bella_gitana Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 My almost 12yo has devoured the Percy Jackson series and can't wait for the 5th book to come out next month. We'll even be going to the release of this last book down in Austin. He is now very interested in Greek mythology and asked to get more books on it. We have and have read several books on Greek mythology, like D'Aulaires and Usborne's Greek Myths, but he wants something "meatier". Can anyone recommend a book or other book series like Percy Jackson for kids around 12yo? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 Calvin recommends the Roger Lancelyn Green books, or Edith Hamilton (higher reading level) for the myths. You might like to look at Runemarks (using Norse myths) or Summerland (Native American myths and baseball). Best wishes Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIch elle Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 Age of Fable - free on Project Gutenberg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herding Cats in NC Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 Calvin recommends the Roger Lancelyn Green books, or Edith Hamilton (higher reading level) for the myths. I'll second these recommendations and add Padraic Colum's The Golden Fleece. My ds11 loved it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 :lurk5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series So far there are just two books, Alchemyst and Magician. The 3rd book, Sorceress, is coming out next month. A fun series he might enjoy is Myth-o-mania. This is a very light-hearted spoof series. They can be read in any order. Phone Home Persephone Stop that Bull Theseus Have a Hot Time Hades etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
latinteach Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 Can anyone recommend a book or other book series like Percy Jackson for kids around 12yo? Anne Ursu's Cronus Chronicles: The Shadow Thieves, The Siren Song, and The Immortal Fire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bella_gitana Posted April 20, 2009 Author Share Posted April 20, 2009 Thanks, y'all! We'll have visit B&N soon. My library only has a couple of these. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allearia Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 I'll second these recommendations and add Padraic Colum's The Golden Fleece. My ds11 loved it! I was happy to read this recommendation because we have this book, ds got about halfway through it today. He was also excited to hear about the new Percy Jackson book, we'll have to get it when it comes out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 I forgot about The Companions Quartet. This series is actually complete. It isn't quite mythology, but it's fun. In this series, there's a group whose job is to protect mythological creatures. They actually started the myth that the creatures weren't real to save them. If people didn't believe dragons were real, they wouldn't kill them so they could go around bragging about it. Eric Flint's Pyramid Scheme and Pyramid Power are both very good, but you'll want to pre-read. These are written for adults, but I would be okay with my 13yo and 16yo reading them. In these books, an alien ship has landed and is making people vanish. These people usually reappear dead several hours later, but it's clear that they've been gone for much longer than that. One of the people who returns lives for several hours. From him they learn that the missing people are sent to the mythworld. It's a great series. I don't know when the next book will be published though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragons in the flower bed Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 Jane Yolen wrote a series called Young Heroes. We read a little bit into the one about Odysseus. In the book, he's about twelve, friends with Penelope, and they're exploring and have kid-like adventures, only of course you can see their future greatness peeking through. As far as I know there's only four -- Odysseus in the Serpent Maze Atalanta and the Arcadian Beast Jason and the Gorgon's Blood Hippolyta and the Curse of the Amazons Then there's Donna Jo Napoli's The Great God Pan, and Stephanie Spinner's Quicksilver and Spinner. Preview these. They have romance, nothing too risque or heavy, but I think a typical pre-pubescent boy would be, "Ew! Pan wants to kiss her?!" At 12, your son could go either way, I guess. I found this whole list on Amazon while I was looking to be sure I had Stephanie Spinner's name right. Nathaniel Hawthorne's Tanglewood Tales and A Wonder-Book might be interesting takes on the myths for him. Definitely put Rosemary Sutcliff's retellings of the Iliad & the Odyssey on the list. They are beautifully written and retain much of the symbolism and word play of a translation. These are titled Black Ships Before Troy & The Wanderings of Odysseus. I vastly prefer the beautiful hardcover editions illustrated by Alan Lee. Charles Kingsley wrote The Heroes, a book for children. That might be worth seeking out used, though I don't tend to enjoy his syntax or his take on the tales. YMMV. I prefer Padraic Colum's The Golden Fleece for this myth cycle. Do you think he might enjoy poems about the gods? I love, love, love The Hymns of Orpheus and the Mutations (so called because they're not directly, literally translated) by RC Hogart are amazing, worth tracking down used. My children enjoy them. Here's an example. HEPHAISTOS Your hammer and pincers master every art. Molten bronze and gold flow from your workshop. Volcanoes, lava, flame from Earth, pure clear light of the shining sun, that is all we see of you. You are the heart and strength of fire. The ISBN on that one is 1933999410, in case you want to look it up used. I believe it is OOP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 Now that he's got his mythology down he's ready for a junior version of the Iliad and then the real thing. :) My ds, 12, loves it. I highly recommend Plaid Dad's book study of the Iliad. I can't put my hands on it now but pm me or him if you are interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sasharowan Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 Mary Pope Osborne has a series on Greek and Roman myth. I know it is a higher reading level than the Magic Treehouse series. Also Norse mythology, read Nancy Farmer Sea of Trolls and the sequel has Silver Apples in the title. Very good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TengoFive Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 Thank you so much for starting this thread. My 9 year old is obsessed with Greek Mythology right now, but he's not interested yet in the actual myths. He started with Myth-o-Mania, now we're listening to the Percy Jackson series. He read one book from the library he enjoyed, Medusa Jones by Ross Collins. Now I have a few more to check out of the library for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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