Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan is the first book in a children's series called Percy Jackson and The Olympians. The book tells the story of a 12 year-old boy named Percy Jackson. Percy has a lot of problems. First, has ADHD and Dyslexia, secondly he doesn't know who his dad is and Third, his mom is married to a horrible man he calls Smelly Gabe. Smelly Gabe is so horrible and so terrible that Percy goes to boarding school all year round to be away from him. The problem? Every single year something weird happens and Percy gets kicked out of the boarding school. During a field trip Percy finds out that one of his teachers is actually a monster and he has to fight her...then all of a sudden no one remembers who the teacher was. Percy knows something is up but isn't prepared for what it is. He finds out that all the Greek Gods and mythological creatures are real, and that he is in fact the son of a Greek God! If that isn't weird enough he finds out that there is a special camp for kids like him, kids who have Greek Gods for parents and are also ADHD and Dyslexic. He goes there with Grover and soon finds himself on a quest to return a magical item to Zeus before a war breaks out among the Gods. (I included the Goodreads.com summary because I knew there was no way I could explain the details I wanted to and still describe this amazing read.)

Goodreads Summary: Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school... again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he's angered a few of them. Zeus' master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect. 

Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus' stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.

I had the hardest time writing this book summary. I think the reason I had such a hard time is because I wanted to make it short enough so my reader's wouldn't feel overwhelmed while at the same time including as much detail as I could. This book is FILLED with detail, I can promise that I didn't do it justice. I initially read this book because a friend told me that it was similar to Harry Potter. Since Harry Potter is the book series that developed my love for reading I knew I just HAD to give it a try. I went into it with the mindset that I was going to be disappointed because let's face it, J.K. Rowling is goddamn queen and no one could ever come close to her. Let's just say I was very pleasantly surprised. This book had all the magic and wonder of the Harry Potter series without being anything like it. I honestly don't think the author was aiming for Harry Potter-ish and that it was just a happy accident. Subject matter wise, this book is not comparable to Harry Potter but entertainment wise it is definitely comparable to Harry Potter. I read this entire book in a day, which I haven't done in a LONG time, and immediately picked up the second. These books are written for children but anyone can enjoy them. I mean, I'm 23 and I enjoyed this book so, so much. I also want to point out that I think this book would be amazing for a child who doesn't like to read. They're so amazing and fun that I think even the most discouraged readers would enjoy them.

The Negatives: The only negatives I have found about this book is the predictability. You'll see what I mean if you decide to read it but at some parts of the book it becomes very apparent what is about to happen next. Don't let that sway you however, because the predictability of this book did nothing to ruin the magic for me. I still find it completely enjoyable. This small negative is so small that it didn't affect my scoring of the book whatsoever.

*This book has also been made into a movie, along with the second one, but I have not seen them yet. Once I do I will definitely do a movie to book review on both! :)*

One word Summary: Wondrous
Recommended for: Anyone who loves to read! Harry Potter fans!

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars!
Avg. Review: 4.17 out of 5 stars!