lightening thief
The book came in fantastic condition and my Grandson was delighted with his Birthday gift....thanks...

An unexpected pageturner
Over the summer, I had to read a book for homework and then write about it. The assignment seemed unappealing until I came upon "Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief." I read a couple pages thinking "Oh, another cheezy kid's fantasy." When I read on, it drew me in. I am not the kind of person who gets excited about reading a book, but this book made me want to read it. I finished the book disappointed that it was over and it made me extemely eager continue the series.
I havn't started the second book yet, but I am looking forward to it.
READ THIS BOOK!!!!!!

A Thrilling Triumph
Percy Jackson isn't your normal hero: He's intelligent, dyslexic, polite, wry, mature beyond his years, sensible, a natural leader, vulnerable, unforced and a lot of fun to read. That's a really tall order for any kind of book, but it does work. Really well.

Riordan is one of the most skillful authors around today. He fuses classical Greek mythology with a modern-day schema in a fresh take that is safe for all ages and will really appeal to teenagers. While his descriptions are full and exquisite, almost nothing he does is new. And still the reader walks away refreshed and entranced.

In a topsy-turvy thousand-mile-an-hour ride, Percy discovers he's the son of a Greek god, gets mixed up in a plot to start war in Olympus (and Earth), has to learn how to survive as a monster magnet, and deal with the loss of everything normal in his life. This page-turner is suspenseful in a way I haven't experienced before. It's a worthy, fun ride.

Riordan is so faithful to the spirit of the ancient mythology that the reader can sense he's tapped into something special. Just be warned when you start reading--you might want to clear away any loose objects (i.e., anything that would be rattled by an earthquake) before you open the book. You might experience some turbulence during the ride!

Note: Families interested in further reading about Greek Mythology might want to look into Dr. Russell's Classics to Read Aloud to Your Children. This would be a good start for further reading on these ancient stories!

These books got my son reading again!
I have a hard time getting my 11 year old to read fiction. He loves non-fiction but getting him to sit down and read a novel is like asking him to scrub the grout between the tiles... except I think he would rather scrub the grout!

When he was younger, he enjoyed the Magic Treehouse series because he could relate to the characters -- they were the same age and they were dealing with subjects that he was interested in: dinosaurs, ancient civilizations etc.

My son's 5th grade teacher started reading this book to their class toward the end of the last year and the entire class was completely enthralled. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your perspective), the teacher only got about half way through the book before the end of the year. My son was hooked and wanted to know how the book ended.

We got this book for him and he finished the latter half in a few hours. So I got him books 2, 3, and 4. He read all 3 of those books within a week. He even turned down watching TV or playing his computer games in order to read -- truly a miracle.

My son is in sixth grade and is considered AG for reading so these books were a pretty easy read for him. He was constantly telling me what was happening and talking about the characters as if they were classmates in school.

My son has never shown an interest in Harry Potter or Spyderwick or other currently popular fantasy series.

When asked what he liked about this series as opposed to so much of the other fantasy that is currently available, he liked the fact that:

1. Percy was about his age and had his struggles in middle school (something my own son is dealing with though he isn't a demi-god!).
2. Greek Mythology -- my son loves the ancient greek civilizations. He had originally wanted to read the Odyssey by Homer for his book report but I talked him out of that.
3. Percy was a "modern kid" which, again, made him more relatable.
4. The style of writing was funny and conversational.

I'm just disappointed that Book 5 will be the last in the series. Now I have to find another set that will capture his attention.

Fun change of pace
My 12 year old son read this book and passed it on to me. What a fun read. We visited the library the next day for books 2 and 3 and he'd finished both by the next afternoon. The adventure is exciting and the Greek mythology references keep it interesting. Who knew Rick Riordan could write for kids? (and clean up his language) Great books.