- Shopping Bag ( 0 items )
Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus’s stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.
With cover art from the major motion picture, this first installment of Rick Riordan's best-selling series is a non-stop thrill-ride and a classic of mythic proportions.
The series grew out of a sequence of bedtime stories Riordan invented for his son Haley -- who, at eight, had just been diagnosed with learning disabilities. Although Haley was having trouble in school, he loved the Greek myths and asked his dad to tell him some stories about the gods and heroes. Riordan ran through the standards from mythology, then began to invent new tales featuring some of the same characters and introducing a brave boy hero enough like Haley to make things interesting!
Haley begged his father to write the stories down, and in 2005, The Lightning Thief was published to excellent reviews. It was an instant hit with preteens, who loved the concept of a kid much like themselves -- i.e., embroiled in the everyday problems of school, family, and relationships -- embarking on heroic quests, soothing vengeful gods, and battling monsters.
In addition to Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Riordan also writes books for adults, most notably a series of high-octane Tex-Mex thrillers featuring private investigator Jackson "Tres" Navarre, a complicated loner with an offbeat pedigree. (Tres -- pronounced "Trace" -- is a tai chi master with a Ph.D. in medieval literature who turns to detective work when he is unable to find a teaching job!) The first novel in the series, 1997's Big Red Tequila, scooped the Anthony and Shamus Awards, two of the three most prestigious prizes for Mystery & Crime fiction. Riordan completed the trifecta when his sequel, The Widower's Two-Step, won the coveted Edgar Award in 1999.
Between the two series, Riordan remains incredibly busy. For several years, he balanced writing with teaching English to middle school students. Reluctantly, he has left teaching (a career he thoroughly enjoyed) in order to write full-time, but he still harbors hopes that someday he'll return to the classroom. Meanwhile, he makes frequent visits to schools and enjoys meeting young readers on his book tours.
Anonymous
Posted October 28, 2008
The Lighting Thief
Rick Rioradan
Hyperion paperbacks
Fantasy
Have you ever had something happen that you can't explain? That is exactly what happened to Percy in The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan when out of nowhere his evil math teacher, Mrs.Dodds, turns into a monster with talons. Soon Percy found out that he is a half blood and his father is Poseidon. This news came just after getting kicked out of school again, and losing his mother to a minitaur. Percy is soon rescued at Camp Half-blood and finds out that Zeus lost his master lightning bolt and is blaming it all on Percy's father Poseidon. Percy is on a quest with his friends to find Zeus's master lighting bolt. Did I mention Percy has to do this in just ten days? Go with Percy and his friends, Annabeth and Grover, through an adventure that you will never forget meeting new creatures and gods along the way.
Percy Jackson is a brave twelve year old that has dyslexia, and is about to get kicked out of school again. Percy is not the most well mannered boy, but he has a great personality and wants to prove to his father that he can retrieve the master bolt with the help of his friends, Annabeth and Grover. Annabeth is a bossy blond who is extremely wise and can occasionally be snobby. She is also a great friend and Percy and Grover can count on her smarts and wits when they need it. Grover is a shy and timid goat boy,who is very brave but his friends still think that he is a coward. Luke, Sally Jackson, Zeus, Ares, Medusa,gods, goddesses, half bloods, and all the other magical creatures are all supporting characters and help the story in their own way.
The Lightning Thief is a book that you will never forget. This book will take you on a exciting journey where you will meet magnificent creatures and gods,that are friendly and some not so friendly. This book is packed with suspense and heart pounding adventure. If you love fantasy and adventure, you'll love The Lightning Thief! It will be an adventure that will keep you reading on your toes and wanting more. I love this book and so will you.
47 out of 57 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted July 4, 2005
My 9-year-old son chose this book mainly for the cool 'scary' cover. I had scanned through it and warned him that it had a lot of mythology in it and might be tough to follow. What do I know? He devoured the book in two days and loved it. He's eagerly awaiting the next in the series.
42 out of 46 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Julie_Price
Posted August 1, 2011
I Also Recommend:
Great story with colorful characters. Liked it a lot and days later I still hadn't forgotten it. Have recommended it to everyone.
38 out of 47 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.-_-JT
Posted October 18, 2008
I Also Recommend:
I think this book is great for kids ages 9-15 (i should know i'm a kid!)There is action in evrey chapter!!!This is one of the best books i have ever read!!!i encourge all kids to READ IT!!!:)
30 out of 35 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Balina
Posted August 18, 2011
I Also Recommend:
This is one of my favourite books by Rick Riordan. So hard to put down.
28 out of 32 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.btn-sdsn
Posted June 8, 2010
I picked up this series because every once in a while I enjoy the child's fantasy instead of adult fiction. Also, I enjoy helping my friends who are teachers find new material to help keep students interesting in reading. I did not know what to expect, although I knew the book was brought to life on film. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. The inventive aspect of bringing greek mythology to modern day living is ingenious. Having taken a year of mythology in school, it was wonderful to see a new way of getting young people interested a type of history that does not seem to be explored much. Not only will these books excite young readers to keep with the books, but also the books might just interest the reader enough to look into ancient history. My only drawback is there are ancient stories mentioned in the books and sometimes not explained. (Meaning outside reading will need to occur). Although these stories are not central in any way to the books, it is nice to know the history. I had to refresh my memory on a few points. Great to read with your children if you read chapter books. Overall, great reading for old and young alike.
21 out of 25 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I was hoping to start a new series and get as involved and excited as I was with JK Rowling's Harry Potter. The introduction to our hero Percy in the Olympians series is exciting and interesting but the story failed to keep my interest. The jokes became repetitive, the Greek mythology themes were completely pointless, and nothing of consequence happened. I stopped reading halfway through and read the last chapter instead.
The one thing I found interesting was that Percy had ADHD and dyslexia but both helped him on his journey instead of impeding his progress. Otherwise, the characters were very unimaginative and underdeveloped. Grover, the best friend, was the typical whiny friend who got into trouble around every turn. The character, Annabeth, was depicted as almost every young teenage girl is: swooning at the site of a guy and desperately trying to prove her worth.
I hope the rest of the series is interesting but I was disappointed enough not to continue reading.
18 out of 108 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.A story filled with plenty of Greek mythology. The story moves along at a great pace and does explain itself well enough for younger readers who may not know who "Chiron" or "Poseidon" but has enough humor for the adult that may be reading this book too. Although the book is nearly 400 pages it moves fast and leaves you ready for the second book.
13 out of 16 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted January 20, 2009
This is my favorite book right now and I like especially how it has an exhilarating twist every chapter. This book makes you anticipate, exited, happy, nervous , and even learn about ancient Greeks. When I was reading this book I was immediately sucked in from the first paragraph I read. I thought that the author of this book did a really good job keeping the reader wanting to know how Percy (the main character) was going to get out of the situation that he was in. The solutions to all the problems the face are usually crazy which makes you extremely excited and amazed with what they do. Then after every situation the characters fix they run into another one right away. When I was reading this book I was never bored for a second. The story line is very cool and I loved all the characters. The author does a great job of makeing you feal all the pain and happieness that all of the characters have to go through. I am very picky with what books I think are good and this one was absolutely perfect for me in every way and now I am defiantly going to read the whole series.
10 out of 12 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.The adventure starts from page one where your picked up for an adventurous ride through the stories. Fun for all ages. The mystery unravels as you read through the series.
9 out of 13 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted August 6, 2008
I first started reading this because my libarian recommmended it to me. I completely feel in love with the book and characters. It's funny, exciting and very thirilling. I have fininshed the third book and starting on the fourth. I recommend this series to everyone.
9 out of 9 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.nikibi
Posted February 17, 2009
I Also Recommend:
i have such a hard time getting my 13 year old son to read books, he loved this book and begged for the rest of the series, he read 3 of the books in a week. any book that keeps my son interested is rated a 10 by me.
7 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I love The Lightning Theif! I read it for school and it was so spectacular. You can't put it down. It's histarical and thrill after thrill. A must read! Spectacular book. Percy is awesome, if he was real i would be in love with him. =](but i love him anyway) This book is spectacular!!!!
7 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted November 24, 2008
it is ... awesome
6 out of 9 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted September 28, 2008
This book was very interesting with twists and turns. It has tons of info about Greek mythology, and a lot about just plain old mythology. Now let¿s try to summarize the book without giving it away. This book starts off with one lonely boy who has but one friend who is kind of weird. But later kind of in the begging and almost to the climax of the book you find out something very interesting about his one and only friend Grover. Trust me you will be as shocked as I was. Then you will find out something very strange about the main character Percy Jackson or other wise known by the Gods in this book as Perceus Jackson. Then he gets taken to this camp for his kind called camp Half Blood because that¿s what he is a half blood, a god mixed with a simple human being. Now all this information and I¿m hardly getting started. Then he finds out that his father Poseidon the sea god has been accused of stealing Zeus¿s all powerful lightning bolt you know the one that you always hear about in those myths and stuff. So then Percy as you know being Poseidon¿s son and all was also being hunted down by Zeus if he dare go on an airplane and evil disgusting monsters, sent by Hades Zeus and Poseidon¿s brother. So Percy figures it Hades who took the bolt and sets off on a long and terribly hard journey with his friend Grover and his new friend he had made at camp named Annabeth. They go through monsters they even go through Medusa to try to make it to the underworld and confront Hades but they cant get in because they don¿t have evil and disgusting souls and the most main part they aren¿t dead. So when they trick the guard to get into the underworld they have to get past the three headed dog you know the one on Harry Potter because the dog smells if they are dead and if they belong there but they make the dog show its soft side and it lets them through. So once they get to Hades he remarks that they are foolish and shouldn¿t have tried to come because he states that he doesn¿t have the lightning bolt so when they can¿t find it they get kicked out. I know what your thinking what why would Hades just let them walk right out of the underworld. Well he doesn¿t there¿s a three headed old lady who was his teacher in the begging and tries to attack him at his school but he has a sword slash pen it looks like a pen but when he opens it, it turns into a sword called riptide. When he returns to Mt. Olympia he tells them he doesn¿t have it and Zeus doesn¿t believe him he then tells Percy to open his backpack and what do you know it the lightning bolt now doesn¿t that suck. That is all i'm going to say so I would recommend this book to any one from ages 8 to 80.
5 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted August 9, 2009
I have enjoyed reading this along with my son who is 12yrs old. He has gone through the complete set with out putting it down. The adventure that Percy goes on and the life changes he faces are wonderful. My son feels connected to him. This would be a great book for any tween who needs some adventure in thier lives.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.When I first picked up this book, I thought it would be your run of the mill fantasy series----with swords,bows,magic---blah,blah----seen that before. But when I found out that this was about Greek Mythology----I got a little interested. Then when I zipped through the first chapter(the book is real simple to read----a first grader could read it and understand it I think)I began to get a little more interested. Then, I went on to the next chapter, then the next, then the next! Until about an hour and a half later the book and been conquered and I shut it. I must say, though it was a simple and no challenge to read---- the book was good and enjoyable....FIVE STARS!!!!!!
4 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.this book is so funny. rick riordan's voice popped out at you while reading this, you couldn't help but laugh out loud. People gave me weird looks, but thats okay. rick riodan somehow pulled greek myths and put them into an ordianry boy's life. I believe it's now a Rebecca Caudill, and I loved this book. I'm just waiting for the fifth one to come out.
4 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.surrealtraversity
Posted June 6, 2010
I saw the movie first, mostly because I wasn't aware there was a book. When I finally decided to read the book.... All I can say is WOW. The book makes the movie seem absolutely pathetic, and I'm actually glad I saw the movie first. If I'd seen the movie first, I would have HATED it. The book is completely different and it is infinitely better. I'd HIGHLY recommend it.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted April 21, 2010
PROBABLY BETTER AS A MOVIE.
3 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Overview
Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school...again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy’s Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he’s angered a few of them. Zeus’s master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus’s stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns...