The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson & the Olympians #1)

Reader reviewed by Amanda

Well it's official. I have fallen in love with Percy Jackson. Sorry Aaron, I know we've only been married a few months, but you've been replaced by a 12 year old fictional character. Haha, I loved this book! As so many of you knew I would, I have become utterly addicted to the Percy Jackson books and I've only just begun. I cannot wait to get to the 2nd and will probably devour it just as fast as I did the first!


The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, is the first in his "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" series. It all begins with 12 year old Percy Jackson at his boarding school for troubled kids. Throughout the beginning of the novel, Percy slowly discovers his true heritage and the reason why things haven't gone right for most of his life. Percy's mother is a normal human being, but his father is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Percy is a Half-Blood and because of a current war between the Gods, he is in incredible danger. Percy, with the help of who he thought was his Greek mythology teacher, begins training at Camp Half-Blood, a summer camp (and year-round camp for some) of children of Gods. He then is sent on a quest to retrieve a possession of Zeus's before the entire world is taken over by a war of the Gods. With his companions, Grover, a young satyr, and Annabeth, Athena's daughter, Percy learns more about being a Half-Blood than he ever thought he would and learns a lot about himself along the way. This book is filled with action...tons of monster attacks and for a Greek mythology lover like myself, it was a great match of youth fiction and great myths. I had a blast reading it!


Honestly, I can say that this is some of the best fiction I've read in a long time. I know Percy Jackson has been compared to Harry Potter in many ways and I can certainly see why. Both boys are on a constant quest with their friends, to save lives and to find their own true identities. I am very surprised that these novels have not gotten bigger than they are. I know that in our blogging circle they are very popular, but I have never heard children at my library refer to them and as of now, that's going to change! I can't wait to spread the word about Percy!

Reader reviewed by Lesha

This is a story about a boy who is half god. Very cleche, I know. His father is Posiden, the Greek god of the sea. He lives with his mom and her horid boyfriend, Gabe. Percy goes away to Camp HalfBlood, a camp for half human, half god children where they can harness there godly abilities and learn in a safe inviroment. Percy, Anna Belle, and some centaur I can't remember the name of have to go on this great journey to recover Zeuses faveourite lightning bolt and Hades's Helm of Darkness. They uncover a conspiracy by Ares and expose him. Then they all live hapily ever after, not.

The Lightning Thief is the first book of Percy Jackson and The Olympians series.
Percy is a young boy trying to find his way in the world while discovering his best friend is a satyr and his father is a god. When he discovers his true nature everything changes for Percy. He embarks in a difficult quest to stop war and redeem himself after been wrongly accused of thievery. The quest becomes a metamorphosis for Percy; he discovers a new inner force, new abilities and affinities, stronger friendships and finds a new kind of empowerment to change his life and his mother’s. At the end of this hero’s quest we find a different Percy. His experiences have changed him but also all those around him.
This young adult fantasy draws from Greek mythology in an innovative way. It proofs an excellent choice for readers of all ages. Riordan made a great job creating this world of adventure for Percy. The book is surprising, entertaining and well written. We will see what else brings this hero’s saga.

Reader reviewed by Ashley K.

          The Lightning Thief is a fictional greek mythology book with a maze of twist and turns. Percy Jackson is a twelve years old with an odd past that is the result of being the son of a greek god. When he goes to Camp Half-blood he gets a quest. Zeus, Percy's uncle, loses his master boltand every one thinks Percy is the thief. Now Percygoes on an adventure with his satyr friend Grover and Annabeth Chace, daughter of Athena, and battle monsters and gods.

Reader reviewed by big-brain

Percy Jackson a normal boy? Yeah right! He has gotten sent from private school to private school and finally stayed put at one. He goes on a feild trip to a museum and end up almost getting killed by his math teacher/monster. DUDE! He then finds out that he is a halfblood, a son of a human women and Greek god, and not just any god, Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. next his mom takes him to camp halfblood and he gets framed for stealing Zeus's lighning bolt and has to go on a quest to clear his name with his two best friends Annabeth who is a halfblood daughter of Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, and Grover, a Satyr, a half-goat half-human. He end sup batteling Ares, the Greek god of war, and the ending you will have to find out yourself.

The lightning Theif is a thrilling fantasy packed with action and surprises around every corner. It has funny jokes and characters with great personalities and lots and lots of smarts. This book is for kids from ten to a hundred and ten, and especially for people who like adventure, and halarious goat-men.

to adults

Reader reviewed by mike : )

Have you ever read a book which you really enjoyed? The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan could very well be the next fantasy book added to your list. This captivating story is told from the perspective of Percy Jackson, a half-human, half-god teen. Percy always used to think that he was normal, with the exception of a couple weird incidents. He doesn't know how wrong he is. Throughout the story, Percy makes many encounters with Greek gods and monsters. Only then does he become aware of his potential. To find what was stolen from Zeus, an all-powerful weapon which can destroy just about anything, Percy has to risk his own life and the lives of his friends, Grover and Annabeth. Will he succeed?
In terms of a good read, this book is up there. The story is long enough to satisfy advanced readers, yet not too hard and long to make more basic readers stop reading. For me, this book was a "can not put down" sort of book. By being an enjoyable style of writing, the story was easy to concentrate on and fun to read. The chapter names are hilarious, stuff like "I Become Supreme Lord of the Bathroom" and "A God Buys Us Cheeseburgers." As a fantasy book, I didn't find it believable, but I still could connect to some of the themes. One theme I connected to well was great friendship and trust. Just like Percy, I feel like I could trust my best friends with almost anything.
Now, an excerpt from The Lightning Thief:

Annabeth drew her sword.
There on the rocks just above us was a black hound the size of a rhino, with lava-red eyes and fangs like daggers.
It was looking straight at me.
Nobody moved except Annabeth, who yelled, "Percy, run!"
She tried to step in front of me, but the hound was too fast. It leaped over her an enormous shadow with teeth and just as it hit me, as I stumbled backward and felt its razor-sharp claws ripping through my armor, there was a cascade of thwacking sounds, like forty pieces of paper being ripped one after the other. From the hound's neck sprouted a cluster of arrows. The monster fell dead at my feet.
By some miracle, I was still alive.

If you liked that section from a chapter of The Lightning Thief, you are definitely ready for the whole book. Also, when you are finished reading this book, don't forget to check out the next two books in the series, The Sea of Monsters and The Titans Curse. And if you like those, a soon-to-be-named fourth book is planned to come out in May 2008. If you like this book as much as I do, you'll have a blast reading it.

Reader reviewed by Apple

Percy Jackson's sixth grade year makes a huge turn around when he makes a shocking discovery. He's not exactly 'normal'. He discovers that his father is actually a greek god. Now, in order to save his mom and clear his name, Percy must find and return Zeus's master bolt before the summer solstice. With the help of his two best friends, Annabeth Chase, and Grover Underwood, his quest will hopefully be easier...won't it?
This book is a great mix of modern times and myth. For someone who studies greek myths, this will most certainly be something to enjoy. Action packed with plenty of tense moments and close call, this book is worth 10/10.   

Reader reviewed by Ananya

12 year old Percy Jackson life is flipped around when

a. his mom dissolves into yellow light

 b. he finds out hes a half blood

 c. he discovers that his father is Poseidon

d. all of the above

If you guessed d, you have probably read the book, a riveting novel by Rick Riordan. Percy Jackson The Lightning Thief is a story about a boy who has to go on a quest to find a lightning bolt he is accused of stealing.

The book is humorous and I also like the adventure parts.

Reader reviewed by co-chan


Percy Jackson has always had problems at school. The doctors diagnosed him with ADHD and dyslexia, the main reasons why he is kicked out of every school he ever goes to. But Percy's Latin teacher, a.k.a. Chiron, the centaur, has another explanation: Percy is a demi-god. And the son of none other than the sea god, Poseidon.

The book is very funny and easy to read. Once again I think it would appeal more to middle-school boys though anyone can enjoy the book.

Riordan is very creative and original with all the Olympian gods. The characters are nicely developed and flawed, making them very much human (or demi-godish, whatever). I read this book in one sitting.

Reader reviewed by Jonah

The Ligthning Thief  is the first book of the amazing series "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" by Rick Riordan. The Lightning Thief is a must read book if you haven't read it yet.  Once you start reading you can't stop, trust me. Rick Riordan does the best job that I've ever seen in a book describing the setting and characters. For example, he describes Percy's best friend, Grover, as someone who is an easy target for bullies, scrawny, cries when he gets frustrated, and much more. Another reason this is my favorite type of book is because it's written in first person.

One of the things the author could've done better is to make the endings of events less predictable. The author practically tells who Percy's father is. For example, Percy's mother eats blue food,  the Poseidon cabin smells like Montuak (the place where Percy's mom met his dad), and Percy makes pipes burst without hitting himself. But I can see that the author most likely does this on purpose but he should make the clues a little harder to piece together.  In conclusion, Rick Riordan does an awesome job of storytelling in The Lightning Thief.  Even though some of the events are predictable, you won't be able to put this book down and will really enjoy reading it.