Kids love Greek mythology, and what’s not to love? They are action packed, drama packed, funny and adventurous stories, if occasionally inappropriate, but not if you read middle grade books like percy jackson or myth-o-mania.
the greek pantheon encourages growing readers to read both fiction and non-fiction books, which build prior knowledge and skills.
You are reading: Greek mythology books for kids
The Greek mythology books on this list often encourage children to challenge themselves to read more difficult texts than they normally would. see how much vocabulary they will learn by doing this.
Myths also provide readers with critical literary context for future stories and books they will read.
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I consider myths to be part of the canon of common stories which is, by the way, becoming less common…but that’s a whole other blog post for another day.
Many classic myths have common tropes that are often repeated in current literature. my two sons are glad they had a foundation since childhood to help them with high school classes where they read about ancient greece, the trojan war, the odyssey and the iliad. Their background knowledge helped them understand Homer’s epic poem (which is complicated) and understand its cultural impact.
These are my top recommendations for getting your kids hooked on Greek myths and building on their background knowledge.
the best Greek mythology fiction books for children
illustrated books
middle grade books
Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan Percy Jackson, a 12-year-old boy with ADHD and dyslexia and a pattern of getting kicked out of school, learns that not only are the Greek gods alive and well, and living in the United States, but his own father is Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. That makes Percy a demi-god. He spends the series of funny, action-packed adventure books escaping from monsters, training at Camp Half-Blood, and trying to save the world from the Titans. Boxed set here.
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Also, the Percy Jackson & the Olympians Ultimate Guide is a handy guide so you can quickly look up characters while you’re reading the narrative books. It’s a compact, glossy book that both my kids used frequently.
Oh My Gods! by Stephanie Cooke and Insha Fitzpatrick, illustrated by Juliana Moon (ages 8 – 12) I’m not a fan of the title but the story is enjoyable and engaging, not snarky or cliquey like the title implies. Karen moves in with her dad, Zed, on Mount Olympus. The kids at her new school are very different — she wonders if they’re into LARP but they’re not, she learns that they’re actually gods and goddesses! When her friend Apollo gets turned to stone, Karen and her new friends have to clear Karen’s name and save Apollo. They meet a lonely girl named Medusa who is responsible for the stone statues. Will they be able to fix things for both Apollo and Medusa?
Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods by Rick Riordan, illustrated by John Rocco My kids can’t stop reading and rereading this enormous volume of Greek myths, retold Riordan style — I’m talking laugh-out-loud writing. Remember all the hilarious chapter titles in Riordan’s Percy Jackson books? And the witty, sarcastic voice of Percy? Yup. All here. My youngest daughter’s favorite chapter title is Ares, the Manly Man’s Manly Man. My favorite chapter is: Hephaestus Makes Me a Golden Llama (Not Really, But He Totally Should). The writing is engaging, funny, and accurate. Love this hefty tome!
Greek Myths retold by Ann Turnbull, illustrated by Sarah Young This is hands-down the best, most well-researched book on Greek Mythology out there. Thankfully, it doesn’t mix up the Roman names with the Greek names like so many other books do. It took my 9-year-old daughter only half a day to devour and it’s 167 pages; she gave it the thumbs up. “NO mixing up of the myths, mom!” She’s been pretty annoyed that so many other books don’t get this right. Turnbull gives us the ultimate guide of Greek locations, monsters, heroes, gods, and mortals. This is a must-own book.
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