Skip to main content

If You Like...Mythology and Magic

Have you reread Percy Jackson a hundred times? Do you love stories of mythical creatures and teens with secret powers? I definitely do! I love when authors combine history, culture, and myths all into one adventure filled book. If you’re anything like me, you are going to LOVE these books bursting with mythology and magic!

Here are a few chapter books that enter into new worlds of mythology.

Kiki Kallira Breaks a Kingdom
By Sangu Mandanna
New York : Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2021. Fiction. 334 pages.

This book features a female hero set in the world of Indian mythology. Kiki is an 11-year-old girl who constantly has anxious and worrisome thoughts, but she finds comfort in drawing characters and scenes from Indian myths and legends. One day, her drawings come to life, including the evil deity who wants to destroy the world. Read this book to discover if Kiki can overcome her anxiety and fear as she seeks to save the world.

Paola Santiago and the River of Tears
By Tehlor Kay Mejia
Los Angeles : Disney-Hyperion, 2020. Fiction. 350 pages.

Paola is a Mexican American who loves space and science. She doesn’t believe her mom’s ghost stories about La Llorona, an evil ghost woman who supposedly lives in the river and steals children. When Paola goes stargazing near the river Gila, she learns that her mother’s stories may be more than scary bedtime tales. Forced to enter into a world of nightmares and monsters, Paola must go beyond what she knows and believes in order to save her friend.

Tristan Strong Punches the Sky
By Kwame Mbalia
Los Angeles ; New York : Disney/Hyperion, 2019. Fiction. 482 pages.

After his best friend, Eddie, dies in an accident, Tristan keeps Eddie’s journal on him at all times. In an effort to cope with his grief, Tristan goes to his grandparents’ farm in Alabama. When a strange creature steals Eddie’s journal, Tristan chases after it and accidentally opens a portal to a dangerous world full of monsters. African American heroes John Henry and Brer Rabbit have been fighting the monsters for years, and they need Tristan’s help. This book will leave you on the edge of your seat, rooting for a hero who is struggling to deal with grief and loss.

Lia Park and the Missing Jewel
By Jenna Yoon
New York : Aladdin, 2022. Fiction. 346 pages.

Lia Park is a twelve-year-old Korean American with overprotective parents. After she sneaks out to attend a party, an evil diviner kidnaps her parents and ransoms them for a jewel Lia’s family has guarded for years. In order to save her parents, Lia travels to Korea where she journeys to the undersea kingdom, home to the Dragon King. Read this book to discover if Lia can gain the courage to find the jewel and save her parents.

Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor
By Xiran Jay Zhao
New York : Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2022. Fiction. 340 pages.

Zack Ying is a Chinese American middle schooler who loves augmented reality gaming. When the First Emperor of China possesses Zack’s gaming headset, Zack travels to China to steal magical items and fight evil creatures. As he struggles to learn how to use his water dragon powers, Zack must also work to seal the portal to the Chinese underworld. He has to complete the Emperor’s mission or risk the fate of the world, and losing his mom, forever.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Display: Dino-mite Reads

Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs By Mo Willems New York: Balzar + Bray, 2012. Picture Book. "Once upon a time, there were three hungry Dinosaurs: Papa Dinosaur, Mama Dinosaur . . . and a Dinosaur who happened to be visiting from Norway. One day--for no particular reason--they decided to tidy up their house, make the beds, and prepare pudding of varying temperatures. And then--for no particular reason--they decided to go . . . someplace else. They were definitely not setting a trap for some succulent, unsupervised little girl. Definitely not!" --Editor Smart Vs. Strong! Written by Jill Esbaum Illustrated by Miles Thompson New York: Simon Spotlight, 2021. Easy Reader. 64 pages. "When Thunder gets stuck in quicksand, Cluck uses his smarts to free his friend." --Editor How Dinosaurs Went Extinct Written by Ame Dyckman Illustrated by Jennifer Harney New York: Brown and Company, 2023. Picture Book. "When a child in a museum asks how dinosaurs became extinct, Dad co

Review: The Hidden Dragon

The Hidden Dragon By Melissa Marr New York: Nancy Paulsen Books, 2023. Fiction. 161 pages. Three children, Otter, London, and Sophia, live in a fantasy world with dragons. Otter (short for Ottilie) is the daughter of a ship captain, and she loves the sea and its dragons. London is a stowaway boy, searching for a new life full of adventure. Sophia lives in a thief house with other children, all dedicated to helping each other and trying to make the kingdom better. As trouble begins to brew both on land and at sea, these three heroes realize that maybe it's up to the kids to make things right. Readers experience the book from multiple perspectives, and with a bit of mystery and adventure, this is an amazing fantasy read. With the inspiring message that children truly can make a difference, readers will enjoy how each character fights for what's right, even when it's inconvenient. The ending is resolved a little quickly, but this is a great read for all "hatchlings."

Review: The Enigma Girls

  The Enigma Girls By Candace Fleming New York: Scholastic Focus, 2024. Informational. 371 pages. If you have an interest in little known aspects of history or in World War II in particular, this book is for you. The Enigma Girls tells the story of 10 young women who worked at Station X at Bletchley Park in England helping to break ciphers during World War II. Each of the girls grew up in different circumstances, and thus, each worked at in a different part of Station X cracking codes. The reader learns about how Station X worked through the stories of each of the girls. Whether it was transcribing the Morse code messages that the Germans were sending to their armies or decoding, translating, or paraphrasing messages, each girl had a part to play. The stories of the girls are intermixed with plenty of photographs as well as special chapters about how to decode various types of ciphers. Learning about Station X through the eyes of the girls that worked there helps the reader gain a huma