Branching Out: Books for Fans of Percy Jackson

An exciting novel set in the snowy northern forests of a prehistoric world. This fantastic adventure story is an exciting read and could be a great hook into a new series for children who love fantasy and adventure!

Twelve is a fierce hunter, and she has given up her name to train in the art of fighting monsters, and she won’t choose a new one until she has earned it. As her friend is taken, Twelve sets off on a dangerous journey to rescue her. Teaming up with Dog, the stone Guardian of the Hunting Lodge, Twelve ends up on an epic adventure that will change her life, her name – and her entire world.

If you like fast-paced action, razor-sharp humour, and a cracking adventure, this book is for you. Full of mythological mystery and heart-pounding twists, you won’t be able to put it down. And with three books in the series, there’s plenty to enjoy!

Action, adventure, myth, humour and heart!

A dragon-filled adventure and the first book in an exciting new series by Katie and Kevin Tsang, co-authors of the popular Sam Wu books.

12-year-old Billy Chan has been sent from his home in California – where he’d much rather be surfing – to a Chinese Summer Camp deep in the shadows of a mysterious mountain in China. In between learning Mandarin, martial arts and cooking, there are to be team challenges, the first of which takes Billy and his new friends (Charlotte, Ling Fei and Dylan) into an area that is out of bounds. Ling Fei loses her necklace and they are forced to return to the area. When his new friends disappear, Billy bravely enters the mountain to find them, but comes face to face with four dragons! As each of the children forms an unbreakable bond with a dragon, they discover that Ling Fei’s necklace is more than it appears to be and with the power it bestows, along with other magical pearls, the four small humans are tasked to save the whole dragon and human realms!

This was an amazing start to the Dragon Realm series and I was quickly hooked. Filled with legend, magic and, of course, dragons, this would sate any young fantasy lover’s reading appetite. There’s excitement around each corner – from magical objects to out-of-bounds adventuring. I also loved that each of the children was so different, but managed to form a loyal team, exemplifying how you don’t have to be friends with only people who are similar to you.

This is a beguiling start to a promising adventure series, filled with humour, warmth, action and magic.

Take everything you think you know about unicorns and discard it. They are not the shiny, mythical creatures that you believe you know. They are ferocious, magical and deadly creatures who are very much real. Each year, mainland children hope to pass the Hatchery exam to become unicorn riders. Thirteen-year-old Skandar Smith is no different. He wants to be a hero.

When it is finally Skandar’s time to realise his dreams, everything seems to turn against him. The Island’s most powerful unicorn is missing after being stolen by a haunting enemy that has returned with a vengeance and Skandar discovers a secret that could change everything and crush his dreams forever.

Similar to the Percy Jackson series, Skandar and the Unicorn Thief has enough magic and fantasy to engage children without it becoming too immature for older children. It would make the perfect read-aloud and could inspire lots of writing, although it is most suitable for children in Upper KS2 and beyond with well-developed reading stamina. It would be a great addition to any school or class library, especially for those more confident readers to get their teeth into.

Artemis Fowl is now an award-winning fantasy series of books and a huge hit with children in the 9-12 age range. The stories mix supernatural action, thrilling adventure and a good sprinkling of humour. The story follows 12-year-old Artemis, a criminal mastermind, as he plans to kidnap a fairy leader for a ransom of fairy gold, only to find the fairies are armed and ready to fight back. Throughout the series, Artemis finds himself involves in kidnappings, heists and dangerous battles with a host of supernatural beings including goblins, pixies, dwarves and trolls, each with their own quirky characteristics. We recommend this entertaining series for children who love fantasy characters, action-charged adventures and the feeling of getting stuck into a gripping series.

This gripping children’s novel takes us back in time 6000 years as twelve-year-old Torak and his wolf cub journey through the prehistoric landscape.

Wolf Brother is a real page-turner that uses the structure of an adventure story and majors on the theme of good versus evil in a prehistoric setting. Highly recommended for more confident readers or upper KS2 pupils.

Fans of Katherine Rundell‘s previous books will have high hopes for this, and dare I say it may be her best yet.

Full of adventure, mythical creatures and character growth, it is perfect for a school library. The story follows a boy’s adventures when he discovers a cluster of magical islands on which all sorts of mythical creatures are really alive. He teams up with a local girl on a magical quest to save the islands.

The two main characters have a lot of grit, and their adventure would be appealing to a lot of readers. It is an emotional journey, but one I think children would enjoy.

The world-building is exceptional, with detailed descriptions of the different creatures and exciting descriptions of the places along the journey,  allowing you to picture the settings in your mind. This is the kind of book that feeds children’s imaginations with wonderful and exciting ideas in a way that only the best children’s stories can do.

This is the first book in Philip Reeve’s award-winning sci-fi quartet, Mortal Engines, in which entire cities are motorised on wheels and frequently fight each other for survival.

Set in a distant, dystopian future, the predatory traction city of London is a terrible place, with the richest living in luxury on the top tiers and the poorest living in squalor far down below. But there is another, more hopeful city in Reeve’s book. Batmunkh Gompa is beautiful, carved from rock with tiers of terraces and balconies, sparkling lakes, lush gardens, and brightly coloured taxi balloons. With its slogan ‘we shall make the world green again’, this is the utopian dream – and definitely the one readers would prefer to live in.

This gripping, post-apocalyptic thriller will have young sci-fi lovers in Year 7 and above on the edge of their seats.

Inspired by West African and Igbo history, this adventure-filled fantasy introduces readers to Cameron Battle as he begins his journey to greatness.

Cameron Battle has vivid memories of his early childhood, listening to his Mother read him magical and adventurous tales from the Book of Chidani – a lost mythical kingdom of the Igbo people whose Queen bargained with the gods, cutting it off from the world to save her people from slavery.

However, after his parents mysteriously died in a car crash, Cameron’s Grandmother locked the book away in the attic and forbade him to open it again. That is until one summer sleepover with his best friends Zion and Aliyah, when strange things start to happen, and they decide to investigate the attic. As soon as they open the book, a portal drags them into the world of Chidani, which is no longer the place Cameron saw in his Mother’s stories, but is one of darkness and danger, having been thrown into a war between the Queen and her evil sister, who has stolen ‘The Three Gifts’ that give the Queen her power.

Cameron is quickly hurled into the centre of the battle for Chidani – and for Earth. He comes face to face with his past, the legacy his parents left him, and his future. He is ‘The Descendant’ and the people of Chidani are counting on him. But can a 12-year-old boy become a hero? After intensive training in the Igbo fighting style, Dambe, the young heroes set off to find ‘The Three Gifts,’ using The Book to help them solve riddles to seek the missing objects and facing Gods and monsters on their way.

The very relatable characters all grow through the story, facing their fears and finding their strength in different ways, and themes of friendship, family and destiny run through the story. The short chapters combined with the excitement and adventure in this fast-paced narrative would make it a fantastic class novel.

This fast-moving narrative with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments is a huge hit, especially with upper KS2.

The story is based on the exploits of a boy called Elliot, who falls into an adventurous mission and calls on the help of the Olympian gods. Full of comedy scenes and sad parts too, we think this is an excellent story to read aloud for a light-hearted take on how Greek gods would fare in the modern world.

There are also chapter-by-chapter reading resources available to download from the publisher.