If you like the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan, try some of these other fantasy novels featuring average kids with mythical powers:
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King of Ithaka. Barrett, Tracy. Telemachos and two friends leave their island home to find Telemachos’s father Odysseus, to bring him back to rule as King. - Artemis Fowl series. Colfer, Eoin. Often referred to by fans as “Die Hard with fairies,” this action-packed adventure stars 12-year-old Artemis Fowl as the mastermind, out to kidnap the fairies with help from other mythical creatures.
- Gregor the Overlander series. Collins, Suzanne. Gregor falls down a chute in his laundry room and ends up deep below New York City, where giant insects help him find his baby sister and save Underland.
- Corydon and the Island of Monsters. Druitt, Tobias. A young shepherd named Corydon runs into the Gorgon Medusa and other mythical creatures, and realizes they are not evil and helps them to an island where they can be safe. Unfortunately, Perseus (the son of Zeus) and his army come after them.
- Sea of Trolls. Farmer, Nancy. Set in medieval England, Jack discovers he has the power to feel nature’s life force. Can he use his power to defend England from the invading Vikings?
- Inkheart. Funke, Cornelia. When Meggie’s father Mo reads out loud, what he reads come to life. When he reads a book named “Inkheart,” the bad guys fall out of it but Meggie’s mother falls into the book and is trapped.
- Runemarks. Harris, Joanne. Maddy has a “runemark” on her hand which allows her to control some goblins, but also marks her as a witch to the frightened villagers.
- Pandora Gets Jealous. Hennesy, Carolyn. A comical reimagining of the Pandora legend. Young Pandy gets a box from her father and accidently lets seven forms of evil escape into the world.
- The Akhenaten Adventure. Kerr, Philip. Twins John and Philippa have their wisdom teeth removed, which causes them to display unusual powers. They find out from their uncle that they are djinn, or genies, and go to Egypt for training.
- Skulduggery Pleasant. Landy, Derek. Skulduggery is a walking, talking skeleton sent to 12-year-old Stephanie to protect her from evil, especially from Serpine who is out to steal a scepter left by Stephanie’s uncle.
- Savvy. Law, Ingrid. Like everyone in her family, Mibs will gain a secret power on her 13th birthday. But will it be a helpful or destructive power? Will it help her save her father, who has been in an accident?
- Have a Hot Time, Hades! McMullan, Kate. Hades accuses his younger brother Zeus of being a Myth-O-Maniac (or liar), and tells his version of how the family ended up at Mount Olympus.
- Fablehaven. Mull, Brandon. Fablehaven is a sanctuary where mythical creatures can exist in safety before they become extinct. Kendra and Seth are not aware their grandfather is the caretaker, and they accidently unleash some of the creatures on the world.
- Magyk series. Sage, Angie. Septimus and Jenna are switched at birth, but are reunited to battle evil powers out to kill Jenna, who is the daughter of the queen.
- The Alchemyst. Scott, Michael. Twins Sophie and Josh take jobs in San Francisco, where they discover they are in danger. The owner of the bookstore where Josh works has a Codex – a book predicting the future – which says the twins are magicians who can either save or end the world.
- The Pig Scrolls by Gryllus the Pig. Shipton, Paul. Gryllus, who used to travel with Odysseus, has been transformed into a Pig by Circe and must now escape monsters with the help of a prophetess named Sybil.
- The Mysterious Benedict Society. Stewart, Trenton. Four gifted children are trained by Mr. Benedict to develop their brain power to they can infiltrate a school where other children are trained to help an evil genius take over the world.
- Odysseus in the Serpent Maze. Yolen, Jane. In this take-off on “The Odyssey,” Odysseus is 13-years-old and must battle pirates to rescue his future wife Penelope and her cousin Helen of Troy.