Books by Rick Riordan
Rick Riordan is best known for the Percy Jackson series. With sales of over 180 million copies worldwide, its is one of the most popular book series for children age 9+. These books are loved for their fast-paced plot, ancient mythology folded into the modern world, and their trademark humour. If you are looking for a new series for someone who has read all the Percy Jackson books, check out our recommendations for books like Percy Jackson.
Riordan’s other popular book series are: The Heroes of Olympus and The Trials of Apollo, both based in Greco-Roman mythology and intertwined with Percy Jackson, as is The Sun and the Star which is co-written with Mark Oshiro. Magnus Chase is a separate book series inspired by Norse mythology. The Kane Chronicles are based in Egyptian mythology. There are stories in a collection titled Demigods and Magicians where characters from the various series meet. And there is Daughter of the Deep, which made our best books for kids of 2021.
Readers who like Rick Riordan’s books are also likely to enjoy the fantasy adventures published by the imprint Rick Riordan Presents.
The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities
Rick Riordan, and others
A collection of ten short stories imagining beloved heroes, including one by Rick Riordan.
Demigods and Magicians
by Rick Riordan
This is a collection of stories where characters from Rick Riordan's various book series meet.
The Sun and The Star
Rick Riordan & Mark Oshiro
A Nico di Angelo adventure from the world of Percy Jackson.
The Chalice of the Gods
by Rick Riordan
Percy Jackson and the Olympians (book 6). A contemporary American take on Greek mythology, and one of the top bestselling series for 9-12 year olds of all time.
Younger middle grade readers should definitely start at the beginning of the series, with The Lightning Thief. In that book the protagonist is 12 years old. Percy and his friends age between each book.
In his interview on The Best Rick Riordan Books,13 year old Alex explains why he finds the Percy Jackson books, and others by the same author, so appealing.
Daughter of the Deep
by Rick Riordan
14 year old Ana Dakkar is at a boarding school which trains children for underwater exploration. When disaster strikes, she finds out that not only was Captain Nemo - of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea fame - not a fictional character, but she is his descendant. Faced with his complex legacy, under attack and possibly with a saboteur among her crew, Ana needs to decide what kind of Captain she is going to be. The book, which has a diverse cast including an autistic character, is permeated with belief in the power of communication to solve problems. It’s an action adventure sci-fi story which pays homage to Jules Verne and looks likely to be the first in a new series by this bestselling author.
Ages 9-13
“Magnus Chase is a demigod, the son of the god Frey. His mother was killed by wolves. He doesn’t know who his Dad is and he has a phobia of wolves. He lives in Boston and is a homeless person. The Percy Jackson series are about the Greek gods, this series is about the Norse gods and this is the first book in the series.” Read more...
Alex (age 13), Children
“The Mark of Athena is the third book in the series. It’s my favourite book out of all of them, because it’s finally a combination of the Roman and Greeks getting together and going on a big quest to destroy Gaia, the primordial embodiment of the Earth.” Read more...
Alex (age 13), Children
“In this book Percy reappears (after not appearing in the first book in this series, which upset a lot of people) in a Roman camp with no memories. Camp Half-Blood is in Long Island, and Camp Jupiter is in California, in the Oakland Hills. He has to immerse himself in Roman Army training” Read more...
Alex (age 13), Children
“It’s the last book in the first series. It’s a buildup of everything that has happened for the last four books and a major part of this book, about half of it, is a battle, which is incredibly interesting, considering I like battles.” Read more...
Alex (age 13), Children
“I’ve chosen the fourth book in the series, which takes place when he’s 14 about to turn 15 (his birthday is on August 18th). He goes on a quest with his two best friends and his half-brother, who is a Cyclops and they go into the Labyrinth.” Read more...
Alex (age 13), Children
The Lightning Thief
by Rick Riordan
The Lightening Thief is the first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan. "You need to read all the books in order, because each has major character developments and new characters, and if you don’t, you’ll get extremely lost" according to Alex who gave us his best Rick Riordan books.
The Tower of Nero
by Rick Riordan
The Tower of Nero is the 5th book in Rick Riordan's Trials of Apollo series (which is itself the third series featuring Greek and Roman mythology by Rick Riordan). These series are unmissable for late tweens/teens, but if you haven't read any of the books yet, it's probably best to start off by reading The Lightning Thief.
Interviews where books by Rick Riordan were recommended
The Best Rick Riordan Books, recommended by Alex (age 13)
This is a big week for Rick Riordan fans as The Tower of Nero, the final book in his Trials of Apollo series, is published. Here, Alex, a 13-year-old boy living in Oxford, explains what Rick Riordan’s books are about, why he finds them so mesmerizing, and which book you might want to start with if you’re interested in reading them.
