Mythology YA Retellings: Rick Riordan Presents

A collection of ten stories by authors from the Rick Riordan Presents imprint that remix myths for modern readers.

After thirteen-year-old Hattie Oh casts a dangerous spell so her adopted sister, Riley, will get a share of her inherited magic, Riley must undertake a near-impossible quest to save Hattie from death.-- Provided by Publisher.

Riley Oh ventures into the Spiritrealm, where she hopes to convince Saint Heo Jun to become the new patron god of the Gom clan and restore their healing powers.

Thirteen year-old Riley was not born to be a leader, but the magical community thinks she and her adopted brother, Dahl, are meant to lead the world into the Age of the Final Eclipse, so now the one thing Riley must do is believe in herself.

"When sixteen-year-old Mateo and Chela discover each other and their powers during a political battle between neighborhood factions, they set aside their differences to unravel the mystery behind their sunken homeland and to stop a dangerous political operative who is trying to harness their gifts to unleash terror on the world."--Provided by publisher.

Healer. Destroyer. Creator. Mateo Matisse and Chela Hidalgo are not just two teenagers in love--they're powerful gods in human form. Powerful enough to have saved their Brooklyn diaspora community from the wrath of an ancient enemy and to have raised their once-sunken native island of San Madrigal from the sea. But soon they discover that their problems are far from over. On the shores of San Madrigal, two creature armies are battling for survival. And on the streets of Brooklyn, a once tight-knit community is divided, with two sides at each other's throats. But worst of all, a heartbreaking prophecy rips these two young lovers apart, sending Mateo back to the city, where cops are now patrolling the streets, and keeping Chela tethered to the island, where chaos and death lurk around every corner. Healer. Destroyer. Creator. As gods, their powers know no limits. But as teenagers--separated, desperate, grieving--what will become of them? And what will become of their people?

While trying to rescue her brother's soul from the spirit world, eleven-year-old Pahua discovers that she is the reincarnation of a legendary shaman warrior.-- Provided by Publisher.

Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents Lori M. Lee's second Southeast Asian fantasy adventure about a girl who is the reincarnation of the greatest warrior of all time.

A snarky cat spirit, a rivalry between two shamans-in-training, a dangerous dragon encounter, and a stand-off with a thunder god are just a few of the delights and thrills in this sequel to Pahua and the Soul Stealer, winner of the 2022 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature.

Eleven-year-old Hmong girl Pahua Moua recently discovered that she's the reincarnation of Shee Yee, a renowned warrior. With the help of her friends Miv, a talking cat; and Zhong, a shaman-in-training, Pahua defeated Xov, the god of wrath, destruction, and thunder. Now she has to retrieve some metallic dragon scales to reinforce his weakened prison cell.

Pahua, Zhong, and Miv travel to the Land of Dragons, where they come upon the truth stone, an object that reveals the world as it is. The stone will help them locate the second seal that will bind Xov. However, magic is circular, and if Pahua wants to create something as powerful as a cage for a god, she will have to make an equally powerful sacrifice. . . .

Endorsed by Rick Riordan, author of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, now a hit series on Disney+.

Aru Shah has a tendency to stretch the truth in order to fit in at her private middle school. While her classmates are jetting off to exotic vacations, she'll be spending her autumn break in the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture that her mom curates. Is it any wonder Aru makes up stories about being royalty, traveling to Paris, and having a chauffeur? One day, three schoolmates show up at Aru's doorstep to catch her in a lie. They don't believe her claim that the museum's Lamp of Bharata is cursed, and they dare Aru to prove it. Just a quick light, Aru thinks. Then she'll never ever fib again. But lighting the lamp has dire consequences. She unwittingly frees the Sleeper, an ancient demon who is intent on awakening the God of Destruction. Her classmates and mother are frozen in time, and it's up to Aru to save them. The only way to stop the demon is to find the reincarnations of the legendary Pandava brothers and journey through the Kingdom of Death. But how is one girl in Spider-Man pajamas supposed to do all that?--From dust jacket.

Accused of stealing the god of love's bow and arrow, Aru has ten days to find the real thief or risk being kicked out of the Otherworld.

"War between the devas and the demons is imminent, and the Otherworld is on high alert. Fourteen-year-old Aru Shah and her friends are sent on a mission to rescue two "targets," one of whom is about to utter a prophecy that could mean the difference between victory and defeat. Turns out the targets, a pair of twins, are the newest Pandava sisters, though the prophecy says that one sister is not true. When the Pandavas fail to prevent the prophecy from reaching the Sleeper's ears, the heavenly attendants ask them to step aside. Aru believes that the only way to put the shine back on their brand is to find the Kalpavriksha, the wish-granting tree that came out of the Ocean of Milk when it was churned. If she can reach it before the Sleeper, perhaps she can turn everything around with one wish."--Amazon.com.

Aru has just made a wish on the tree of wishes, but she can't remember what it was. She's pretty sure she didn't wish for a new sister, one who looks strangely familiar and claims to be the Sleeper's daughter, like her. Aru's biggest question, though, is why every adult she has loved and trusted so far has failed her. Will she come to peace with what they've done before she has to wage the battle of her life?

The Pandavas call on old friends, make new allies, and face fearsome trials as they embark on a mission to stop the Sleeper from accessing the nectar of immortality, but ultimately Aru must decide who deserves immortality--the devas or the asuras--and an unexpected answer comes from an unexpected place.

Twelve-year-old Aru stretches the truth to fit in at her private school, but when she is dared to prove an ancient lamp is cursed, she inadvertently frees an ancient demon.

In Silver Springs, Arizona, her mother's stories of the monstrous La Llorona are thrilling but unbelievable to science-loving Paola until she and her best friends Dante and Emma take a walk through a cactus field near the Gila River.

Months after confronting the legendary La Llorona, Paola starts dreaming again, this time about fantasmas that are stalking her and someone who might be even more dangerous--her estranged father.

"Thirteen-year-old Paola Santiago must return to the void to rescue her best friend Dante and face her biggest foe yet: El Cucuy, the lord of nightmares"-- Provided by publisher

Guided by her Navajo ancestors, seventh-grader Nizhoni Begay discovers she is descended from a holy woman and destined to become a monsterslayer, starting with the evil businessman who kidnapped her father. Includes glossary of Navajo terms.

ABOUT RICK RIORDAN PRESENTS: A TOUCH OF BLOOD
Read the Persephone myth like never before in this companion to A Drop of Venom by Sajni Patel, where Greek mythology meets Indian lore.

Gods are made, not born.

Before Manisha, the youngest of three sisters, was sent to hide on the floating mountain, her eldest sister, Eshani, made a deal with the shades. In order to save her people in the midst of a tragic war, she exchanged her life for theirs. Now, years later, the shades claim their due, dragging Eshani into the Nightmare Realm where she must find the Gatekeeper to fulfill her end of the bargain.

Nothing is as it seems in a land filled with ravenous monsters, ghoulish residents, and a river full of the dead. But most terrifying of all is the Shadow King, who intends to use Eshani to obtain immortality. As it turns out, Eshani—nicknamed “little goddess of spring”—is the key to fulfilling the Nightmare Realm’s prophecy. There’s only one person who can help Eshani escape, and he has his own problems.

Hiran has spent most of his life hiding, but destiny beckons, and he can no longer resist the call of the realm. But how can a stowaway, long thought to be dead, save an entire world?

Nothing will stop the Nightmare Realm from getting what it wants. Except maybe a king in the making and a goddess rising.

Endorsed by Rick Riordan, author of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, now a hit series on Disney+.

ABOUT RICK RIORDAN PRESENTS: A DROP OF VENOM
Circe goes YA in this unapologetically feminist retelling of the Medusa myth steeped in Indian mythology, a YA epic fantasy addition to the Rick Riordan Presents imprint.

All monsters and heroes have beginnings. This is mine.

Sixteen-year-old Manisha is no stranger to monsters—she’s been running from them for years, from beasts who roam the jungle to the King’s army, who forced her people, the naga, to scatter to the ends of the earth. You might think that the kingdom’s famed holy temples atop the floating mountains, where Manisha is now a priestess, would be safe—but you would be wrong.

Seventeen-year-old Pratyush is a famed slayer of monsters, one of the King’s most prized warriors and a frequent visitor to the floating temples. For every monster the slayer kills, years are added to his life. You might think such a powerful warrior could do whatever he wants, but true power lies with the King. Tired after years of fighting, Pratyush wants nothing more than a peaceful, respectable life.

When Pratyush and Manisha meet, each sees in the other the possibility to chart a new path. Unfortunately, the kingdom’s powerful have other plans. A temple visitor sexually assaults Manisha and pushes her off the mountain into a pit of vipers. A month later, the King sends Pratyush off to kill one last monster (a powerful nagin who has been turning men to stone) before he’ll consider granting the slayer his freedom.

Except Manisha doesn’t die, despite the hundreds of snake bites covering her body and the venom running through her veins. She rises from the pit more powerful than ever before, with heightened senses, armor-like skin, and blood that can turn people to stone. And Pratyush doesn’t know it, but the “monster” he’s been sent to kill is none other than the girl he wants to marry.

Alternating between Manisha’s and Pratyush’s perspectives, Sajni Patel weaves together lush language, high stakes, and page-turning suspense, demanding an answer to the question “What does it truly mean to be a monster?”

Endorsed by Rick Riordan, author of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, now a hit series on Disney+.

To prevent the Mayan gods from battling each other and destroying the world, thirteen-year-old Zane must unravel an ancient prophecy, stop an evil god, and discover how the physical disability that makes him reliant on a cane also connects him to his father and his ancestry.

Zane Obispo faces an impossible choice--to save other godborns like himself from the angry gods, or rescue his father, Hurakan, from his eternal prison.-- Provided by Publisher.

"When a few Mexica gods try to put their Maya counterparts out of commission, it's up to Zane and some godborns-in-training to save the universe"-- Provided by publisher.

"Min, a thirteen-year-old girl with fox-magic, stows away on a battle cruiser and impersonates a cadet in order to solve the mystery of what happened to her older brother in the Thousand World Space Forces."-- (Source of summary not specified)

"Sebin, a young tiger spirit from the Juhwang Clan, wants nothing more than to join the Thousand World Space Forces and, like their Uncle Hwan, captain a battle cruiser someday. But when Sebin's acceptance letter finally arrives, it's accompanied by the shocking news that Hwan has been declared a traitor. Apparently the captain abandoned his duty to steal a magical artifact, the Dragon Pearl, and his whereabouts are still unknown. Sebin hopes to help clear their hero's name and restore honor to the clan. Nothing goes according to plan, however. As soon as Sebin arrives for orientation, they are met by a special investigator named Yi and Yi's assistant, a girl named Min. Yi informs Sebin that they must immediately report to the ship Haetae and await further instructions. Sebin finds this highly unusual, but soon all protocol is forgotten when there's an explosion on the ship, the crew is knocked out, and the communication system goes down. It's up to Sebin, three other cadets, and Yi and Min to determine who is sabotaging the battle cruiser. When Sebin is suddenly accused of collaborating with the enemy, the cadet realizes that Min is the most dangerous foe of all."-- Amazon.

"While on a mission to cement peace between the Sun Clans and the Thousand Worlds, Min the fox spirit and her ghost brother Jun get stranded on a death planet with Haneul the dragon spirit and Sebin the tiger spirit. To survive, the young cadets will have to rely on all their wits, training, and supernatural abilities. And let's not forget the Dragon Pearl . . .This thrilling conclusion of the Thousand Worlds trilogy, told in alternating points of view, will put you under a delightful spell as it transports you to worlds full of both danger and wonder" -- Publisher's website.

Seventh-grader Tristan Strong feels anything but strong ever since he failed to save his best friend when they were in a bus accident together. All he has left of Eddie is the journal his friend wrote stories in. Tristan is dreading the month he's going to spend on his grandparents' farm. But on his first night there, a sticky creature shows up and steals Eddie's notebook. Tristan chases after it, and a tug-of-war ensues between them underneath a Bottle Tree. In a last attempt to get it away from the creature, Tristan punches the tree, accidentally ripping open a chasm into the MidPass, a volatile place with a burning sea, haunted bone ships, and iron monsters. Tristan finds himself in the middle of a battle that has left black American folk heroes John Henry and Brer Rabbit exhausted. In order to get back home, Tristan and these new allies will need to entice the god Anansi, the Weaver, to come out of hiding. Can Tristan save this world before he loses more of the things he loves?

Seventh-grader Tristan must return to Alke and enlist the help of African gods and black folktale heroes when Nana is abducted from the Strong family farm in Alabama.

The Strong family is having a reunion in New Orleans, and twelve-year-old Tristan is supposed to be keeping an eye on his younger cousin Terrance when several things happen at once: he sees his archenemy, King Cotton, and a mysterious girl grabs his magic cellphone--her name is Seraphine, and she seems to know everything about Tristan and the god Anansi (currently inhabiting the cellphone), and she has a mission for Tristan, one that is going lead to a final confrontation with haint King Cotton.

Seventh grader Tristan Strong is dreading the month he's going to spend on his grandparents' farm in Alabama, where he's being sent to heal from a tragedy. But he has no idea what's in store for him. On his first night there, he accidentally rips open a chasm into MidPass, a volatile place with a burning sea, haunted bone ships, and iron monsters that are hunting the inhabitants of this world. Tristan finds himself in the middle of a battle that has left Black American folk heroes John Henry and Brer Rabbit exhausted. In order to get back home, Tristan and some new allies will need to entice the god Anansi, the Weaver, to come out of hiding and seal the hole in the sky. But bartering with the trickster Anansi always comes at a price... The talented team of Robert Venditti and Olivia Stephens brings to glorious full color Kwame Mbalia's best-selling and award-winning novel, which best-selling author Jason Reynolds called "a brilliant action adventure rooted in African American lore."

Winston Chu saves the owner of a curiosities shop from a robbery only to be gifted a broomstick and a dustpan for his trouble--items that turn out to be more a curse than a blessing when they sweep away important stuff, like his baby sister.

ABOUT RICK RIORDAN PRESENTS: WINSTON CHU VS. THE WINGMEISTERS
Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents best-selling YA author Stacey Lee’s final book in her debut middle grade duology: a whimsical, mile-a-minute adventure inspired by Chinese mythology.

Twelve-year-old Winston Chu has already rescued his sister, saved the moon’s qi, and kicked Mr. Pang’s sorry magpie-turned-human butt to the curb—but now he’s about to face an even bigger problem: Mr. Pang’s older magpie-turned-human brother, Mr. Gu.

Sure, Mr. Gu might be the current front-runner to be San Francisco’s next mayor, but, as Winston knows all too well, appearances can be deceiving—and Mr. Gu, despite his cheerful laugh and brightly-colored shirts, is definitely hiding something.

Because all of a sudden, there’s an eerily punctual fog that seems to follow him on his trips to an island in the bay. And grown-ups are turning up all the across the city with no memory of who they are, but with plenty of enthusiasm for their favorite mayoral candidate. And then there’s the flocks of exotic birds that have begun amassing in every corner of the city. For Winston and his friends, there’s no denying something. . . fowl. . . is afoot.

And the only one who might have the answers they need to save the city? Their old nemesis, Mr. Pang. . .

Winston’s magical adventures come to a thrilling end in this whimsical, rollicking ride filled with invisible windbreakers, mischievous mustaches, and badminton rackets of destiny.

Endorsed by Rick Riordan, author of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, now a hit series on Disney+.

After her home is attacked by shapeshifting vampires, twelve-year-old Serwa Boateng is sent to live with her aunt and cousin in Maryland, but the aspiring vampire hunter discovers that middle school is harder than it appears on television, especially when she has to avoid detention and turn her classmates into warriors before they become vampire food.

Renata Santiago is a godborn, but she is also a bruja: the Mexica blood from her dad's side gives her the ability to manipulate shadows; her mom Pacific, a Maya goddess, gifted her a magical rope that controls time. Ren is also a girl with ordinary hopes and dreams. She is convinced that there is a connection between aliens and the Maya civilization. When an email about an alien sighting in Kansas may support her theory, Ren is soon embroiled in a quest to prevent some renegade godborns from awakening the nine Aztec Lords of Night.

After negotiating with the queen of the underworld for ten days aboveground, teenage bruja Ren sets out to save her friends and put the Lords of Night back to sleep forever, all without the help of her shadow magic and time rope.