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

Review: Faker

Faker By Gordon Korman New York: Scholastic Press, 2024. Fiction. 214 pages. 12-year-old Trey is used to starting over at a new school -- he has the routine perfectly memorized: make new friends, introduce his dad to the wealthy parents of his new friends, and "Houdini" themselves out of there before they get caught running their latest scam. Trey's dad is a master con artist, and Trey has just been promoted to full-partner. Their new scheme for the next big score brings them to the affluent suburb of Boxelder, TN where Trey's dad has cooked up a fake electric car company for investors to buy into. The only problem is that Trey is starting to grow tired of moving around and never putting down roots, especially after forming a fast friendship with Logan and developing a crush on Kaylee, a socially conscious girl in his class. As Trey longs for a normal life, is there any way he can convince his dad to get out of the family business? Gordon Korman is a perennial favorit...

Review: Fresh Start

Fresh Start By Gale Galligan New York: Graphix, 2025. Graphic novel. 270 pages. Ollie Herisson is only in 7th grade, but she has already lived all over the world. Her father is an American diplomat, whose job has taken their family to France, Singapore, Thailand (where her mom is from), and now to Chestnut Falls, Virginia. Ollie loves that her family doesn't stay in one place very long, it allows her to have a fresh start and hide from any embarrassing moments each time they move. But Ollie's parents have big news -- they've decided to buy a house in Virginia and put down roots. Now, Ollie and her younger sister Cat have to figure out how to build lasting friendships which means resolving conflict rather than running away when things get hard.  Loosely based on the author's own childhood experiences, this graphic novel is sure to be popular with readers who like coming of age stories. Watching Ollie learn to think of others as she advocates for her sister Cat, and navig...

Review: Will's Race for Home

  Willl's Race for Home  By Jewell Parker Rhodes Little Brown & Company, 2025. Fiction. 256 pages.    Will is a young man whose father and family are working the land as sharecroppers in Texas. When Will's father comes home with the news that there is land available in Oklahoma to those who can stake and settle it, Will's father expresses his deep desire to go and claim land for their family. Will begs to be included, but his mother is reluctant to let him go. After input from the entire family, they decide that Will is ready for the responsibility. Along the way Will and his father develop a deeper appreciation for each other, form deep friendship, discover hidden enemies, and encounter many challenges which force them to make difficult decisions. Will's father has to rely heavily on him, especially as they get closer to their final destination. Will's bravery is inspiring and commendable.  This book is full of many amazing elements: suspense, adventure, fr...