The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

The Lightning Thief is the first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan. Here is a summary from Goodreads:

Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse: Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. Percy's mom decides it's time that he knew the truth about where he came from. She sends Percy to Camp Half-Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friends, one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena, Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.

I decided to read this book after I saw the trailer for the movie at the movie theater. I hadn't heard much about the book before then. I'm glad I decided to read it. I enjoyed The Lightning Thief very much. I loved guessing which mythical figure each of the characters were supposed to be. I was worried it was going to be eye-roll-worthy, but it definitely wasn't! Even though Percy is only supposed to be 12-years-old, this book doesn't seem as young as Cirque du Freak was. I loved the descriptions of how the gods looked - very appropriate - especially Poseidon.

After a while Percy, Annabeth, and Grover started to remind me of Harry, Hermione, and Ron from Harry Potter. Percy is the brave one who doesn't know anything about the world he's thrust into, just like Harry. Annabeth is smart and crafty like Hermione. Grover is the somewhat cowardly best friend like Ron. I don't think it's a bad thing that there are similarities, I just found it amusing. I can't wait to read the next book and to see the movie. I was pleasantly surprised by this book.

4 out of 5 stars