Reading: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

"Even strength must bow to wisdom sometimes.” - Rick Riordan, Lightning Thief

Title: The Lightning Thief

Author: Rick Riordan

Publisher: Disney Hyperion Books

Published: 2006

Rating: 4 Stars

I have been meaning to check out this series for quite some time. Since I'm starting to teach 5th grade this year it seemed to be time. 5th graders WORSHIP Rick Riordan and his many book series. So I picked up the first two books this summer and proceded to journey into the mythical world of Percy Jackson.

The Percy Jackson Lightning Thief series follows Percy Jackson, a troubled kid with dyslexia and ADHD who has a habit of getting expelled from schools. He finally finds out why trouble seems to follow him when he meets various dangerous characters from mythology and winds up at Half Blood Hill, a summer camp for demigods. Percy, the lovechild of Poseidon, is a powerful demigod who winds up on a quest to stop an all-out war between the Gods of Olympus.

I genuinely liked this book. I read it in a day while lying at the beach in Atlantic City. I have to admit, the book got the songs from Hercules stuck in my head big time, but that's not a bad thing at all. I love the clever, entertaining way that Riordan makes ancient mythology accessible and interesting to young kids. The references to Greek Gods and the old Epics were only part of what I loved. The characters were likeable and adorably age-appropriate. I actually really wish I was a kid when I read these books so I could add Camp Half Blood to the list of fictional places I wish I could visit!

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