Riordan, R. (2005) Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. New York, NY: Hyperion Books for Children.
Review:
Percy Jackson is one of those kids that can’t seem to do anything right, but even he thinks it’s weird when he appears to to have obliterated his math teacher. (He didn’t mean to!) Things get even more odd when he comes home after having been kicked out of school (that part isn’t weird) and monsters start coming after him. There’s a reasonable explanation for all this strangeness, though. Percy is the son of a God, and Zeus (not his father) thinks he’s stolen something from him. So all Percy has to do is find Zeus’ most powerful weapon, return it to him, and everything will be fine. That’s it! Easy, right?
In the first of what looks to be an incredibly entertaining series, Riordan creates a world that manages to blend Greek myths and modern life. Percy is a great tween hero, he’s neither perfect nor overly reluctant. While he felt like a failure before his adventure, readers know him to be a champion long before his identity is revealed. His companions, Annabeth Chase and Grover Underwood, are a great match for Percy and his quest. I look forward to reading the rest of series, and tweens will too.
Best for ages 10-15
Author website: http://www.rickriordan.com/home.aspx
