The Lighting Thief

 

I finished another young adult book from the RAs, this time Rick Riordan’s The Lighting Thief, the first in a series of books with the same characters.  Percy Jackson is a twelve year-old boy sent away to a boarding school by his mother to help him overcome his ADHD and dyslexia.  This is the seventh school for Percy in seven years as he continually gets removed for poor behavior.  His mother remarried after his father died mysteriously around the time of Percy’s birth.  The story begins near the end of the academic year, right before he departs for home, facing one more challenge in school.  Of course it ends with a “do not return for next year”… as heads back to Manhattan to be reunited with his mother and her new husband, an abusive slob (which we learn later).  Percy heads home after overhearing a conversation with his best-friend at school and his favorite teacher that he might be catching on to  the fact he has special powers… yes, Percy finally pieces it together when he returns home, that he is a descendant of a Greek God, Poseidon!  His mother confirms it while they are vacationing on Long Island near Montauk as they are being chased by monsters.  What happens next (the bombing of the car his mother and he are in), leads him to go to a special camp, a camp for those with special powers.  The journey begins where Percy and his two confidants, both from Camp Half-Blood, a camp for children who have one parent whom is a Greek God, are asked to attempt to stop the destruction of the world, the fighting of three gods all whom think that the other has stolen something from them.  Percy and his two companions face many battles and the tricks played upon them by the gods.  As the race to stop the gods to begin battle before the summer solstice, one week away, Percy is blamed by his step-father for the death of his mother!  Battling with gods, monsters, being a suspect in your mother’s death, and coming to grips with his own powers, are just a few of the action-packed moments in this thriller.  The book educates the reader on the various powers and history of the various Greek Gods, (Hades, Zeus, Ares, Medusa, Kronos), in this simple story-line with lots of action.  I am not a huge fan of Greek mythology so remembering the various strengths and weaknesses of each was ho-hum.  There was also a pretty predictable set of climaxes, always leading in Percy’s last minute success.  Pay attention to each of the various hints provided by the author, as they each come back to be used in solving the latest challenge that Percy faces.  The author is very creative and a good way for young readers to learn about mythology of the gods.  Not my favorite read of the recent fantasy books.