Why We Love Rick Riordan (and Your Kids Will Too)

Riordan, known as “Uncle Rick” to many of his fans, is one of the best loved writers for kids and teens in the United States. His books weave history and mythology together with likable characters and exciting adventures, breathing new life into ancient cultures and stories for young readers. Back in 2005, The Lightning Thief, the first book in his Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, introduced the world to Percy Jackson, the unwitting son of Poseidon, and the other demigods of Camp Halfblood. Part coming-of-age story, part epic quest, it was also laugh-out-loud hilarious, gaining Riordan a legion of fans who have since followed Percy and his friends through adventures pitting them against countless Greek Gods and monsters. That first series led to a second, The Heroes of Olympus, which introduced Roman demigods and added their own Camp Jupiter to Percy’s world. And most recently a third series, The Trials of Apollo, which began with The Hidden Oracle in May of 2016, has also been making readers laugh, as well as cry. This series follows the often hilarious, sometimes frightening results of a cruel punishment Zeus has meted out to his son Apollo, in an effort to take him down a peg: sending him to live among humans as a dorky sixteen-year-old boy named Lester, who gets caught up in a quest to prevent an evil trio of Roman emperors from seizing ultimate dominion over humans and gods.

The fifth and final book in the series, The Tower of Nero, came out in September of 2020. Lucky for us, we now know it wasn’t the last book set in Percy’s world, and since anticipating the next book is such a wonderful part of being a Riordan fan, now is the perfect time to get your reader ready for Percy’s latest adventure in The Chalice of the Gods!

Classical mythology isn’t all Riordan has given us. The Kane Chronicles delve into the myths of Egypt, and Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard explores Norse mythology. Riordan could have kept on writing adventures using other mythologies from around the world, but he decided instead to encourage other authors from those cultures to do so, with the inspired (and inspiring!) Rick Riordan Presents imprint. These books aren’t tied to Percy Jackson, but they are all wild and wonderful adventures with lots of humor and action, full of folklore and mythology.

Has your young reader discovered Rick Riordan?