08 Sep Author Highlight: Rick Riordan
Biography
Rick Riordan was born on June 5th, 1964 in San Antonio, TX. He attended school in San Antonio and continued his education in Texas throughout his college career. He graduated from the University of Texas, located in Austin, with a double major in English and history. Prior to becoming an author, Rick Riordan was a middle school teacher for fifteen years. While teaching he started to write mystery books for adults. As time progressed he moved into children’s fiction when he began to write The Lightning Thief.
Children’s Fiction and Success
Some of Rick Riordan’s most successful novels have been based on his love of Greek and Norse mythology. His most famous series are Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Heroes of Olympus, The Kane Chronicles, Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, The 39 Clues, The Trials of Apollo, and Tres Navarre. Rick is still continuously writing and adding to his collection. For example, he is currently writing the fifth and last installment for The Trials of Apollo and has a release scheduled for September 29, 2020 for the book titled The Tower of Nero.
If you’d like to check out Rick Riordan’s work, stop by PGTPL to check out the selection of his books that we have, or browse the Evergreen Catalog! Ask a staff member and they will gladly point you in the right direction! If you’d like to learn more about Rick Riordan and keep up on his writings, make sure to check out his webpage at rickriordan.com.
Rick Riordan Presents
In 2017, a new imprint from Disney-Hyperion was announced. Called “Rick Riordan Presents,” it aims to present four books a year for young readers focusing on different world mythologies. Riordan writes an introduction for each book. Some of the currently available titles include:
- The Aru Shah series by Roshani Chokshi
- Sal & Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez
- Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee
- Paola Santiago & the River of Tears by Tehlor Kay Mejia
Rick Riordan Readalikes
If you are looking for other books similar to Rick Riordan’s, here are a few suggestions!
- The Serpent’s Secret by Sayantani DasGupta
- Valkyrie by Kate O’Hearn
- Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
- The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste
