Percy Jackson has sparked an interest in mythology for kids all over the world. For those who may not know, Percy Jackson is the protagonist of 's wildly popular series (and spin-off series), which have sold millions of copies worldwide. Percy Jackson is a demigod who learns the hard way that his father is Poseidon. Adventure stories are a great way for the young—and young at heart!—to learn more about mythology, but there's so much more to explore than Grecian lore. We've rounded up a list of 10 series and audiobooks like Percy Jackson—great adventure series that will get young listeners interested in mythology and folklore, and take them on a wild ride along the way.
*Aru Shah and the End of Time* is the first audiobook from Rick Riordan’s publishing imprint, Rick Riordan Presents, which recruits diverse authors to tell adventure stories inspired by world mythology and folklore. In this series, 12-year-old Aru Shah has a tendency to stretch the truth that leads to trouble. When her classmates catch her in a lie involving an old lamp her archaeologist mother uncovered, they dare Aru to prove that the lamp is really cursed. Aru gets the shock of her life when she lights it, inadvertently releasing a demon determined to wreak havoc on Earth. Now with her classmates and mom in jeopardy, Aru must work fast to set things right by finding the reincarnations of the Pandava Brothers, characters in an epic Indian poem. This series is beautifully narrated by Soneela Nankani.
If you like your adventure series served with a dose of chills and dipped in creepy Caribbean folklore, the Jumbies series should be your next listen. Corinne isn't afraid of anything, and she certainly doesn't believe in jumbies, the trickster creatures in the woods that parents make up to scare their kids into behaving. But after she stumbles upon something strange one night—a beautiful stranger seems to have bewitched her single dad—Corinne has to admit that maybe the jumbies are real. And unless she acts fast, they'll take over her family, and her entire island. This three-installment series is narrated by Hall of Fame narrator Robin Miles.
In this middle-grade adventure narrated by Amber Patrick, Robyn Loxley wakes up one night to find her parents gone and a new governor taking over her beloved home of Nott City. She's forced to flee into the night and live on the fringes of society, banding together with other misfits in order to survive. But Robyn decides to fight back by stealing from the rich to feed the poor. Although her bold deeds make her infamous, she is careful to never forget her true mission: to find and free her parents. Set in a dystopian world that’s not too scary for younger listeners, this is a very clever and action-packed retelling of Robin Hood, with a memorable and spunky female heroine.
If magical and mythological beings are more your speed, then pick up the first entry in the Artemis Fowl series. Artemis is a kid genius and criminal mastermind, and there's nothing he can't do and no one he can't outsmart. But when he kidnaps a fairy for a large ransom in the hopes of restoring his family's fortune, he discovers that he might have met his match in his hostage: Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon Unit. This is a fun listen with an antihero protagonist, and the series boasts nine audiobooks and a handful of spin-off tales, each one skillfully narrated by Nathaniel Parker.
Another audiobook put out by Rick Riordan Presents, this sci-fi adventure listen draws from Korean mythology. Min is a fox spirit, but her mother insists that she must keep that—and her ability to shape-shift—a total secret. But it's hard, especially when Min dreams of leaving her planet and traveling among the stars. She wants to join the Space Forces, just like her older brother Jun. But when she learns that Jun has abandoned his post in search of the mysterious Dragon Pearl, Min can't believe that he would do such a thing. So she sets out after him, determined to prove that her brother isn't a deserter and discover the truth about this fabled gem and its tremendous power. This standalone audiobook is narrated by Kim Mai Guest.
In this fun series narrated by the author, Kiranmala is about to find out that the fantastical stories her parents have told her are actually true. Kiranmala is an ordinary kid living in Parsippany, New Jersey—at least, that's what she believes until she wakes on her 12th birthday to find her parents missing and a demon trying to kill her. When two princes ring her doorbell and sweep her off to another dimension, she begins to think that maybe she’s an Indian princess destined to fight demons after all. Soon, Kiranmala has more than enough to do, juggling fighting evil, dodging jealous deities, and rescuing her parents with saving the world.
Written by two established YA authors, this middle grade adventure series brings Norse mythology to life. In the small town of Blackwell, South Dakota, the townspeople are more than familiar with Norse mythology—they're direct descendants of either Thor or Loki themselves. Matt and his friends Fen and Laurie have grown up hearing about Ragnarök, the legendary end of the world. But they’re shocked when a rune-reader reveals that the time is coming fast—and the town’s kids must stand in for the gods in the final battle. Leading the charge, Matt races to pull together an unbeatable team and prevent the unthinkable from happening. This trilogy features a lively full-cast narration by Casey Holloway, Jon Wierenga, Pat Young, and Corey Bradberry.
Rick Riordan Presents an adventure series inspired by Mayan mythology in The Storm Runner. Zane Obispo spends a lot of time exploring the volcano just beyond his backyard. Hanging out with The Beast (his nickname for the volcano) sure beats being teased by other kids because he walks with a limp and uses a cane. One day, a small plane crashes into the volcano. Then, a mysterious girl knocks on his door and tells him that The Beast is actually a prison for the Mayan god of death, whose destiny is directly tied to his own. Zane isn't sure what to believe—but dangerous secrets and ancient prophecies are hard to ignore. Zane soon finds himself entangled in an adventure of high stakes action, life, and death. Both audiobooks in this series are brilliantly narrated by Ozzie Rodriguez.
The best-selling author of the Wings of Fire series, Tui T. Sutherland teams up with her sister, Kari S. Sutherland, to create an exciting trilogy about a menagerie of magical and mystical creatures. Situated in Xanadu, Wyoming, the Menagerie is a super-secret refuge for unicorns, dragons, phoenixes, and other fairy tale animals. Its safety depends on no one knowing these imaginary creatures exist, but that becomes rather hard when six griffin cubs escape. Logan and Zoe must track them down and rescue them before the Menagerie is exposed—or worse, shut down. But their search and rescue mission is soon complicated, and it's going to take a lot of quick thinking to get the job done. This is a great trilogy for younger listeners, and each audiobooks is its own mystery narrated by Em Eldridge.
*Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky* kicks off a brand-new series from Rick Riordan Presents that evokes the mythology of the American South. It follows Tristan Strong, a twelve-year-old kid plagued with guilt for not being able to save his best friend Eddie from dying in a horrible accident. Tristan is sent to his grandparents in Alabama in order to recover, but on his first night there an odd creature steals the notebook that Eddie and Tristan used to write stories in. And when Tristan scrambles to get it back, he inadvertently punches a hole into the very fabric of Earth, falling into MidPass, a dangerous dimension. Once there, Tristan will have to barter with Anansi, the trickster god, for passage home—but Anansi never does anything for free, nor does he play fair. Relying on Black American folktales, this is an exciting start to what's sure to be an awesome series, narrated by Amir Abdullah.
With so many wonderful worlds and various mythologies and folk tales to explore, which adventure audio series will be your next listen?
Tirzah Price is a writer and contributing editor at Book Riot.