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| The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1) | 
 enlarge | Author: Rick Riordan
Publisher: Thorndike Press
Category: Book
List Price: $17.95
Buy New: $15.91
You Save: $2.04 (11%)
New (7) Used (8) from $12.26
Avg. Customer Rating:  249 reviews
Sales Rank: 247311
Format: Large Print
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 483
ASIN: B000F5FNSE
Publication Date: January 6, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he cant seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worsePercy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. Percys mom decides its time that he knew the truth about where he came from. She sends Percy to Camp Half-Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friendsone a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of AthenaPercy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 244 more reviews...
 Like a Hipper Harry Potter May 19, 2006
96 out of 99 found this review helpful
There's always the "what to read while waiting for the next HP" question for some of us, but...now don't get upset folks - I like Harry Potter as much as you do - "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" has a modern, hip, even urban style that people weary of Harry's earnest heroism may actually PREFER.
Plus, people with an interest in legends and myths will bug their eyes out with excitement, because the premise of "Percy Jackson" is that there are a handful of kids who are in fact the children of Greek gods and goddesses, who had come down to dally with modern Americans. These kids, called "half-bloods" in the book, grow up not knowing their origins, alienated by their disjointed lives and absent parents. (A nice conceit of the book is that many half-bloods have dyslexia, but only because their minds are wired for ancient Greek, and ADHD, but only because their minds are wired for hunting, a notion that should give a lot of comfort to real kids with these real problems.) But there are forces of darkness - monsters - whose aim it is to destroy such kids. They are only protected at a special camp - "Camp Half-Blood." Percy, who turns out to be a son of Poseidon, lands at this camp, but must eventually leave it and risk the monsters, to fulfill a Quest.
Even on the basis of this short description you can see there are a lot of superficial similarities to the Potter books - an orphan, with supernatural powers, who has two friends (one brainy girl and one geeky sidekick), several envious rival students. He goes to a special school and learns he is highly skilled at the school's favorite sport (in this case chariot racing). He is personally charged with a quest that, should he fail, will result in the ruin of the world.
Author Rick Riordan almost seems to be teasing the audience with these similarities - but he's having fun with it, and his style and humor are refreshing, humorous, and quite different from Rowling's. (He gets to the point MUCH faster - the action starts on page 1 and never stops!) My 12-year-old son, to be honest, prefers this, and identifies with it more readily. It's a clever enough read for adults to enjoy. Highly, highly recommended.
 A Fresh New Fantasy Tale For Children! August 1, 2005
34 out of 38 found this review helpful
Rick Riordan steps into the world of children's publishing after a successful adult writing career with the very well imagined new fantasy adventure; "The Lightning Thief". Percy Jackson is a 12 year old boy who up until he finds out that he is a half-blood (the son of a mortal and a god), thought that he was just a stupid loser with ADHD who kept getting thrown out of boarding school after boarding school. After a disaster filled year at his latest boarding school where he accidentally vaporizes his evil math teacher; Percy finds out that his best friend Grover is a Satyr, discovers the wonderful Camp Half-Blood where kids like him go for the summer to train against monsters, and also that he is accused of something so terrible that it just might cause the war of all wars between the gods. Percy is a realistic character who has a tougher edge than most fantasy characters out there with a sardonic undertone. He's been through a lot of bullying at his many schools and he's no whimp which makes reading about his adventure all of the more exciting. The supporting characters however are not as realistic and 3-dimensional. Grover the Satyr and Annabel, a daughter of Athena, accompany Percy on his adventure to stop the war between the gods and that seems to be the only reason that they are there; to make a trio. They do have some back story that makes them almost interesting, but not enough to reach the caliber of Percy. The real power of this story that makes it so great is the element of Greek mythology that has never really played a main part in books before as much as it does in this one. The creativeness that Riordan uses to blend the mythology with modern times is what really makes this book enjoyable for all children everywhere. This book is a great original read for kids, with a movie version already on the way. Although it has some flaws, it is very enjoyable, action packed, and full of creative ways that modernize the classic Greek myths. Children everywhere are sure to be clamoring for the sequel.
 Mixed Message January 16, 2006
19 out of 51 found this review helpful
The engaging and well-crafted main storyline in this novel earns it one star. The underlying message loses four stars. Percy Jackson, the hero of the story, adores his supposedly-wonderful mother. She has had an affair with Percy's father. She still loves him but purposefully marries a slob, using him as a cover for her son. Percy rationalizes why it is wrong for him to kill this bum, but leaves the means to do so in his dear mother's hands. She does the dirty deed herself. This is presented in the story as clever and funny. Our hero still adores his mother. I can forgive his short-sightedness - he is a kid. Unfortunately, the author of this book is not.
Fantastic Thrill Ride April 15, 2007
19 out of 19 found this review helpful
I held off buying THE LIGHTNING THIEF for a couple years. The market seems glutted with YA fantasy at the moment, and I read quite a bit of it with my 9-year-old. We've discovered several good series, but THE LIGHTNING THIEF seemed too long to hold his attention when it first came out.
This year we noticed it in the book fair at school, then saw that it was an Accelerated Reader book. So I picked it up and read a couple chapters to try it out. I was 50 pages into it when I realized I needed to be reading this to my son.
I did read it to him. We FLEW through the book (375 pages!) in 6 days because he kept pestering me to read it to him. We finished it up in a 5-hour marathon yesterday, hanging onto every page as Percy and his friends tried to save the world and put things to rights in their own lives.
THE LIGHTNING THIEF is a great book for adults and kids. I've already recommended it to a couple of adult friends who experienced the same kind of can't-put-it-down pull that I did.
Percy Jackson, the hero of the book, comes across as every kid you'd ever meet or ever would. He's no brainiac (he has dyslexia and ADHD) but he has friends who are. But he is courageous and clever, stubborn and loyal. He is the best he can be, and he's getting even better.
Riordan works in many of the Greek myths in the novel. There was a time when knowing Greek mythology was a pre-requisite for having a "classical" education. Many morals and philosophies are presented in the tales.
From the very beginning of the novel, we find out Percy is different when he ends up fighting a harpy in the museum while on a school trip. He's been kicked out of 6 schools in 6 years, lives with his mom and step-dad, Smelly Gabe, an evil guy who deliberately makes Percy's life hard.
Then, when he's on a well-deserved vacation with his mom, he finds out he's a Half-Blood, the son of one of the Greek gods. But his mom doesn't know who his dad was and that's just one of the mysteries Percy ends up solving.
The cool part of the book is peeling away all the mysteries of Percy's life and who really took Zeus's magic thunderbolt. Along the way he gains powers that set my son's head to spinning with hope and delight. Percy's a superhero without the costume, and there are plenty of villains in his world.
Riordan is a teacher who obviously loves kids as well as the subject matter. The Greek gods were a cantankerous lot, and Riordan delivers them well. Not only does he give his readers the stories, but he also brings the gods on stage and gives them personalities.
The series is supposed to run for 5 books. I think it will go on longer. I hope so. I've already ordered books 2 and 3, and my son and I are looking forward to them. The books take a while to read outloud to younger readers, but the effort is well rewarded. The story is rich and deep, and will keep your child's attention. In addition, you'd be surprised how much you can talk about even when you're not reading. And your child may just want to wander around the internet learning more interesting facts about Greek mythology.
THE LIGHTNING THIEF is well worth reading and is probably in most public and school libraries.
Who's yo' Daddy? May 6, 2007
18 out of 19 found this review helpful
Percy Jackson has always been different from other kids. He's dyslexic and suffers from ADHD, and is always getting into trouble. He's been expelled several times, and the only thing that holds his interest is Greek mythology.
We soon learn that Percy has close ties with Mount Olympus, and when monsters from mythology start popping up looking for his blood, he ends up at a very special school for kids like himself, where he starts to put things together to find out who he really is.
Before he knows it, he's off on a quest with his two friends, Grover and Annabeth, to recover a powerful lightning bolt, property of Zeus, which has been stolen, supposedly by Percy himself. Zeus, Poseidon and Hades are having a little disagreement about the theft of the said lightning bolt, and unless Percy can retrieve it and return it in time, the resulting fallout will have earth-shattering consequences.
This great (albeit relatively unknown) first book of the series is an easy read, and is sure to encourage young readers to improve their knowledge of Greek mythology, especially the stories of the Minotaur, Medusa and the gods Poseidon, Ares, Zeus, Hades, Kronos, Athena and so on. Highly recommended for young readers in search of an original and imaginative adventure series.
Amanda Richards
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