From the World of Percy Jackson: The Wild Zone (Camp Half-Blood, Book 1)
This fresh Percy Jackson spin-off follows newbie demigod Katie Kim and her teammates as they navigate a forbidden part of Camp Half-Blood after a hazing gone wrong triggers monster attacks and mysterious disappearances. The action and peril sit comfortably in line with the original Percy Jackson books: exciting but never gory, and anchored by strong themes of teamwork and courage.
Confident middle-grade readers aged 10 and up, especially fans of the Percy Jackson world; the peril and unresolved cliffhanger may feel intense for younger or more sensitive kids.
Chapters to know about
Clarisse takes five new campers into the forbidden Wild Zone at night as a hazing exercise and orders them to race back to camp by morning; the scene sets up the danger but is later framed as irresponsible.
Campers begin disappearing one by one, including Katie's half-brother; the remaining group is pursued by vicious monsters and threatened with an unresolved curse that carries through to the final page.
Combat and sparring scenes use fantasy weapons including daggers, arrows, javelins, and scythes; one monster is stabbed in the forehead and turns to dust, which is the book's most visually intense moment.