The Lightning Thief: Book summary and reviews of The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

The Lightning Thief Summary

There is no such twelve-year-old boy as Perseus 'Percy' Jackson. The Greek gods are nothing more than old myths. They certainly never have children with mortals in the 21st century, nor is there any such place as Half Blood Hill, a summer camp for demigods on eastern Long Island. Percy never met a satyr or a daughter of Athena. They most emphatically did not take a quest together across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.

The Lightning Thief Reviews

"Starred Review. There is subtle social critique for sophisticated readers who can see it. Although the novel ends with a satisfying conclusion (and at least one surprise), it is clear that the story isn't over. The 12-year-old has matured and is ready for another quest, and the villain is at large. Readers will be eager to follow the young protagonist's next move." - School Library Journal.

"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." - Booklist.

"This wild romp of a book will intrigue and amuse middle schoolers, whether they know the Greek myths or not. Best of all, it looks as though this is just the first adventure for Perseus, Glover, and Annabeth." - Children's Literature.

"The sardonic tone of the narrator's voice lends a refreshing air of realism to this riotously paced quest tale of heroism that questions the realities of our world, family, friendship and loyalty." - Kirkus Reviews

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The Lightning Thief Reader Reviews

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Rated of 5 by Viv
Percy Jack and the Olympians
At first, I saw the movie commercial and thought , is there a book for it? A friend told me that I should start reading the series. I tried it and it was one of the best books I've ever read. This book was filled with Greek mythology that got me interested in borrowing a couple from my public library.

Rated of 5 by Jackie
Great Book!
This book is very good and it is outstanding book to young and the mature readers out there. Rarely, this book got interested from the very beginning. This book talks about mainly about Greek Mythology so I would recommend at least study a bit before reading this book.

Interesting
Greek Mythology
Addicting to read
- Confusing for the people who don't know about Greek Mythology

Rated of 5 by deja bontato
percy jackson and the olympians
This book was the best, so far, children's book I've ever read. It has rich details that explain the life of a child who finds out he's a son of a Greek god. I loved this book and can't wait to read the next one.

Rated of 5 by maddie
it was fantastic
percy jackson and the Lightning Thief is a very exiting and gripping story so I never wanted to stop reading it.

So that is why I gave it 5/5.

Rated of 5 by Rachel Jones
The Lightning Thief
Fantastic! With heart-stopping moments and hilarious characters, you won't want to put this book down.

Rick Riordan Author Biography

Rick Riordan is the multi-award-winning author of the Tres Navarre mystery series for adults and the #1 New York Times bestselling Percy Jackson and the Olympians series for children.

For fifteen years, Rick taught English and history at public and private middle schools in the San Francisco Bay Area and in Texas. In 2002, Saint Mary’s Hall honored him with the school’s first Master Teacher Award.

His adult fiction has won the top three national awards in the mystery genre – the Edgar, the Anthony and the Shamus. He has presented workshops for such organizations as the International Reading Association, the California Association of Independent Schools, the National Council for Teachers of English, the Colonial...

... Full Biography

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