Best Books
Books Like Percy Jackson: Mythology Adventures by Age
Quick answer
Read The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan next. It's by the same author, with the same first-person humor and pacing, just built on Egyptian mythology instead of Greek: siblings Carter and Sadie Kane discover their father has accidentally released the god Set.
The 3-book shortlist: The Kane Chronicles (same author, different mythology), Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi (Hindu mythology, launched the Rick Riordan Presents imprint) and Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger (same hidden-world structure, no mythology required).
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What makes Percy Jackson work is specific: first-person humor, a kid who doesn't fit in discovering a whole hidden world built on real mythology, and a found-family group of friends facing escalating stakes. The seven picks below either come from Riordan himself or share that exact formula with a different cultural foundation.
How We Chose
Every pick had to share the mythology-based hidden-world structure or, for the two non-mythology picks, the same tone and found-family shape. We checked every author, year and mythology source against Wikipedia as of October 2026.
More from Rick Riordan himself
1. The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan
Siblings Carter and Sadie Kane, raised apart after their mother's death, watch their father accidentally release the Egyptian god Set from inside the British Museum — and have to master their own hidden magical heritage fast.
- Who it's for: readers who want more Riordan, no adjustment needed.
- Mythology: Egyptian.
- Ages: 8–12.
- Series status: complete trilogy, starting with The Red Pyramid (2010).
- Where to start: The Red Pyramid (2010).
2. Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard by Rick Riordan
A homeless teen in Boston discovers he's the son of a Norse god, dies on his sixteenth birthday, and wakes up in a Viking afterlife hall preparing for Ragnarok.
- Who it's for: readers who want the same Riordan voice with a darker mythology and a more diverse main cast, including a genderfluid Muslim Valkyrie and a deaf elf.
- Mythology: Norse.
- Ages: 8–12.
- Series status: complete trilogy, starting with The Sword of Summer (2015); shares its world with Percy Jackson without requiring you to read that series first.
- Where to start: The Sword of Summer (2015).
Rick Riordan Presents: different mythologies, different authors
3. Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi
Aru Shah, who sometimes stretches the truth to fit in at school, accidentally lights a cursed lamp and releases a demon — then discovers she's a reincarnated Hindu hero, one of five Pandava sisters, with a quest to stop him.
- Who it's for: readers who want Percy Jackson's exact structure built on Hindu mythology, from an author writing her own cultural tradition.
- Mythology: Hindu.
- Ages: 8–12.
- Series status: complete 5-book Pandava Quintet, starting with Aru Shah and the End of Time (2018). The first title published under the Rick Riordan Presents imprint.
- Where to start: Aru Shah and the End of Time (2018).
4. Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia
After a bus accident and the loss of his best friend, Tristan punches a hole into a magical world built from West African mythology and African American folklore, where he meets figures like Anansi, Brer Rabbit and John Henry.
- Who it's for: readers who want grief and folklore woven together, with real weight underneath the adventure.
- Mythology: West African deities and African American folk heroes.
- Ages: 8–12.
- Series status: complete trilogy, starting with Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky (2019); also a Rick Riordan Presents title.
- Where to start: Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky (2019).
Same shape, no real-world mythology required
5. Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger
Twelve-year-old Sophie Foster discovers she's an elf who was raised among humans by mistake, and is brought into a hidden elvin world with its own school, politics and enemies.
- Who it's for: readers who want the hidden-world discovery and found-family school setting without needing real mythology as a foundation.
- Mythology: none; an entirely invented magical world.
- Ages: 8–12.
- Series status: ongoing, 9 main novels confirmed as of our research, starting with Keeper of the Lost Cities (2012).
- Where to start: Keeper of the Lost Cities (2012).
6. Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
A 12-year-old criminal mastermind from a long line of Irish crime lords sets out to steal fairy gold — and discovers the fairies have riot gear, fighter jets and a furious commander named Holly Short.
- Who it's for: readers who want a hidden magical society alongside the human one, with more of a heist-thriller plot than a quest.
- Mythology: fairy folklore, heavily reinvented with sci-fi technology.
- Ages: 9–12.
- Series status: complete, 8 books (2001–2012).
- Where to start: Artemis Fowl (2001).
7. The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander
Taran, an assistant pig-keeper with no idea he's destined for anything, is swept into a quest against the Horned King, drawing on real Welsh mythology (the Mabinogion) the way Percy Jackson draws on Greek myth.
- Who it's for: readers who want a classic, mythology-rooted quest with simpler prose for younger or newer readers.
- Mythology: Welsh (the Mabinogion).
- Ages: 8–12.
- Series status: complete, 5 books (1964–1968).
- Where to start: The Book of Three (1964).
If you only read one from each group
- More Riordan: The Kane Chronicles.
- Different culture, Rick Riordan Presents: Aru Shah and the End of Time.
- No mythology needed: Keeper of the Lost Cities.
Want the full Percy Jackson reading order first? See our Percy Jackson books in order guide, or browse books like Harry Potter for more magical-world picks by age.
FAQ
What should I read after Percy Jackson?
The Kane Chronicles, Rick Riordan's own series about Egyptian mythology, is the most direct next step since it's by the same author with the same humor and pacing.
Are there books like Percy Jackson with different mythology?
Yes. Aru Shah and the End of Time uses Hindu mythology, Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky uses West African and African American folklore, and Magnus Chase uses Norse mythology.
What is Rick Riordan Presents?
An imprint Rick Riordan created to publish middle-grade mythology adventures by #OwnVoices authors writing about their own cultures, including Aru Shah and the End of Time and Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky.
What ages are these books for?
Most are published for ages 8-12, the same range as Percy Jackson. The Chronicles of Prydain and Artemis Fowl both work well for the younger end of that range.
Are there non-mythology books like Percy Jackson?
Keeper of the Lost Cities and Artemis Fowl both share Percy Jackson's hidden-magical-world structure and humor without being built on real-world mythology.
Seven series, five mythologies, one shared formula. Start with The Kane Chronicles if you want more Riordan, or Aru Shah if you want somewhere new.
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