What books are similar to The Sword of Summer?

The 10 closest matches to The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan on ReadingList include The Lost Hero, The Mark of Athena, Amari and the Night Brothers, The Wishing Spell, and The Forbidden Library. Each is scored on shared themes (action, myths, and novel), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like The Sword of Summer reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–8), 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.

Books like The Sword of Summer

If you liked The Sword of Summer, read The Lost Hero, The Mark of Athena, or Amari and the Night Brothers — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared themes, shared award lists, and reading level.

Looking for books like The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan (Fantasy · grades 3–8)? It’s most often read for its themes of action, myths, and novel. 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 3–8 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 Lost Herogrades 5–9: Is by Rick Riordan, the same author, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–9). Amazon → books like this →
The Mark of Athenagrades 5–9: Is by Rick Riordan, the same author, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (5–9). Amazon → books like this →
Amari and the Night Brothersgrades 4–7: Shares themes of magic, both on the Blue Hen Book Award (Delaware Library Association, Youth Services Division) — Middle Readers division list, and same genre (Fantasy). Amazon → books like this →
The Wishing Spellgrades 3–8: Shares themes of magic, both on the Blue Hen Book Award (Delaware Library Association, Youth Services Division) — Middle Readers division list, and same genre (Fantasy). Amazon → books like this →
The Forbidden Librarygrades 2–8: Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (2–8). Amazon → books like this →
The Liftersgrades 3–8: Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →
12 Againgrades 6–8: Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (6–8). Amazon → books like this →
Keeper of the Lost Citiesgrades 4–8: Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
Mary Poppinsgrades 4–6: Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–6). Amazon → books like this →
Peter and the Starcatchersgrades 3–8: Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–8). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Sword of Summer for younger readers (K–2)

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

Rapunzel by Paul O. Zelinsky · grades 1–4 — Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (1–4).
Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin · grades K–3 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (K–3), and the same era (2010s).
Enchanted Wood by Ruth Sanderson · grades K–3 — Same genre (Fantasy) and overlapping grades (K–3).
Eyes of the Dragon by Margaret Leaf · grades K–3 — Same genre (Fantasy) and overlapping grades (K–3).
How Droofus the Dragon Lost His Head by Bill Peet · grades K–3 — Same genre (Fantasy) and overlapping grades (K–3).

Books like The Sword of Summer for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

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

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan · grades 3–8 — Is by Rick Riordan, the same author, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Rapunzel by Paul O. Zelinsky · grades 1–4 — Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (1–4).
The Christmas of the Reddle Moon by J. Patrick Lewis · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–5).
The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–8).
The Mysterious Matter of I. M. Fine by Diane Stanley · grades 3–5 — Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–5).

Books like The Sword of Summer for middle school (grades 6–8)

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

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan · grades 3–8 — Is by Rick Riordan, the same author, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–8).
The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder · grades 4–8 — Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (4–8).
Word Eater by Mary Amato · grades 3–8 — Shares themes of magic, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–8).
Girl in a Cage by Jane Yolen · grades 3–8 — Both on the Blue Hen Book Award (Delaware Library Association, Youth Services Division) — Middle Readers division list, same genre (Fantasy), and overlapping grades (3–8).
A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz · grades 4–7 — Same genre (Fantasy), overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (2010s).

Books like The Sword of Summer for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

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

Cinder by Marissa Meyer · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Fantasy) and the same era (2010s).
Everless by Sara Holland · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Fantasy) and the same era (2010s).
The House in the Cerulean Sea by T. J. Klune · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Fantasy) and the same era (2010s).
A Fate So Cold by Amanda Foody · grades 7–12 — Same genre (Fantasy) and overlapping grades (7–12).
A Snicker of Magic (Scholastic Gold) by Natalie Lloyd · grades 3–10 — Both on the Blue Hen Book Award (Delaware Library Association, Youth Services Division) — Middle Readers division list, overlapping grades (3–10), and the same era (2010s).

Common questions

What books are similar to The Sword of Summer?: The 10 closest matches to The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan on ReadingList include The Lost Hero, The Mark of Athena, Amari and the Night Brothers, The Wishing Spell, and The Forbidden Library. Each is scored on shared themes (action, myths, and novel), shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–8), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The Sword of Summer reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–8), 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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