The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

I am SO excited that we are having our Percy Jackson Week. This is one of my favorite series of all times and I'm so excited that we have this AWESOME give away. So to start off our week and to show forth our admiration for Mr. Riordan's writing here is a review of the first book in the series:

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Title: The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians)
Author: Rick Riordan
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Youth Fantasy
Rating: Worship
Alerts/Warnings: None
Premise: Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse -- Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy's mom finds out, she knows it's time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he'll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half-Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon, a mystery unfolds and together with his friends -- one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena -- Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.(King County Library)

Opinions: This book is fantastic for kids and adults a like (even better read it together as a family). It teaches kids to believe in themselves, even if they feel the odds are stacked against them and that they have a world of monsters to fight in their lives. The Lightning Thief is filled with amazing imagery, likable characters, and fantastic writing. Percy Jackson is an incredible character and is written so well that the reader can readily connect with his feelings on some of the things that he goes through, though maybe not the part about fighting a minotaur. I mean how many of us really get the chance in life to fight medieval Greek monsters. (Well except when we dream.)

Percy has ADHD and Dyslexia, both side effects of being the son of a God and he has been raised in a single parent home. Because of these things alone many children, and even adults, can connect with him through personal experiences. I also was thrilled to read all the Greek Legends reborn for our time. Mr. Riordan's method of doing this combines Greek mythology with events, and places of current time. Percy and his friends are faced with heavy responsibilities to prevent a war between the Gods, and yet together they realize that they can accomplish great things.


I highly recommend this book (as well as the whole series) to anyone and everyone out there and if you want to read it, but don't have a copy, then you should look at our contest rules and strive to win an autographed copy of this book. Good Luck and we hope to hear from you soon.