Tween Tuesday was started over at Green Bean Teen Queen as away to hightlight awesome books for the 9-12 year old set. AKA Tweens. This week I have a review.
This week I'm reviewing The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan.
From Goodreads:
Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can’t seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse—Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy’s mom finds out, she knows it’s time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he’ll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half-Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friends—one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena—Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.
My Review:
I have no clue where I've been since 2006 when this book first came out and why I hadn't read it yet. I mean I've seen it around, but never paid it much attention. It wasn't until I saw the trailer for the movie coming out February 12th that my eyes were opened to this books. I knew I had to read it. And boy am I glad it did! It was great. I totally understand why my students love it. From pretty much page one the action starts and it never stops. There was so much action I would have to take breaks from the book just to have some time to breathe! Percy is a great character that is very likable. I wanted him to succeed, and, at the same time, I wanted to see him grow as a person. Grow he did! To go with Percy, his two companions were great and likable too. At first I wasn't sure about Annabeth, but she grew on me. And I loved Grover! He made me laugh several times. The story was also well constructed. Great mystery that kept me guessing. I did NOT have the ending figured out until Percy explained it all.
As a teacher - I loved all the mythology. What perfect way to help students learn who all the gods and goddesses are along with their history. Even I learned a ton!
Final thought: Simple: love it! Can't wait to read books two - The Sea Monsters
Best stick with you image: The fields of Asphodel in Hades. Sad and scary all at once.
Best for ages: 10+ I think this is a great one for adults as well as kids.
I agree Annabeth's character takes time to settle in. It introduced mythology in such a fun way. I loved the whole series
ReplyDeleteI loved it too. Such a fun series.
ReplyDeleteI am very anxious to read this one. I have considered waiting until after the film.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I love about movies based on books -- they call attention to the awesome books that you might have missed the first time around. So glad you found this series, it's awesome. Make sure you have them lined up -- it was awful waiting for the next book!
ReplyDeleteLove this series! And I really do love Grover. Even though he doesn't look like how I pictured in the movie (he seems a little too old) he still seems like Grover to me. I can't wait to see it!
ReplyDeleteI have seen those around a lot, but I only got the first book this week! I'm hoping to read it soon; I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteMy son read this last year and told me I HAD to read it! I am reading it right now (wanted to make sure I read it before the movie comes out next month). I love it! Like you said, it's action, action, action!
ReplyDeleteI too love the mythology. My son totally retained which god was what.
I finally read this series from 1st to last this fall, and enjoyed them lots!
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