempting to take their mother as well. They venture into the scary dark and unknown to save her, with the help of comedic sidekicks, and must rely on each other to get through it all.

This is the first in a wonderful series of graphic novels and is great for fans of The Kane Chronicles who after suffering similar tragedies, must fight off dark gods and monsters to save each other.

You are going to want the next book the second you are done with the first, so go ahead and get the box set.

The Greystone kids think they know who they are, until they hear news reports of kidnapped kids who match their descriptions almost exactly. Suddenly their mom leaves for a work trip but leaves behind clues to a mystery they would never have guessed. Each of the three kids is good at something and they must use all of their talents to find their mother and solve the mystery of the strangers.

This story does lean more toward mystery and science fiction, focusing on alternate realities, puzzles and portals, but the themes of relying on siblings, adventure and discovering family secrets are a good match for Kane Chronicles and Magnus Chase lovers.

The most unique thing about this book series is that every book is written by a different author, making the tone and style fresh for every story. The story centers on orphans Amy and Dan, who on the death of the last member of their immediate family discover a vast conspiracy about their family history, linking them to historical figures for hundreds of years.

If you enjoyed the family intrigue or think that your family could also be part of a vast historical conspiracy then you will love The Maze of Bones.

This book has Magnus Chase and late-series Harry Potter vibes, along with a heavy dose of the spooky.

Orphan Elizabeth leaves her unkind aunt and uncle’s house to travel to Winterhouse where she discovers a mystery about the house that must be solved through a series of puzzles, with the help of her new friend Freddy. But solving the puzzle is harder than she thinks, and Elizabeth has to decide what she is willing to sacrifice to find answers to all her questions.

How do main characters and heroes prepare to be the center of a story? They go to Protagonist Preparatory, a school with specially designed curriculum to help characters prepare for their lives of adventure. Indira wants nothing more than to be a hero and cast in her own story. But while at school things keep going wrong. In fact, it is starting to seem like there may be an antagonist in disguise at Protagonist Prep and now Indira is having doubts about her own ability to be a hero.

Many mythologies combine and interact together while Indira goes to school. Indira struggles to define herself and discover who she is meant to be, great for Magnus Chase and Heroes of Olympus fans.

This is an alternative historical fiction meets hidden magical talent coming of age story. Anya’s is the only Jewish family in her tenth century Eastern European village during a time when the Jewish people were considered outsiders, magic was outlawed and dragons had been hunted to extinction. Or at least that is what everyone believed.

This is a story about family, making new friends, figuring out who you are and being brave. It is full of laughs and comedy, along with the hunt for a dragon, and a touch of historical realism to lend the story depth.

Despite coming from a long line of desert people, Silver Batal knows she was meant to race water dragons. With her cousin’s help, Silver sneaks away from her family to cross the desert and into the royal city. When she accidentally bonds with the baby dragon Hiyyan, her quest expands to include rescuing Hiyyan’s mother as well as entering her first race.

The world building is admittedly thin in some places, but the action scenes of crossing the desert and entering the race make up for it and allow for the reader’s imagination to fill in the blanks. This is a great book for fans of Riordan Presents books who love action, adventure and magic.

In a post-apocalyptic world where people live on the moon and can be combine with mechanical parts in case of serious injury we meet Cinder, a sixteen year old cyborg girl. In this re-tell of Cinderella, Cinder is a Cyborg which makes her a lesser citizen, especially in the eyes of her evil stepmother and stepsisters. The people of earth are also suffering from a plague contracted from the Lunar people.

Elements of science fiction and the classic story are woven together in a unique blend in the first book of the series featuring retellings of classic fairytales set in this post apocalyptic sci-fi new world.

All the books in this universe are worth reading, which isn’t always the case, so go ahead and get the paperback box set. Recommended for ages 13+

Like Percy, Fionn Boyle discovers the power he has within stems from the sea. He comes from a long line of Storm Keeper’s on Arranmore Island, a small island off the west coast of Ireland. His grandfather has held the line against the rising tide of dark magic, but for how much longer? And how can Fionn be a Stormkeeper if he is terrified of the ocean.

Fionn must discover who he truly is and rely on the strength he finds within to save the island, and all of humanity. Great for fans of mythologies, magic and Ireland.