The best books like Alex Rider include Stealth: Access Denied by Jason Rohan, 21% Monster by P.J. Canning, Cloudburst by Wilbur Smith and Robert Muchamore's Robin Hood series. We recommend Alex Rider for readers aged 11+.

Updated October 2026 by the LoveReading4Kids editorial team. The books on this page were chosen by our editors and expert reviewers as the next step for readers who have finished Anthony Horowitz's teenage spy series.

Our top picks at a glance

  • Best for gadget-loving spy fans: Stealth: Access Denied by Jason Rohan. Three Year 7s secretly run a cutting-edge machine called MANDROID, and the race to rescue Arun's kidnapped dad takes place over just 13 hours (ages 9-12).
  • Best for non-stop action: 21% Monster by P.J. Canning. Two genetically modified boys, one 21% monster and one 19% alien, are hunted by the organisation that created them (ages 11-12).
  • Best for adventure with a conscience: Cloudburst by Wilbur Smith, with Chris Wakling. Fourteen-year-old Jack Courtney goes after the mercenaries who kidnapped his parents in the Congo rainforest, and our LoveReading4Kids review calls him “as appealing a hero as Anthony Horowitz’s Alex Rider” (ages 9-12).
  • Best for reluctant readers: Robin Hood 3: Jet Skis, Swamps & Smugglers by Robert Muchamore. Thirteen-year-old Robin takes on a people-smuggling gang, told in short, sparky chapters (ages 11-14).
  • Best for a hero with a special power: Running out of Time by Simon Fox. Alex can see seconds into the future, a gift he needs as he and his father flee a brutal government; it was shortlisted for the Week Junior Book Awards 2023 (ages 9-12).
  • Best for gamers: SkyWake: Invasion by Jamie Russell. Fifteen-year-old Casey discovers her favourite online game is really a training tool for alien invaders (ages 9-12).
  • Best for laughs as well as thrills: Deny All Charges by Eoin Colfer. The second Fowl Twins adventure, from the author of Artemis Fowl (ages 9-12).
  • Best for science fiction fans: Adam-2 by Alastair Chisholm. A robot locked in a basement for over two hundred years emerges into a war between humans and thinking machines (ages 9-10).

What age are Alex Rider books for?

We recommend the Alex Rider books for readers aged 11+, as this article has always said. The publisher, Walker Books, gives a slightly wider range: its page for Stormbreaker, the first book, lists an age range of 9 to 16, and it describes Never Say Die, the eleventh book, as being for fans of action, gadgets and danger aged 9 to 14. So the series is written for older primary and secondary school readers, and 11+ is the age at which we think most children will get the most out of it. If you are unsure, read the first chapter of Stormbreaker together and see how it goes.

Why young readers love Alex Rider

Anthony Horowitz’s creation of Alex Rider, the teenage spy, back in 2000 has transformed reading for hundreds of thousands of children. In addition to the books in the series, many have been reproduced as graphic novels, there's a tv series based on the books and even a film.

Clever, resourceful and never one to give up on his exploits, the schoolboy turned superspy who is forcibly recruited into MI6 has found himself in many far flung places in the world, and even in space, armed only with his own special set of secret gadgets.

Perfect page-turners for 11+ readers, the stories are packed with tension, excitement and humour - and Alex Rider himself is super-smart, super-resourceful and super-cool. 

What our young reviewers said

Our Reader Review Panel has reviewed all of the Alex Rider adventures over the years and universally love this series, here's a taster of what they thought...

Tomasz Hawryszczuk, age 12 - 'One of the best series of books ever written in my opinion. Once you start reading, you can't put it down. If you like fast paced adventure stories with edge of your seat writing - this is for you!'

Jamie Bamford, age 13 - 'this book grabs hold of you tightly, reels you in and before you know it you’re stuck in the wonderful world that Anthony Horowitz has so brilliantly created.'

Imogen Fisher, age 14 - 'action-packed, well written and it was full of plot twists and exciting new things...an amazing series!'

Dylan Sweet, age 11 - 'One of the best series I've read in my life. It's unforgettable'.

And excitingly most of the Alex Rider books have a quote from one of our Kids Reader Reviewers on the inside back cover!

What to read after Alex Rider

But once you've devoured the 13 books in the Alex Rider series, what do you read next? We  have a collection of action-packed adventures for you!

More books like Alex Rider, by what you loved

If you loved the gadgets and the missions

  • Stealth: Access Denied by Jason Rohan: ordinary school kids, a secret team called S.T.E.A.L.T.H. and car chases, explosions and a death-defying escape (ages 9-12).
  • Swarm Enemy by Tim Peake and Steve Cole: the second Swarm adventure, written by an astronaut and a bestselling children's author, ends with a trip to the International Space Station (ages 9-10).
  • Jake Atlas and the Tomb of the Emerald Snake by Rob Lloyd Jones: when Jake's parents are kidnapped in Egypt, he and his twin sister team up with tomb robbers to find them. Our review recommends it to fans of the Alex Rider books (ages 9-12).

If you loved the danger and the far-flung places

  • Cloudburst by Wilbur Smith: a taut thriller set in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with plenty about wildlife and the threats it faces (ages 9-12).
  • Running out of Time by Simon Fox: a father and son's perilous journey across Europe, with a boy who can steal a few seconds of time (ages 9-12).
  • Robin Hood 3: Jet Skis, Swamps & Smugglers by Robert Muchamore: a modern retelling of Robin Hood, hiding out in a swamp with Marion and on the run from mercenaries (ages 11-14).

If you want science fiction and superpowers

  • 21% Monster by P.J. Canning: fast, high-octane action that the publisher pitches at fans of Alex Rider and Percy Jackson (ages 11-12).
  • Adam-2 by Alastair Chisholm: a thought-provoking futuristic thriller about which side a peaceful robot should choose (ages 9-10).
  • SkyWake: Invasion by Jamie Russell: gaming, aliens and a sister determined to rescue her captured little brother (ages 9-12).
  • Mega Robo Bros: Power Up by Neill Cameron: a graphic novel about two robot brothers recruited to fight robot attacks, and our Graphic Novel of the Month in August 2021 (ages 9-12).

If you want magic and monsters with your action

  • Amari and the Night Brothers by BB Alston: Amari is invited to the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, where she hopes to find her missing brother (ages 7-10).
  • Cameron Battle and the Hidden Kingdoms by Jamar J. Perry: a fantasy adventure drawing on West African and Igbo history and mythology (ages 9-12).
  • Deny All Charges by Eoin Colfer: Artemis Fowl's younger twin brothers, a fairy minder and a trans-continental chase (ages 9-12).
  • The Soul Hunters by Chris Bradford: Genna learns she has lived hundreds of lives and is being hunted across them, from the author of Young Samurai and Bodyguard (ages 9-10).
  • Skulduggery Pleasant 1: Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy: a skeleton detective and a girl named Stephanie take on evil forces chasing a mysterious key (ages 11-14).

Alex Rider books in order

There are 13 Alex Rider novels, listed here in the order they were published:

  1. Stormbreaker (2000)
  2. Point Blanc (2001)
  3. Skeleton Key (2002)
  4. Eagle Strike (2003)
  5. Scorpia (2004)
  6. Ark Angel (2005)
  7. Snakehead (2007)
  8. Crocodile Tears (2009)
  9. Scorpia Rising (2011)
  10. Russian Roulette (2013)
  11. Never Say Die (2017)
  12. Nightshade (2020)
  13. Nightshade Revenge (2023)

There is also Secret Weapon (2019), a collection of seven Alex Rider stories. For the full story of the series, read our article Celebrating 25 years of Alex Rider.

Questions we get asked

What age are Alex Rider books for?

LoveReading4Kids recommends the Alex Rider books by Anthony Horowitz for readers aged 11+. The publisher, Walker Books, lists Stormbreaker for ages 9 to 16 and pitches Never Say Die at readers aged 9 to 14.

What are the best books like Alex Rider?

Try Stealth: Access Denied by Jason Rohan for gadgets and a race against time, Cloudburst by Wilbur Smith for a fourteen-year-old hero on a rescue mission, and 21% Monster by P.J. Canning for non-stop action. For reluctant readers, Robert Muchamore's Robin Hood series has short, punchy chapters.

How many Alex Rider books are there?

There are 13 Alex Rider novels, from Stormbreaker (2000) to Nightshade Revenge (2023), plus Secret Weapon (2019), a collection of seven stories.

Which is the best Alex Rider book to start with?

Start with Stormbreaker, the first book, in which the schoolboy Alex is forcibly recruited into MI6, and read on in order. Our Reader Review Panel has reviewed every Alex Rider adventure over the years, and their verdicts on the series are above.

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