Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (Fantasy Fiction)

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief is the start of the fictional fantasy series Percy Jackson and the Olympians. The book starts with Percy Jackson, a boy diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD. But early in the book, he comes to realize everything in his life so far has been for a reason. His absentee father turns out to be a God, specifically Poseidon, Greek God of the Seas. His ADHD and dyslexia, which used to be something fairly normal, turn out to be natural battle reflexes and a brain hardwired to read Ancient Greek. Though there are downsides to this new awareness, what used to be strange events brushed off, are now ancient Greek monsters out to kill him. His mother unfortunately goes missing trying to get him to the only safe haven for people like him, Camp Half-Blood. When the Gods threaten war, he must team up with his rival and best friend in order to recover Zeus's stolen lightning bolt before the summer solstice. If they cannot get the bolt back by their deadline the gods will rain chaos on the world. Somewhere along the way he intends to save his mother as well as find the traitor camper who stole the bolt. The question is, will he be able to do it all or will he get killed in the process.

I absolutely adore Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. This is an action-packed book that is a real page turner. It has just the right amount of plot twists in order to keep things interesting. The foreshadowing in this book is engrained into the small unassuming details. The book is a great way to pick up a great amount of knowledge pertaining to Greek myths, in such a fun way you won’t realize you are learning. This is suspenseful mysterious book that somehow maintains its lighthearted tone. It is a book that represents, kids that grow up in difficult situations and the ways a parent's pressure can affect their kids, in a way that can be read to and understood by both young and old audiences. When I read this, I found it extremely hard to pull myself away from reading; it felt like every page was a cliffhanger where I wanted to know what happens next. I recommend this for anyone who loves action-packed fantasy or anyone with a general interest or love for Greek mythology. I think reading level-wise this book is a 5th-6th grade level, but I wouldn’t let that discourage anyone from reading this as interest wise it is a great book for all ages with a great plot. 10 out of 10 this is one of my favorites.

Reviewed by Kara D. 7th Grade