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, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Hoot, Out of My Mind, and Wonder. 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)

Q: 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.

If you liked The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1), read The Tale of Despereaux, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, or Hoot — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

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 (+3 more shared lists), same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), and a close reading level (670L vs 740L). Amazon →
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone880L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award list (+3 more shared lists), and same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy). Amazon →
Hoot760L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (760L vs 740L). Amazon →
Out of My Mind700L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+5 more shared lists), and a close reading level (700L vs 740L). Amazon →
Wonder790L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award list (+9 more shared lists), and a close reading level (790L vs 740L). Amazon →
Number the Stars670L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Maine Student Book Award list (+2 more shared lists), and a close reading level (670L vs 740L). Amazon →
Because of Winn-Dixie610L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+10 more shared lists), and a close reading level (610L vs 740L). Amazon →
Wings of Fire: The Dragonet Prophecy720L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy). Amazon →
Holes660L: Shares themes of friendship, both on the Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award list (+8 more shared lists), and a close reading level (660L vs 740L). Amazon →
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 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.

Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary · 750L — Both on the Nēnē Award (Hawai'i) list (+2 more shared lists) and a close reading level (750L vs 740L).
The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary · 860L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Nēnē Award (Hawai'i) list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (860L vs 740L).
The Guardian Test (Legends of Lotus Island #1) by Christina Soontornvat · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), and overlapping grades (2–5).
Witchlings by Claribel A. Ortega · grades 2–5 — Shares themes of friendship, same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), and overlapping grades (2–5).
The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey · 720L — Shares themes of friendship and a close reading level (720L vs 740L).

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.

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech · 770L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (770L vs 740L).
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White · 680L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Massachusetts Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (680L vs 740L).
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney · 950L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Louisiana Young Readers' Choice Award (Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards), Grades 3-5 & Grades 6-8 divisions list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (950L vs 740L).
Smile by Raina Telgemeier · 410L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Louisiana Young Readers' Choice Award (Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards), Grades 3-5 & Grades 6-8 divisions list (+5 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (4–8).
Growing Home by Beth Ferry · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Sunshine State Young Readers Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy).

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.

Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech · 770L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (770L vs 740L).
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins · 810L — Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+7 more shared lists), a close reading level (810L vs 740L), and the same era (2000s).
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney · 950L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Louisiana Young Readers' Choice Award (Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards), Grades 3-5 & Grades 6-8 divisions list (+1 more shared list), and a close reading level (950L vs 740L).
Smile by Raina Telgemeier · 410L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Louisiana Young Readers' Choice Award (Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards), Grades 3-5 & Grades 6-8 divisions list (+5 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (4–8).
Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Maine Student Book Award list, and same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy).

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 Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins · 810L — Both on the Connecticut Nutmeg Book Award list (+7 more shared lists), a close reading level (810L vs 740L), and the same era (2000s).
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares · grades 7–10 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Oklahoma Sequoyah Children's Book Award list (+1 more shared list), and overlapping grades (7–10).
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak · 730L — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Common Core State Standards (ELA) list, and a close reading level (730L vs 740L).
Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans · grades 6–9 — Shares themes of friendship, both on the Louisiana Young Readers' Choice Award (Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards), Grades 3-5 & Grades 6-8 divisions list (+2 more shared lists), and overlapping grades (6–9).
The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen · grades 5–9 — Both on the Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) — formerly the Arizona Young Readers Award list (+3 more shared lists), same genre (Middle Grade Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–9).

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.

Book data last updated 2026-07-07. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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