The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Apparently, I am the last librarian alive to find out about the Percy Jackson series! Rick Riordan is an awesome writer, and I am sad that I only just heard of these books, but I am kind of glad that I did not have to wait long between books! For much the same reason, I am actually a little happy that I was late to jump on the Harry Potter bandwagon, too. (I started reading the first book around the time that the third book came out — looks like a pattern!) Anyhow. For anyone who does not know about these books, let me get you up to speed.

Perseus Jackson is a demigod, also referred to as a “half-blood.” That means that he has one mortal/human parent (his mom) and one parent who is a god on Mount Olympus (I won’t say which male god, though, since I don’t want to ruin anything for readers who are new to the series). After Percy is nearly killed by a teacher — or, rather, a monster posing as a teacher — at his boarding school for troubled youth, he is finally told the truth. His best friend, Grover, is actually a satyr who has been sent out to find young half-bloods and keep them safe. His mother has known all along that Percy was a half-blood, and she has been selfishly trying to keep him near her. Now that she knows he is in too much danger, however, she is finally sending him to Camp Half-Blood for the summer.

At Camp Half-Blood, Percy meets other half-bloods, trains for combat, and even discovers who his father is. But the story doesn’t end there! Unless Percy and his friends can stop a feud between the gods, all of mankind is doomed to experience World War III.

Aside from the obvious entertainment value of an action-adventure story, I really liked how Riordan stayed true to the Greek myths. I have taken mythology classes in the past, and I enjoyed the stories, but I was really bad at remembering them. Since this story translates the stories of the gods into modern times, nevertheless, I am able to relate to the stories and find that I am capable of remembering much more about them. I love when I can learn something and don’t even have to “try” to learn!

Happy Reading!