Review #14: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

20. Title: Riordan, Rick. The Lightning Thief. Miramax Books/Hyperion Paperback. 2005. 377 pages. Tr. $5.19. ISBN 978-0-7868-3865-3

Genre: Fiction/Fantasy
Reading Level/Interest Level: 4.9/ Grades 5-8
Awards: ALA Notable Children’s Books 2006
Series:

·         Book One: The Lightning Thief

·         Book Two: The Sea of Monsters

·         Book Three: The Titan’s Curse

·         Book Four: The Battle of the Labyrinth

·         Book Five: The Last Olympian

Similar Titles: Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry,  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K.Rowling.

 

Life is less than ideal for young Percy Jackson. Kicked out of 6 schools for behavioral and learning issues or circumstances he simply can’t explain and forced to be subjected to a smelly, abusive step-father, all Percy has is his adoring mother and his disabled best friend, Grover. Imagine his surprise when his dyslexia turns into a tool for reading ancient Greek, mythical creatures start crawling out of the woodwork and he discovers that not only are the ancient Greek gods and myths real, but his best friend is actually a satyr and he himself is the offspring of one of the most powerful gods known to man, Poseidon, God of the Ocean.

Unjustly labeled as the thief of Zeus’s master thunderbolt, Percy moves to Camp Halfblood, where he meets other demigods, satyrs and centaurs who each learn and teach him ancient battle skills and the movements of Mount Olympus, as he waits expectantly for the gifts that will prove he is truly the son of Poseidon. He must use his new skills to stop a war of the gods that threatens to destroy the world,  while dodging enemies straight out of storybooks, making new demigod friends and saving his mother, while somehow managing to travel into and out of the Underworld, a task only one other hero has completed in all of recorded history.

I cannot say enough about this book or the series. As a lover of Greek history, I tore through them all at an unprecedented  pace, making careful note of depth of the research Rick Riordan put into his characters and the mythology that had to be right to make the story work. Having recognized, but not been able to get behind, Riordan’s work in the adult fantasy genre, I am happy to report, I would not hesitate to read or recommend his tween/teen geared novels in this, and other series.  These books are exciting for even reluctant readers. With epic battles, gods and mortals, mythical beasts, history, mythology, love interest and themes of family, not fitting in, finding your place and accepting your own talents, Riordan had me examining my own learning deficits, comparing myself to his demigod companions, particularly the clever and beautiful, Annabeth, daughter of Athena.

While the film, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, became a modest success at the box office, and I like it as a stand-alone film, it is shallow and hollow compared to the depth and detail of the books.  I cannot count the number of heart-pounding moments I had while reading this series and know that you, and your tween and teen readers, will too!