Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

In this installment of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Camp Halfblood is in grave danger. Someone has poisoned Thalia’s tree, and the protection it provided the camp is wearing thin. Grover is off trying to locate Pan, but Percy keeps having dreams that lead him to believe Grover is in grave danger — as the captive of the Cyclops Polyphemus. Will Percy be granted a second quest to go and rescue Grover? Will there be anything capable of saving Thalia’s tree (and Camp Halfblood)? Find out for yourself when you read (or listen to!) this book.

Happy Reading!

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!