Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

Book 1 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Author: Rick Riordan

From Booklist

The escapades of the Greek gods and heroes get a fresh spin in the first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, about a contemporary 12-year-old New Yorker who learns he's a demigod. Perseus, aka Percy Jackson, thinks he has big problems. His father left before he was born, he's been kicked out of six schools in six years, he's dyslexic, and he has ADHD. What a surprise when he finds out that that's only the tip of the iceberg: he vaporizes his pre-algebra teacher, learns his best friend is a satyr, and is almost killed by a minotaur before his mother manages to get him to the safety of Camp Half-Blood--where he discovers that Poseidon is his father. But that's a problem, too. Poseidon has been accused of stealing Zeus' lightning bolt, and unless Percy can return the bolt, humankind is doomed. Riordan's fast-paced adventure is fresh, dangerous, and funny. Percy is an appealing, but reluctant hero, the modernized gods are hilarious, and the parallels to Harry Potter are frequent and obvious. Because Riordan is faithful to the original myths, librarians should be prepared for a rush of readers wanting the classic stories.

Released: 21 March 2006

Publisher: Miramax

Ages: 9-12

Themes: Adventure, thriller, Mythology, Greek & Roman

Formats: Also available in hardback, Large print hardcover, audio CD

Movie

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief is scheduled to release on February 12, 2010 in the United States. click here for more movie details

Read an extract

Hear the first part of the book, as read by the author.

Video interview with Rick in North Carolina

Video interview with Rick in Cincinnati

For Teachers ...