The Lightning Thief

The Lightning Thief
by, Rick Riordan

This novel tell the story of Percy Jackson, a 12 year boy who discovers that he is the son of Poseidon, God of the Sea. At a summer camp for demigods, he learns that there is trouble on Mount Olympus. Zeus's master lightning bolt has been stolen, and he and his friends are sent on a quest to find the lightning bolt, return it to Zeus, and in the process, prevent a giant war of the Gods.

I enjoyed reading this book. When I was in High School, I struggled through Edith Hamilton's "Greek Mythology." As I read this book, I found myself wanting to re-read Hamilton, and gain a firmer understanding of the Greek myths. I found the book to be a suspenseful page turner. While the book primarily is an action packed adventure novel, it also has sub plots that address the issues that many kids today face with broken homes. Percy struggles with feelings of abandonment from his father, confusion about his mother's relationship with his step-father, and a general need to feel that he belongs. I enjoyed these sub plots, and I think that the book has qualities that many upper elementary and middle school children could relate to.

Although I truly enjoyed this book, the plot felt very similar to other books and movies that I have seen. The book felt like a combination of the movie "Sky High" (a movie where super-heroes attend super-hero high school) and Harry Potter. Although the author cleverly integrates Greek mythology into a fun novel, I was disappointed that the plot felt so familiar to me.