Author: Rick Riordan
Publisher: Miramax Hyperion Books
Release Year: 2005
I chose to read this book because it's the favorite series of a good friend of mine (and then I saw the trailer for the movie). All I can say is...Wow. I read this book in about six hours. It was the first time I have stayed up so late it was early to finish a book since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows came out. As a starred review from Kirkus Reviews put it, "Look no further for the next Harry Potter; meet Percy Jackson, as legions of fans already have." I simply could not put this book down. I have since read three of the four remaining books in the series, all in a similar timeframe. I'm hooked.
Weird things always happen around Percy Jackson. He's been kicked out of a new boarding school every year and it's about to happen again in the sixth grade, but that's the least of his problems. Greek mythological monsters and gods keep appearing in his life. Zeus's master lightning bolt--the one from which all other bolts are copied and the most powerful weapon in the universe--has been stolen, and Percy is the number one suspect. Now Percy and his friends have just 10 days to find the bolt and return it to Zeus before all-out war starts on Mount Olympus. But in order to find the thief and the stolen property, Percy must come to terms with the father who abandoned him, solve the riddle of the Oracle, and unravel a powerful treachery.
The first thing I love about this book is the chapter titles. They're creative, provactive, and usually hilarious, and they are consistently so throughout the series, with titles like "I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher," "Three Old Ladies Knit the Socks of Death," and "I Become Supreme Lord of the Bathroom." You just can't help being sucked in with titles like these.
The clues about Percy's parentage, the quest he undertakes to find the lightning bolt, the treachery he discovers as he attempts to prove himself innocent of theft, and the gods themselves are well spaced and delivered so the reader can see just a bit further ahead than Percy. The battle scenes are believable and intense, and as are the abilities and powers of gods, monsters, and certain individuals. I am highly impressed with how clean this book is. There is absolutely no inappropriate language or behavior. The battle scenes are the only violence, but they are never gruesome or bloody; some people die and some get hurt, but these battles are always ultimately an issue of good versus evil.
I may not have studied Greek history and mythology for several years, but I still think the Greeks are a huge part of our collective cultural history. I think students in whatever grade learns about Greek civilization should read this book at the beginning of the unit as an introduction to and creative application of the subject. This is a very, very good read. I read this book and then almost immediately bought the whole series because after the first book, I knew I would love them all. That is a rare gift. I highly recommend this book and it's series.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians Book One: The Lightning Thief is a New York Times Notable Book of 2005, a Child Magazine Best Book of the Year, and a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year. As the New York Times Review put it, this book is "Perfectly paced, with electrifying moments chasing each other like heartbeats."
The new movie Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief comes to theaters February 12, 2010.
As always, I welcome your comments. Let me know what you think.
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