I forgot how enjoyable this was.

4 Stars ( )

This is a great book for middle and early high school students. i really enjoyed reading this book. This is a book about a young boy who finds out that his father is Poseidon the god of the sea. it goes through that idea of learning his identity and an adventure to return Zeus's lighting bolt that had been stolen.

This is another classic young adult fantasy book. The movies are a household name and the show on DIsney + is great too. But, the book itself is a great read and in general I love greek mythology. ( )

Percy Jackson is a 12-year-old boy with dyslexia and ADHD attending a school for at-risk students in New York. Percy's first major clue that something weird is going on happens during a school trip, when one of his teachers turns into some kind of monster, attacks him, and he defends himself with a sword that, seconds before, was a pen belonging to another one of his teachers.

When school wraps up, he goes home and thinks he's about to go on a much-needed trip with his mom when he's attacked yet again and barely makes it to the safety of Camp Half-Blood. There, Percy learns that he's a demigod - his father is one of the Greek gods. As Percy learns more about himself and his abilities, he gets caught up in a conflict between Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades and must somehow find and return Zeus's missing master bolt.

My first exposure to this series was via the 2010 live action movie. I came away from it feeling so-so about the franchise. I didn't remember enough about it to say, one way or another, how similar it was to the original book, although I do at least know that the movie aged the main characters up a few years. The better to introduce potential romantic subplots as soon as possible, I guess.

In this book, Riordan introduces a world where kids like Percy can discover that their dyslexia is actually a sign that they're a demigod and their ADHD helps give them an edge in battle. It's not all great, though - quite a few of the Camp Half-Blood kids have issues with their mortal families. Also, not only are the gods prohibited from directly taking a part in their children's upbringing, but several of them aren't exactly good parent material to begin with. There are many Camp Half-Blood kids who never get a sign from the gods indicating that one of them has claimed them as their child.

I generally enjoyed the way Riordan worked Greek mythology into Percy's world and story. There were times I got a bit impatient - although I could barely remember anything about the movie, it seemed obvious to me who Percy's father was based on the various clues we were given - but I'm also willing to accept that I'm a good bit older than the intended audience for this series. If I had been introduced to this series when I was in the 5th grade, when we spent a period of time learning about Greek gods and mythology, I probably would have gotten a kick out of having the opportunity to figure out a few things here and there in this book using the details I knew.

It did take ages for Percy to show any sign of concern about the part of the prophecy that predicted he'd be betrayed by someone who called him a friend, though.

Overall, this was decent and I'll probably give the next book in the series a try.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) ( )

Now, this book has a breathless pace and a pretty thin constitution as far as how it's held together, but it has very relatable, likeable even, characters and ridiculously high entertainment value. The updated portrayals of immortals from Greek myth are a hoot (though Dionysus is played more for laughs than Euripides would countenance), but it all does actually Go Somewhere and Say Something. Without really rising above YA chops, this is fun read. Recommended and now I need the second volume. ( )

Alright, Percy Jackson! I decided to take a break from the Lord of the Rings books because they're really long and quite difficult to read, so I came back back to Percy Jackson. Yeah, I don't really have much to say about this series that hasn't already been said. It's great.

This is easily on the most fun novels I've ever read in my life. That's honestly the best way I can describe it: fun. It feels like a good Marvel movie. It's lighthearted, entertaining, and, above all, really funny. The jokes don't feel that juvenile despite this being a kid's book. They are decent and genuinely give me some good chuckles.

Percy Jackson is a great protagonist. Not only he is extremely funny, but he can get seriously badass when the time calls for it. You also really sympathize with him because of all the crap that he's had to deal with over the years. That's a sure-fire way to make readers root for a protagonist. The side characters are good as well. I know a lot of people complain that they feel like Harry Potter side character clones. While I can see that to a certain extent, I should say that I really didn't mind that much. I still found them thoroughly entertaining.

The best part about this book and this whole series, in my opinion, is actually the concept. I love what Rick Riordan has done bringing these ancient Greek and Roman mythological characters back to life, making them feel grounded and real. It's such a cool idea, and Riordan nailed it. They make this story have such an epic and grand scale. Despite all the fun, there are still some genuinely high stakes here, and they make the story feel grand and exciting. There are plot twists at every corner. I dare you to read these books for the first time and not get blown away with some of the major revelations.

My main gripe with this book is that it felt a little too silly at times. This is a similar problem I have with Marvel movies. Sometimes, the filmmakers are so obsessed with comedy that they inadvertently ruin certain epic elements of the story, reducing them to jokes. This was a major problem in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, and it is present here as well. While I love the quips, I wish they would not interfere with the epic feeling of the story.

Another thing I dislike about this book is that it feels a bit too childish at times. I have a similar problem with the early Harry Potter books. Certain character traits are exaggerated, and the news and media people feel a bit too cartoonish. They don't feel like people who could exist in the real world. I know it's a children's story, but I'm still annoyed when that happens. It's a major pet peeve of mine. Realistic characters and children's stories should not be mutually exclusive.

Oh, well. Whatever. I still freaking love these books. ( )

Magic

By far my favorite book of all time, I was introduced to this series in 4th grade and have loved it ever since. I believe that this book is a perfect introduction for later elementary aged students along with early middle school. The story in this book is very fun to follow and not super complex.

It really wanted to be Harry Potter, but it isn't. Still it was fun. ( )

Very enjoyable kids book. I used to love mythology but haven't thought much about it recently so this is a nice way to revist those old characters.

I'm sure I'll be picking up the rest of this series when I need something light and easy to pass the time. ( )

This work is light and humorous, a lesson on how to teach mythology in a fun way. ( )

THE LIGHTNING THIEF by Rick Riordan is a reread for me. In this case, I listened to it rather than read it. I wanted to do so because I never finished the series. With the new Disney+ television show, and because it is among both of my kids' favorite stories they read when younger, I wanted to finally get around to see what happens after we discover who the Lightning Thief was.

THE LIGHTNING THIEF is just as much fun listening to it as a reread as it was the first time. The narrator, Jesse Bernstein, is a little TOO good at voicing preteen Percy. He does NOT sound like he is a grown adult. The fact that he sounds like an adolescent is a boon for his performance. I will be curious to see whether he changes his voice as Percy ages.

In my first review, I said that the myths Mr. Riordan mentions may be too obscure for the target audience. I noticed on the reread that Mr. Riordan gives just enough backstory to provide context for Percy's adventures. Knowing how popular the series continues to be among its target demographic, obviously not knowing the myths of Medusa, Kronos, Haephestus, the Fates, Persephone, etc., in detail does not detract from kids and adults enjoying the story.

Percy Jackson is an incredible character. For younger kids reading the story for the first time, he is a fantastic example of persevering despite the difficulties - whether with a learning disability, a difficult home situation, or fighting the Greek gods. That he favors friendship above all else is another great lesson to learn. For adult readers, Percy is young but not too young. He is self-aware enough to be sarcastic without being a brat. Best of all, he isn't afraid to share his weaknesses.

If my kids were much younger, THE LIGHTNING THIEF is the kind of book I would want to read with them. It is a fun story that educates without being obvious. The action is dangerous enough for kids to get a thrill from it. Plus, the author hasn't gone off the deep end and started spewing hate messages about one group or another. It's a win for everyone! ( )

My nephew was reading this because we bought him the series. He asked me to read it with him so I did. I totally found myself enjoying this book. This was so much of a blast of a book to read. As I was reading this book, I remember what it was like to be a kid again. This book really made me feel like I was reading for fun again. Percy Jackson and his friends really were just like any other kids, but have all these weird and crazy things happen to them because being kids of Gods, nothing is ever simple.

Percy Jackson doesn’t seem to be having a good day or even a good week when we first meet him. He seems like a kid who has been hallucinating. Only problem is that Percy is not imagining or hallucinating the things he sees. Percy doesn’t realize that what he is seeing is real. This was really well done and well played. He thinks that he is going crazy. I would too if I saw the things that he saw in the book.
Plus he has to deal with his mother, and Grover telling him some pretty crazy things about him being the child of a god. He also finds that Grover is a satyr and has to bring him to a place that houses half-bloods like himself. Nothing is ever easy because every mythological creature is after him and he doesn’t understand why. I thought that the first few chapters were very action packed. Percy and Grover definitely seem to have an adventure with a minotaur and all the craziness indeed. Percy doesn’t really know what to do, but he manages to defeat him. Him and Grover somehow manage to make it to Camp Half Blood.

At Camp Half-Blood, Percy discovers a whole lot of things about who he is related to and not in a good way through a lot of different actions. Plus, there a lot of children who are like him, Half-Bloods, Half-God, half-humans. I thought that the other children were interesting and our great. I totally find that Annabeth was a lot of fun (plus she is a NY Yankees fan, so I like her immediately). He finds out through an accident that he is the son of Poseidon. So of course, things get more interesting.

Percy gets accused of doing something that he didn’t know. This leads to a crazy quest of course for him. I totally find how fun the quest was for Percy and his friends. The other Gods seem determined not to help him or setting him up for their own nefarious purposes. Some of the Gods want Percy to fail or die. He has decided to take on a hero’s journey which is never easy. I totally love the quest and all the crazy things that he has to experience along with his friends. The aspect of the mythology was great. Plus, the use of the God’s themselves was something that I didn’t expect. I find that this series charming and I am glad that my nephew asked me to read it with him.
( )

This was a brilliant book! The link up with Greek mythology was very smart of Rick Riordan. I also like the surprise when we find out that Percy Jackson is a son of Poseidon! Loved this book 5/5 stars for me! ( )

I finally know how to say the author's name! (Ha ha)

This was definitely better than the movie, but the book also could've been written better. I felt like Percy took forever to grasp things (like the fact that he's a demigod) and that was annoying. ( )

When I was about halfway through this book, I started making a list of its similarities to Harry Potter. Here is a sampling from that list:

1. There are three young heroes: a brainy girl (Annabeth/Hermione), a funny screw-up type (Grover/Ron), and a somewhat troubled but very brave lead (Harry/Percy).

2. People freak when the Harry/Percy character says the name of a powerful character.

3. The main bad guy (Kronos/Voldemort) is seeking to return to his former power, but most people are totally in denial of that happening.

4. The heroes train at a school that divides its students according to their character. (Chiron, the head trainer of the camp, equals Dumbledore.)

5. Chiron/Dumbledore knows a prophecy about Percy/Harry but won't tell Percy/Harry what it is exactly.

6. Percy/Harry has a gross stepfather named Smelly Gabe who protects him during his childhood, so Smelly Gabe obviously equals the Dursleys.

7. Harry/Percy can talk to a certain animal because of his special gifts (Harry could talk to snakes, Percy can talk to horses).

8. Riordan's three young heroes face down a three-headed dog at the end of their big quest, which if I'm not mistaken is exactly what happens in HP1 (granted, the three-headed dog is straight out of Greek mythology, so I should cut Riordan some slack on this one).

I could go on (and on and on) which would be fun for me, but I won't. Instead, I'll shock you by saying that I totally loved this completely derivative book. It's super fun and fast-moving and the fact that it's kind of a HP rip-off actually makes me like it more. God, I loved Harry Potter. The Lighting Thief is like methadone. That might be what I said about the [b:The Amulet of Samarkand|334123|The Amulet of Samarkand (Bartimaeus Trilogy, #1)|Jonathan Stroud|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266527188s/334123.jpg|1121748] but it's more true here. I can't wait to read the second one! ( )

i decided to revisit Percy via audiobook while i do things around the house. what started as a nostalgia trip quickly turned into just plain old good storytelling...on to the next! ( )

Twelve-year-old Perseus "Percy" Jackson knew he was different from other kids. For most of his life, he had struggled in school. His ADHD and dyslexia made it impossible for him to learn anything. One day, his boarding school decided to take a tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This was meant to be an ordinary field trip filled with boring droning over history but an incident with a fellow student draws the attention of a teacher named Mrs. Dodds. The woman changes and charges after Percy only to have him defeated.

Percy knows that something is going on and his concerns are addressed when he hears Grover and Mr. Brunner discussing him. Even more, he sees three old ladies knitting while on his way home. Then, a trip with his mother takes a turn for the worst placing Percy on the doorsteps of a camp for children like he is and to a teacher he has met previously.

But Percy is not given a chance to process this change when he learns that the Gods are fighting. Zues' thunderbolt is missing and his arrival signals a belief that Percy's father may be the guilty one. With a demand for the bolt to be returned by the Summer Solstice, Percy has no choice but to clear his father's name and find the bolt before it leads to a war.

I remember reading this book a long time ago. My niece had to do a book report in school and this was the novel she had chosen to do. Unfortunately, my niece had a strong dislike for reading and my Mom asked me for help..asked me to spend an evening reading it.

And I don't regret it. I loved this book from the first page to the last page. The chapter titles are hilarious and I love that we see things from Percy's perspective. Here is a young boy who has lived his life shielded away from the knowledge of a world he should have known about and should have been a part of. I understand his mother's reasoning for keeping him from it - she thought she could protect him but realized that this world had already started creeping into her son's life.

Unfortunately, the world belonging to his father has come knocking on his door (or, if you will, bulldozed) and forced him into taking a quest that would not only clear his father's name but lift any suspicion that had fallen upon his shoulders. We see other mythological creatures as we set out on the quest and we get to see a deep bonding friendship begin to form with Annabeth, Grover, and Percy.

This series is fun and I think this would be a great book to begin any middle schooler with especially if you are looking to introduce your child into mythology without having to discuss the whole incest. LOL

Riordan's incorporation of mythology into his books has been a successful and beloved aspect of his storytelling. He combines ancient myths with modern settings and relatable characters, making these stories appealing and accessible to readers of all ages. ( )

Independent Reading Level: Grades 5-8
Awards: Hampshire Book Award

Independent Reading Grade Level: 5-9

One more book that I put off reading because I didn't expect to like a widely popular book. But like Harry Potter and The Hunger Games, I got to the end and went "Huh, I get why so many people like this." ( )

This is a duplicate copy I found.

Quick little read, mixing Greek mythology and modern day western society. I really liked the new interpretations of the gods, and really disliked moving Mount Olympus and the entrance to the underworld to America. 4 Stars because it managed to keep my interest long enough to finish it. ( )

READING LEVEL: 4.7 AR POINTS: 13
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What a great way to learn a little Greek mythology in an adventure fantasy novel. This was required reading for my youngest daughter in AP Reading when she was in 6th or 7th grade. She gave it 5 stars and remembers loving it. I even enjoyed this story, and I'm 57 years old. ( )

I don’t know if I’m being inconsistent, because this reminds me of Harry Potter, but I think this is more children’s lit rather than teen lit, which is what I call Potter. I mean, the Potter books are pop teen lit, don’t get me wrong, but if you’re reading a book that’s like 700 pages or whatever by the end, and you’re not a teenager yet, then you must not be the 49th percentile person, right. But the Percy books are shorter, and this first book that I borrowed is actually illustrated, so I think that put me over the edge. (Not that there’s anything wrong or different about children’s lit, and it’s actually a very pretty book; I would almost buy the undoubtedly relatively expensive illustrated edition just to keep if it’s still in print by the time I have unlimited book buying money again, you know.) It is kinda meant as a popularization of something, both of Potter, arguably (again, just a lot of attention span required to actually get through the whole series), and certainly the Greek stuff, obviously. I mean, a hundred or two hundred years ago, some unpleasant schoolmaster would have growled to you about the Greek stuff, maybe in the Greek language, right; in this book we have kinda the American Hermes, you know. (God, I love Hermes. He my friend, Mommy! He love me!) And it’s certainly the classic hero background and identifiably has that plus the two kinda neighboring backgrounds (white chick/Black boy), but I don’t know, it’s cute, and it’s actually a little bit better than HP, about that, and even if cuteness is nefariousness—it’s want I wanna be. (lollipop) And mommy I also want a pony. How long until I get my pony mommy…. Ooo (looks at car) Or a BMW. How long until a BMW mommy. And how long until they fly?

Okay. ✅

[Edit: Just kidding. It has to go in mythology; it’s a mythology novel. Duh! 🙄 hahaha 😛]

…. It actually seems to have quite a lot about mental conditions and disabilities, you know. I shouldn’t compare—HP has been around so long, that if Jo had invented the very name “Harry”, nobody would know—but it is surprising, that is, surprisingly good, you know.

…. I know I’m getting compare-y—and it is kinda stupid to compare anything to The Best Selling Book Series of All Time, because it’ll always be better or worse, right—but I like Percy-Grover better than Harry-Ron, and not just because of the background issue. Grover has a role, you know, and Ron just doesn’t have a sharply defined place, which I guess is why in several important places the trip narrows to Harry-Hermione (many of the important HP characters are Jo ciphers, and I don’t think you can say that about Ron). On the other hand, Neville is a great character in HP, like the fourth member of the trio. I don’t expect to find somebody like him here; he was unique, perhaps.

…. (Percy on his codependent mom) “how the nicest people have the worst luck”

Or how the people who take the worst care of themselves/neglect themselves, are put forth as the examples that everyone should follow, right. Almost like society itself is being selfish, and in an irrational way—because it thinks there isn’t enough to go around. “There isn’t enough to go around, so you give me yours, and then go sit in the corner and go without. (Wow, she actually did it.) Okay, good girl. Here, have a treat—just kidding.”

…. I know that Homer is very flowery in his negativity, and that you maybe can’t compare them in certain ways, and that you shouldn’t try to compare things, right, but…. Rick is more fun than the Original Homeboy, lol.

…. Ah, so the “Dudley/Draco” characters are girls, and the “Hermione” character is much more boss, you know. (chuckles) I mean, I hate to throw Hermione under the bus, but she’s nobody’s boss, the way that Annabeth can be, you know….

And yes, if Hermes were one of the four evangelists (a useful source of more common, known-to-Americans names), he would defs be Luke….

…. And I think it’s fun how Rick developed the stories—like with Athena’s daughter, right. In the old days, it was like, for the most part, if you were a chick, you either slept with everyone, or you slept with no one—unless maybe if you were THE wife, the strict Classic wife. Like, they were different types, obviously, but there was no movement or anything; there were walls. There were rules. There were Stupid Rules That You Will Not Break, you know.

(shrugs) But it was a seed. It was the seed of an immortal cartoon….

And now if I could just find a really great men’s hair style book, right—Hermes would smile on me….

…. (shrugs) I’d prefer the gods as symbols of humanity or consciousness, rather than as symbols of ‘the West’—that sort of loyalty (I’ve been very loyal in my life, but I guess that, eventually!, no one sees through it quite like a Six, bound to it for so long), is really the same as clinging to the Cross like a sailor to flotsam in a storm, so that in the end, you’re glad that there was a storm (and not a banquet) so that there was an “old rugged Cross” to get tossed about with on the thankfully endless sea of troubles, right—which is almost quite noble (I suppose that most people don’t get that far, to a lot of people all things are more or less equally wicked and painful, in the end), but it just ends up being religion for religion’s sake, you know. Loyalty, because, “that’s who we are”.

That’s more than I was going to write at first, lol. And I mean, it is kinda cool to bring together America and Greece—the gold coins with the old gods on one side and the Empire State Building on the other, and Hades is somewhere below LA, that’s classic, you know. (Although LA is classic lol; it’s always here for us….)

And Annabeth and Clarisse are such great characters; they’re so much better than just Hermione and nobody else, you know….

…. Oh, that’s what I forgot: and I do buy the whole extraordinary children thing. If there are gods and wise men, there are extraordinary children, too. Everything good, really, is a collaboration between the adult in us and the child in us.

…. That being said, it is kinda hilarious how in every chapter there’s like a Giant Tooth that wants to eat you, right, and the illustrations are quite literal and lame, you know—look! This tooth is Huge! 🦷 lol There is a little decent work on childhood trauma (eg Annabeth’s father), but the “good” parts are kinda an aside, you know. Mostly it’s just, Harry Potter and the Giant Tooth, right. 🎃😸 I hate to be negative, but it does make you respect Jo more. Despite (because of?) the length, she can resist the childhood urge to play a real big game, you know, and HP & Whatever actually tends to play a rather subtle, Dickens-y sort of game, you know. (Does anything ever really ever happen in those long books that Charles wrote?) Rick is more middle-of-the-road in the child’s-action-adventure-to-small-game spectrum, which is to say, he plays a pretty “big” game, you know. 🦖 🦷

…. I guess you can’t really have an adventure story without seeing the Shadow Self everywhere, and believing that wealth is like the god of the atheists—the illusion responsible for all evil.

(shrugs) Like I said, it’s hard to write an adventure story without thinking that.

…. But it’s cool.

It’s like, That was cool, you know.

…. Parts of it are very satisfying and well-done; other parts, I don’t know.

In the end, it’s not a—to use this word in a personal way, an Aquarian story, you know.

(shrugs) But I guess it’s still not as pompous as most translations of Greek books, you know. It’s entertaining.