Review of THE LIGHTNING THIEF

Bibliography:

Riordan, Rick. 2005. The lightning thief. New York: Hyperion Books for Children.
ISBN 9780641723445

Review:

Within a week of discovering he is the son of the sea god Poseidon, twelve-year old Perseus “Percy” Jackson sets off on a cross-country trip to find Zeus’ lightning bolt before the summer solstice, in order to prevent World War III. While most kids would balk at this impossible quest, Percy accepts it in hopes of being able to save his mother, whom he thinks is being held in the Underworld, and so begins his modern day adventure interspersed with Greek mythology. The action-packed story is told from Percy’s point of view, revealing his inner thoughts and feelings. Percy often directs comments to the reader, providing a great deal of humor. For instance, when he jumps off the St. Louis Arch to escape from Echidna, the “Mother of Monsters”, he remarks, “I’d love to tell you that I had some deep revelation on my way down . . . The truth? My only thought was: Aaaaggghhhhh!” These funny asides, as well as the fact that Percy is a regular sixth grader who happens to have dyslexia and ADHD, create a bond between the central character and young readers. Although Percy obtains godlike powers when he touches water, overall, he accomplishes his task using his wit and the help of his friends - Annabeth, who is the daughter of Athena, and Grover, a timid, but loyal, satyr. Rick Riordan creatively weaves many interesting facts about Greek gods and myths in to the storyline, modernizing the centuries old stories, and making it seem perfectly natural that the god of war, Ares, is a modern-day biker or that humans will accept the bizarre occurrences which seem to follow Percy because “their brains only process what they see through the Mist.” While most of the story takes place as Percy and his companions travel from New York to California, the base camp for the children of the gods is Camp Half-Blood, located on Long Island. Riordan takes time to explain how this unique camp operates, before Percy begins his quest. Following the classic hero theme of good versus evil, Percy is able to retrieve Zeus’ thunderbolt and return it to him before the deadline. Readers will also witness other underlying themes of loyalty, family, and prejudice while they enjoy this humorous adventure. For those who don’t want the story to end, they needn’t worry. For, as Percy packs his bags to return home for the school year, he remarks, “I’ll be back next summer.” - leaving the door open for many more adventures with this young, likeable hero.