The new Percy Jackson adaptation seems like it’s going to be everything we ever wanted for an adaptation of the beloved series. But if you’re like me, you’re going to be hungry for more after you watch it. We’ve put together a list of more middle grade/tween fantasy adventure books that you can pick up if you can’t get enough!
Tristan Strong Punches A Hole In the Sky by Kwame Mbalia
Tristan is dreading going to his grandparents’ farm, where he’s being sent to heal from a bus accident that cost him his best friend, Eddie. But on his first night there, a sticky creature shows up and steals Eddie’s notebook. In an attempt to wrestle the journal back, Tristan accidentally rips open a chasm into the MidPass, a volatile place with a burning sea, haunted bone ships, and iron monsters. In order to get back home, Tristan and Black American folk heroes John Henry and Brer Rabbit will need to entice the god Anansi, the Weaver, to come out of hiding and seal the hole in the sky.
When 15-year-old Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon soon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself.
Overnight his simple life is shattered, and, gifted with only an ancient sword, a loyal dragon, and sage advice from an old storyteller, Eragon is soon swept into a dangerous tapestry of magic, glory, and power.
Maya and the Rising Dark by Rena Barron
Twelve-year-old Maya witnesses weird occurrences like werehyenas stalking the streets at night and a scary man plaguing her dreams. Her friends try to find an explanation — but when her papa goes missing, Maya uncovers the truth. He is the guardian of the veil between our world and the Dark, where an army led by the Lord of Shadows, the man from Maya’s nightmares, awaits. Maya herself is a godling, and her neighborhood is a safe haven. But now that the veil is failing, the Lord of Shadows is determined to destroy the human world and it’s up to Maya to stop him.
Sunny Nwazue lives in Nigeria, but she was born in New York City. Her features are West African, but she’s albino. She’s a terrific athlete, but can’t go out into the sun to play soccer. There seems to be no place where she fits in. And then she discovers something amazing — she has latent magical power. Soon she’s part of a quartet of magic students, studying the visible and invisible, learning to change reality. Then Sunny and her friends are asked by the magical authorities to help track down a career criminal, but will their training be enough to help them combat a threat whose powers greatly outnumber theirs?
One night, Meggie’s father reads aloud from a book called INKHEART — and an evil ruler escapes the boundaries of fiction and lands in their living room. Suddenly, Meggie is smack in the middle of the kind of adventure she has only read about in books. Meggie must learn to harness the magic that has conjured this nightmare. For only she can change the course of the story that has changed her life forever.
The Spirit Glass by Roshani Chokshi
Corazon yearns to finally start training as a babaylan (a mystical healer and spirit guide) — as soon as her magic awakens, she plans to bring her parents back from the dead. But when a vengeful ghost steals Corazon’s soul key, the fragile balance between the human world and the spirit world is thrown out of whack. Corazon embarks on a quest through the spirit realms, for if the ghost gets through the spirit glass, all hope will be lost.
Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
Seventh grader Nizhoni Begay can detect monsters, like Mr. Charles, her dad’s new boss at the oil and gas company. He’s alarmingly interested in Nizhoni and her brother, Mac, their Navajo heritage, and the legend of the Hero Twins. When Dad disappears, the siblings and Nizhoni’s best friend, Davery, are thrust into a rescue mission that can only be accomplished with the help of Diné Holy People. The kids must pass a series of trials in which it seems like nature itself is out to kill them.
Skin of the Sea by Natasha Bowen
Simi serves the gods as a mermaid collecting the souls of those who die at sea and blessing their journeys back home. But when a living boy is thrown overboard, Simi saves his life, going against an ancient decree. To protect the other mermaids, Simi must journey to the Supreme Creator to make amends. But the boy she rescued knows more than he should. And something is shadowing Simi, something that would rather see her fail.
Twelve-year-old Alice Alexis Queensmeadow’s father disappears from Ferenwood he takes nothing but a ruler with him. It’s been almost three years, and Alice is determined to find him. But she’ll have to travel through the mythical, dangerous land of Furthermore, where down can be up, paper is alive, and left can be both right and very, very wrong. On her quest to find Father, Alice must first find herself–and hold fast to the magic of love in the face of loss.
Ellen Whitfield is senior publicist at Books Forward, an author publicity and book marketing firm committed to promoting voices from a diverse variety of communities. From book reviews and author events, to social media and digital marketing, we help authors find success and connect with readers.
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