What books are similar to The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1)?

The 10 closest matches to The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1) by Rick Riordan on ReadingList include The Tale of Despereaux, The Sea of Monsters, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, The Graveyard Book, and The Red Pyramid. Each is scored on shared themes (Greek mythology, neurodivergence (dyslexia, ADHD), and friendship), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

How does ReadingList choose similar books?

Matches are ranked by shared themes, shared award and reading-program lists (two books picked for the same state award were chosen by the same committees for the same readers), same genre, comparable Lexile and grade band, and publication decade — computed from cited public curriculum data, not editorial opinion or AI-generated summaries.

Books like The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1)

If you liked The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1), read The Tale of Despereaux or The Sea of Monsters — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Closest match: The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

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Looking for books like The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1) by Rick Riordan (Middle Grade Fantasy · 740L · grades 4–7)? It’s most often read for its themes of Greek mythology, neurodivergence (dyslexia, ADHD), and friendship. The 10 titles below are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level, and each linked to the curricula, states, and grades where it’s assigned, with primary sources.

These are reading-level matches, not just topical ones — so the picks stay grade-appropriate for a grades 4–7 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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The Tale of Despereaux670L: Both on the Maine Student Book Award list (+4 more shared lists), same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), and a close reading level (670L vs 740L). Amazon → books like this →
The Sea of Monstersgrades 4–6: Is by Rick Riordan, the same author, both on the Mark Twain Readers Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone880L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+3 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy). Amazon → books like this →
The Graveyard Book820L: Shares themes of found family, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy). Amazon → books like this →
The Red Pyramidgrades 3–8: Is by Rick Riordan, the same author, both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
Hoot760L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and a close reading level (760L vs 740L). Amazon → books like this →
Number the Stars670L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Maine Student Book Award list (+3 more shared lists), and a close reading level (670L vs 740L). Amazon → books like this →
Wings of Fire: The Dragonet Prophecy720L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list (+1 more shared list), and same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy). Amazon → books like this →
Out of My Mind700L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+7 more shared lists), and a close reading level (700L vs 740L). Amazon → books like this →
Wonder790L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+11 more shared lists), and a close reading level (790L vs 740L). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1) for younger readers (K–2)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps K–2— same scoring, different audience.

My Lucky Day by Keiko Kasza · grades K–3 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list (+1 more shared list) and the same era (2000s).
Titanicat by Marty Crisp · grades K–3 — Both on the Nebraska Golden Sower Award list (+1 more shared list) and the same era (2000s).
Substitute Teacher Plans by Johnson, Doug · grades K–3 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list (+1 more shared list) and the same era (2000s).
The Great Fuzz Frenzy by Janet Stevens · grades K–3 — Both on the Mountain Laurel Book Award (Pennsylvania) list (+1 more shared list) and the same era (2000s).
Hooway for Wodney Wat by Helen Lester · grades K–3 — Both on the Virginia Readers' Choice list (+1 more shared list) and the same era (2000s).

Books like The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1) for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 3–5— same scoring, different audience.

A Game of Noctis by Deva Fagan · grades 3–6 — Both on the Maine Student Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–6).
The Witching Wind by Natalie Lloyd · grades 3–6 — Both on the Maine Student Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–6).
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander · 750L — Both on the Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards list (+4 more shared lists) and a close reading level (750L vs 740L).
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin · 810L — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), and a close reading level (810L vs 740L).
The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White · grades 3–6 — Both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–6).

Books like The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1) for middle school (grades 6–8)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 6–8— same scoring, different audience.

A Game of Noctis by Deva Fagan · grades 3–6 — Both on the Maine Student Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–6).
The Witching Wind by Natalie Lloyd · grades 3–6 — Both on the Maine Student Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–6).
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander · 750L — Both on the Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards list (+4 more shared lists) and a close reading level (750L vs 740L).
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin · 810L — Both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), and a close reading level (810L vs 740L).
The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White · grades 3–6 — Both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–6).

Books like The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1) for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 9–12— same scoring, different audience.

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen · grades 5–9 — Both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+3 more shared lists), same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–9).
The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan · grades 5–9 — Is by Rick Riordan, the same author, both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, and overlapping grades (5–9).
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins · 810L — Both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+10 more shared lists), a close reading level (810L vs 740L), and the same era (2000s).
Unwind by Neal Shusterman · grades 8–12 — Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+2 more shared lists) and the same era (2000s).
Refugee by Alan Gratz · 800L — Both on the Arizona Grand Canyon Reader Award list (+7 more shared lists) and a close reading level (800L vs 740L).

What to read after Percy Jackson and the Olympians

The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1) is book 1 of 5 in Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Not done with the series yet? Follow the Percy Jackson and the Olympians reading order first — then come back for the matches above.

Common questions

What books are similar to The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1)?: The 10 closest matches to The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1) by Rick Riordan on ReadingList include The Tale of Despereaux, The Sea of Monsters, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, The Graveyard Book, and The Red Pyramid. Each is scored on shared themes (Greek mythology, neurodivergence (dyslexia, ADHD), and friendship), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 4–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1) reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 4–7), so the picks stay grade-appropriate. See how ReadingList judges text difficulty on the /standard methodology page.
How does ReadingList choose similar books?: Matches are ranked by shared themes, shared award and reading-program lists (two books picked for the same state award were chosen by the same committees for the same readers), same genre, comparable Lexile and grade band, and publication decade — computed from cited public curriculum data, not editorial opinion or AI-generated summaries.

Book data last updated 2026-09-05. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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