The Lightning Thief

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.

The Lightning Thief follows the story of Percy Jackson, who discovers that he is a demigod. In particular, he finds out that he is the son of Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. As a result, he is sent to the Half-Blood Camp, a summer camp that offers shelter to demigods as they are hunted by various types of monsters.

However, not everything is perfect for Percy. His world is turned upside down when he learns that his uncle, Zeus the sky god, believes that he has stolen the lightning bolt from which his powers derive. Consequently, Percy is assigned with the mission to return the bolt, and to do so he must go to the Underworld and take it from Hades, the god of the dead and the king of the Underworld. In this adventure he will not be alone; he will be accompanied by his two new friends, Annabeth Chase and Grover Underwood. Likewise, their adventure will be full of encounters with mythological characters, ranging from Medusa to Ares, the Greek god of courage and war.

This was not the first time I have attempted to read this book and I was expecting a rather fluffy read. I also have to confess that I have sinned from watching the movies and already had an idea of what I was going to encounter. I found the story very entertaining. I love how Rick Riordan incorporates mythology into the story.

3.25 ⭐