7 stars out of 10
Okay, so really, I probably would have never read this book if they weren't making it into a movie (which, after reading the book, looks nothing similar). But, me being me, I have to read the book before I see the film version. It's like book etiquette. Anyway, to the review.
SPOILER ALERT
Enter Percy Jackson, a twelve-year-old, who has gone to many different schools in his life and is now at Yancy Academy. The book starts off with him on a field trip to their local museum at the Greek exhibit. Fast forward a few pages...his pre-algebra teacher Mrs. Dodds turns into a Fury, a half-woman half-bat creature. His Latin teacher, Mr. Brunner throws him a pen, which, while in the air, turns into a sword. Fast forward some more. Mrs. Dodds is gone, and nobody believes she was there to begin with, and, after an incident at the museum, Percy gets kicked out of another school.
After returning home, his mother takes him to their beach home, but a hurricane strikes. His friend Grover randomly appears, and the three drive away from the storm, Grover and Percy's mom trying to protect Percy from the storm, apparently made to attack him.
Well, after defeating a minotaur that killed his mother Percy learns that he is the son of Poseidon. He then finds out somebody has stolen Zeus's lightning bolt (hence the title), but, since no god can take the symbol of another god, Percy has been framed. Now, he must find who actually stole the lighning bolt, and return it to Zeus before the summer solstice.
So, I know this book was meant for a younger audience, such as elementary and middle school kids, but it has a well developed plot. Yes, it is a little predictable (I figure out the twist ending right away), but to those who it's aimed for it would be a very good twist. It would help a lot if you had a basic understanding of Greek mythology before you read this book, but it's not totally important. Rick Riordan (the author) really does a good job of explaining every one of the Greek charcters without going into long spiels about each one of them. So, I gave it a 7 out of 10. Look for more reviews for this series soon!
