97 books like Born at Midnight

This is the first book that really got me into reading and mythology, and it remains one of my all-time favorites. I have learned so much about Greek mythology from it. I like the powers the campers have because of their godly parent. I love the adventure Percy and his friends go on, and every chapter has something new to see or learn.

I love the uniqueness of Percy’s situation and powers as one of the Big 3 and how that puts him on the path of a great prophecy. The camp is like an academy for the summer, teaching the campers how to use their gifts and fight monsters. I wish I could be part of that camp. I always considered myself either a child of Athena or Apollo. 

I liked this story because of its inclusion of a main character drawn into a new world of magic and elemental powers. It is situated in an academy, but the story takes the character elsewhere, too, letting us see more of the world.

It includes vampires and other mythical creatures and leads the reader on a journey to solve a whodunit and the mystery of the MC herself. The dialogue she has with others is funny at times, and I like how the academy is to train agents for this magical world. I enjoyed listening to this on Audible and have listened to the series twice. 

This book was the first time I saw elements and mythical creatures mentioned together, and I grew up loving both. Although I read this as a kid, I still think about this series frequently.

The main character is unique because she is a companion to all mythical creatures and regular animals instead of just one type, and I found that super cool. The descriptions and storyline of her power made me wish I had it, too. I liked how many mythical creatures I got to read about in this book, and it helped spur my interest in them even more.

I also like it when the MC in books is oblivious to the magical world but gets dragged into it because I get to learn about it alongside them.  

This was the first book series I read with an academy that included magic and mythology, and it sparked my interest in those kinds of books. I also love learning about Nike, the goddess of Victory, and psychometry magic, which I have never read about anywhere else. I wish I could touch something and learn its history as the MC does.

I like the romance in the story and how the main character, who is an outcast, slowly starts to find long-lasting friends. I also like how she learns about and develops her unique power and becomes a goddess’ champion. I have read the series about three times. 

Kylie has always played by the rules. One bad decision sends her to Shadow Falls Camp, a place for troubled teams which isn’t what it seems. Kylie finds herself surrounded by vampires, werewolves, and shifters. Believing they exist is difficult enough, facing the fact that she’s one of them is impossible. Especially when they can’t figure out what she is. 

Away from the lurking eyes of their parents for the summer, the Lumberjanes finally have a chance to cut loose and truly be themselves.

Of course, they’ll have to figure out “who” that is first. Luckily for them, they have some awesome friends to help them along the way. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, the path to discovery is paved with monsters and mystery.

This book does a wonderful job of showing how important the bonds of friendship can be, especially when you are facing the unknown.

Ware skips summer camp and hangs out in an abandoned church on a forgotten lot. But he stumbles upon Jolene, a nature-loving girl who is also hiding out there. Both characters have different ideas about how to co-exist (or not!), and I couldn’t wait to see how it all played out.

I love stories that center around reimagining or rebuilding something old, decayed, or discarded, as this one does. I also love this book’s layers as we watch how the characters change as they transform their hidden sanctuary. This inspiring book grapples with the pain of keeping secrets and the power and hope that come when we share them with another.

In this graphic novel, Skye is a girl who would rather go with her mom to Rwanda than attend the summer camp her dad and stepmom have selected.

She’s determined not to have fun, even after (or especially after) she realizes she got on the wrong bus and is now at a camp for kids who reveal their “true” monster selves only when it’s safe to do so. But even when Skye is in way over her head, she never lets up on the snark.

Seagle’s dialogue keeps the lessons and serious stuff from sounding trite by framing it all in a steady stream of sarcasm and unexpected cultural references. Katzenstein’s art is filled with clever visual gags. (At one point, as Skye is faking tears, she’s holding an Oscar statuette.)

Family secrets make great slowburn mysteries.

In You Have A Match, Abby accidentally uncovers a big one: she has a secret, full-blooded, slightly older sister. The burning question of “What happened to make my parents give my sister up for adoption?” carries the book. Abby is somehow both sure of herself and awkward, and I really felt her desperation to find out what happened in her parents’ past.

The chemistry (or lack thereof) between Abby and her secret sister Savannah is palpable and makes for many tense and amusing moments. I laughed. I wondered. I wanted to go to summer camp. And I did not predict the ending.   

Am I deranged for loving horrifying cliffhangers? If you do too, book three of five in The Heroes of Olympus is the epitome of jaw-dropping endings you will both love and hate.

This series follows Percy Jackson from the original middle grade content to a young adult era. The stand-out cliffhanger of the series, The Mark of Athena, is bursting with page-turning action and follows multiple characters, but it’s the steadily growing romance between Percy and Annabeth that drives the stakes.

I consider this couple one of the best executed healthy romances in modern youth content. My biggest recommendation is that if you start The Heroes of Olympus series, make sure you have all the books on hand first, because you will need the next one on hand.