10 Reasons to Read (or Reread!) the Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series
Author Rick Riordan’s wildly popular Percy Jackson and the Olympians series has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide over the last 10 years and has been on the New York Times best-seller list for 357 weeks, as of May 3. And it’s not just because it pleases the Greek gods whose stories are the basis of the books.
Readers first met the pentalogy’s 12-year-old protagonist, Perseus Jackson, in The Lightning Thief, published in 2005. The Sea of Monsters, The Titan’s Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, and The Last Olympian followed, detailing Percy’s journey from being a poor student living in New York with a single mom to discovering his true heritage as son of Poseidon, Greek god of the sea, and embarking on various quests toward completion of the Great Prophecy.
If you haven’t gotten around to the series just yet or if you need a reason to give it another read, we’ve got 10, and — bonus — none of them involve getting struck down by Zeus’ lightning bolt. Plus, with the newest Percy adventure hitting shelves in September, The Chalice of the Gods is our biggest reason to pick up this beloved series today.
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The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series #1)
The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series #1)
By Rick Riordan
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1. Riordan is an amazing storyteller.
Percy Jackson started out as a bedtime story for the author’s son, Haley. He had asked his dad to tell him stories about the Greek gods and heroes. Having taught Greek myths for years as a teacher in Texas, Riordan certainly had the knowledge, but he eventually ran out of myths. Haley then asked his dad to make up new stories with the same characters, and thus Percy Jackson and his modern-day quest to recover Zeus’ lightning bolt was born. The book’s world is vividly depicted to the point that the concept of gods, demigods, monsters, and heroes living among us seems downright plausible (with a little imagination).
1. Riordan is an amazing storyteller.
Percy Jackson started out as a bedtime story for the author’s son, Haley. He had asked his dad to tell him stories about the Greek gods and heroes. Having taught Greek myths for years as a teacher in Texas, Riordan certainly had the knowledge, but he eventually ran out of myths. Haley then asked his dad to make up new stories with the same characters, and thus Percy Jackson and his modern-day quest to recover Zeus’ lightning bolt was born. The book’s world is vividly depicted to the point that the concept of gods, demigods, monsters, and heroes living among us seems downright plausible (with a little imagination).
2. You’ll notice new things every time.
The first time you read The Lightning Thief, it’s a speed-reading mission. You’re on a frantic quest to find out what happens to Percy and his friends (and enemies). Ah, but on the second—or 20th—reading of the book, you’ll notice the many nuances, little jokes and clever references (like the entrance to Hades being in West Hollywood or the EZ DEATH lane in the underworld), and different characters and how they relate to Greek mythology. And if you read the 10th anniversary collectors’ edition, you’ll have brand-new content to read: It includes never-before published notes from Riordan about the book’s creation.
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The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series #2)
The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series #2)
By Rick Riordan
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3. The series shows readers that disabilities can actually represent great strengths.
Percy is a good kid but not a great student. Bouncing from school to school, he’s often unable to control his temper, is challenged by his ADHD and dyslexia, and has never gotten a grade above a C. But as he learns at Camp Half-Blood, the summer camp for the children of the gods, all of the demigods have the same disabilities he has. The ADHD actually is meant to serve them well in battle as they have to think fast and be extremely mobile, and the dyslexia represents a brain hardwired to read Greek rather than English.
3. The series shows readers that disabilities can actually represent great strengths.
Percy is a good kid but not a great student. Bouncing from school to school, he’s often unable to control his temper, is challenged by his ADHD and dyslexia, and has never gotten a grade above a C. But as he learns at Camp Half-Blood, the summer camp for the children of the gods, all of the demigods have the same disabilities he has. The ADHD actually is meant to serve them well in battle as they have to think fast and be extremely mobile, and the dyslexia represents a brain hardwired to read Greek rather than English.
4. No more wondering what you’re going to read next—at least for awhile.
Book lovers usually have a long list of titles awaiting them once they’ve finished a book—so long, in fact, that deciding which one to go with can be a little paralyzing. Such is the joy of starting a series that’s already been released in full, like Percy Jackson and the Olympians. And once you complete the pentalogy, there are supplementary books, three graphic novels, and the sequel series The Heroes of Olympus. After that, you can get cracking on the original Greek myths that inspired Percy’s story. Then you’re on your own.
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The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series #3)
The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series #3)
By Rick Riordan
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5. The books bring mythology alive and make it meaningful to kids.
Prior to Percy’s realization that he’s a demigod, Mr. Brunner, (aka Chiron) Percy’s Latin teacher, asks him about one of the Greek myths, “And why, Mr. Jackson…does this matter in real life?” But Percy doesn’t know. “You must learn the answer to my question,” Mr. Brunner/Chiron tells him. “About real life. And how your studies apply to it…What you learn from me is vitally important. I expect you to treat it as such.” Whether you’re 10 or 100, you’ve probably wondered at some point why certain school subjects matter—just like Percy did. And perhaps you haven’t yet found a use for memorizing all of the presidents in order or properly formatting a bibliography, but Percy Jackson and the Olympians shows readers that subjects that you may find irrelevant and perhaps boring actually might come in handy one day.
5. The books bring mythology alive and make it meaningful to kids.
Prior to Percy’s realization that he’s a demigod, Mr. Brunner, (aka Chiron) Percy’s Latin teacher, asks him about one of the Greek myths, “And why, Mr. Jackson…does this matter in real life?” But Percy doesn’t know. “You must learn the answer to my question,” Mr. Brunner/Chiron tells him. “About real life. And how your studies apply to it…What you learn from me is vitally important. I expect you to treat it as such.” Whether you’re 10 or 100, you’ve probably wondered at some point why certain school subjects matter—just like Percy did. And perhaps you haven’t yet found a use for memorizing all of the presidents in order or properly formatting a bibliography, but Percy Jackson and the Olympians shows readers that subjects that you may find irrelevant and perhaps boring actually might come in handy one day.
6. No, seriously, you’ll actually learn real facts about Greek mythology.
Riordan taught this stuff and he’s obviously a great researcher, because the real-deal Greek mythology parts of the books are on point. Can’t remember exactly what happens to Medusa’s victims? Or who Procrustes even was? And what was it that Hercules did again? And don’t the dead have to cross some river in Hades? Riordan covers all of that and more in the Percy Jackson books.
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The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series #4)
The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series #4)
By Rick Riordan
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7. The story offers the reminder that family dynamics are tough—even if (and especially if) one of your parents is a god.
Sometimes fictional families can make kids feel like their own fams are even weirder than they thought. But the truth is that familial relationships are difficult to navigate. We see that in the first book with several characters: Percy and his totally awesome mom, who’s married to a really terrible guy who hates Percy; Percy and his father, Poseidon, whom he’s never known; and Annabeth Chase (daughter of Athena) and her dad and his wife. All of the demigods must at least have some abandonment issues, not having had their god-parent present in their lives. Basically, Camp Half-Blood should have a therapist on staff at all times, because families are complicated.
7. The story offers the reminder that family dynamics are tough—even if (and especially if) one of your parents is a god.
Sometimes fictional families can make kids feel like their own fams are even weirder than they thought. But the truth is that familial relationships are difficult to navigate. We see that in the first book with several characters: Percy and his totally awesome mom, who’s married to a really terrible guy who hates Percy; Percy and his father, Poseidon, whom he’s never known; and Annabeth Chase (daughter of Athena) and her dad and his wife. All of the demigods must at least have some abandonment issues, not having had their god-parent present in their lives. Basically, Camp Half-Blood should have a therapist on staff at all times, because families are complicated.
8. Awesome female heroes!
It’s the 21st century, so hopefully most people have come to terms with the fact that both male and female heroes (and people in general) can be super-powerful—and they don’t need to wear a bikini or some other revealing ensemble in order to kick butt. And the Percy Jackson series definitely shows strong females in all their glory: demigod Annabeth, a clever schemer and loyal friend; mortal (super)mom Sally Jackson, who sacrifices a great deal to protect her son but who is also quite willful when it comes to protecting herself; and demigod daughter of Zeus, Thalia Grace, a fierce fighter and strong leader.
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The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series #5)
The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series #5)
By Rick Riordan
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9. The flip side: female bullies.
What’s that, you say? Bullies are a reason to read the books? Just go with us for a moment. Just like boys are often portrayed as the heroes of a story, they’re also almost always the bullies. And it’s pretty cool that these books throw off some of the gender stereotype chains by showing that, yes, girls can use their strength for both good and evil. The latter being the case with one of Percy’s boarding school’s biggest bullies, Nancy Bobofit, and Camp Half-Blood bully Clarisse La Rue, demigod daughter of Ares.
9. The flip side: female bullies.
What’s that, you say? Bullies are a reason to read the books? Just go with us for a moment. Just like boys are often portrayed as the heroes of a story, they’re also almost always the bullies. And it’s pretty cool that these books throw off some of the gender stereotype chains by showing that, yes, girls can use their strength for both good and evil. The latter being the case with one of Percy’s boarding school’s biggest bullies, Nancy Bobofit, and Camp Half-Blood bully Clarisse La Rue, demigod daughter of Ares.
10. The message that being a hero doesn’t mean you go around saving everyone—oftentimes it means working toward the greater good and empowering people to save themselves.
Yes, Percy Jackson is the series’ primary protagonist, and he has a hefty hand in the series’ outcome. But he’s not Superman. He doesn’t just go around saving damsels (or lads) in distress. He realizes that often the more noble thing to do has less of a payoff for the ego and that the best way to really save someone is to let them have a hand in their own redemption.
Who’s your favorite character from the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series?