Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

Book Cover for The Lightning Thief

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief
by Rick Riordan
1st published 2006
400 pages
Reading Level: Ages 9 - 12 ( ahem!)



If you are looking for a light, entertaining book to read while on your relaxing summer vacation here in Spain, I recommend you give Percy Jackson a shot.  You might have seen the movie but perceiving the story in ones own imagination and tempo is a good idea nonetheless. Or the claims of it being a blunt Harry Potter knock-off... Yes, the similarities to Harry Potter are obvious from the get-go but Riordan gave it an interesting new spin: Greek Gods& Goddesses  instead of witches&sorcerers; New York instead of the English countryside and instead of Harry´s scar, Percy is dyslexic and has ADHD. Riordan gave him those characteristics in particular because one of his own sons is challenged with the same.
And that´s what makes this story so special, it really only started as a story a dad wrote for his kid and subsequently made itself a name by word of mouth.

Usually I like to read reviews on Amazon before reading a book but this time it was vice versa. For the simple reason that I could hardly lay the book down once I started reading! I´m my fair share past the suggested reader´s age and I enjoyed it just as much, if not more thanks to previous recreational studies of Greek mythology and having been to NYC, which helped paint a brighter image of the characters and settings. Mount Olympus being on top of the Empire State Building just has to make you chuckle!

If nothing else,  it´s an easy read and it helps pass the time between flipping sides while tanning :)


Juanra / Feelfree Rental