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

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 Harry


The bull-man charged to fast, his arms out to grab me whichever way I tried to dodge For my book report I read The Lightning Thief. The books genre was fantasy, and was told in the 1st person. The book was about a troubled boy, Percy, who discovered his father was a god, making him a half blood. He was sent off to a half blood camp where other half bloods like himself had a place to stay in the summer. While Percy is at camp he is given a quest to find Zeus stolen lightning bolt to prevent a major conflict or war between the gods. Percy, his satyr guardian Grover, and his fellow half blood Annabeth will have to fight mythological monsters and unravel a treachery more powerful then the gods themselves. His quest will reveal ancient Greek powers, and a betrayal from a friend. The Lightning Thief was by far one of my most favorite books I have ever read.
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan is a great recommendation for middle school readers. For starters, the book was never boring, and always was packed with suspense on every page. When reading the book I could never put it down always anxious to find out what would happen next. Usually when I read books it is hard for me to concentrate on the plot with so much going on in the book. The Lightning Thiefs plot was smooth and simple, action packed with monsters, gods, and heroes. My favorite part of Rick Riordans book was his writing style. The book was the most suspenseful page turners I have ever read, because of all of the battles and wacky twists he put in the book. I recommend The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan to any one looking for a suspenseful page turner, and a good read.
Overall, I think Rick Riordan did an awesome job with The Lightning Thief. His book is a great recommendation for a middle school student looking for a suspenseful read. The Lightning Thief was one of my favorite books, and I am looking forward to reading the sequel, The Sea of Monsters

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 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.

Reader reviewed by librariane

Percy has been kicked out of yet another private school, but this time, something strange has happened to facilitate this event: his math
teacher turned into a scary monster! Eventually, Percy learns that his life is a little more complicated than he thought--he's the son of a
Greek god, making him a half-blood. His mother takes him to a camp especially for his kind, but she gets captured by the god of Hades, giving Percy a secret ambition to get her back. He learns which god is his father, gets a quest and saves the world.

This is a clever book, with a lot of humor, history and wonderful characters. Riordan has created a multidimensional cast, the main
character especially, and quite often you forget he's only 12. Everything is believable within the context of Greek gods. Riordan has also done a nice job of setting the scene for the next book (this is the first of a trilogy) with the friend who betrays taking off into the world.