I was looking for a new series to introduce to G1 to expand his reading a little when I came across the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan. If you’re a movie goer, you may be familiar with the Percy Jackson movies – The Lightning Thief and The Sea of Monsters. Truth be told, the movies were my first encounter with Percy Jackson. I can’t say I was crazy about them but I found them entertaining enough. G1 has never seen the movies but since he’s been interested in Greek Mythology and Greek Gods, I figured it was worth a try.
We got him the Lightning Thief – book one from Percy Jackson and the Olympians series…
After getting expelled from yet another school for yet another clash with mythological monsters only he can see, twelve-year-old Percy Jackson is taken to Camp Half-Blood, where he finally learns the truth about his unique abilities: He is a demigod, half human, half immortal. Even more stunning: His father is the Greek god Poseidon, ruler of the sea, making Percy one of the most powerful demigods alive. There’s little time to process this news. All too soon, a cryptic prophecy from the Oracle sends Percy on his first quest, a mission to the Underworld to prevent a war among the gods of Olympus. – Amazon Review
All I can say is “wow”… I had to confiscate it so he couldn’t sneak it into his room to read at night. I think the Irish Times had it right when they said it was “unputdownable”. G1 started the series on the weekend and he’s now onto book 4. I don’t know what magic Rick Riordan has weaved into his stories but he certainly pulled the rabbit out of the hat for this series.
A decorated author, Rick Riordan is not only a best-selling author for children’s fiction but he’s also written a multi-award winning series for adult fiction – a mystery series called Tres Navarre (something I should look up for myself perhaps).
Rick Riordan has also written a second series called The Heroes of Olympus and a series on the Egyptian Gods, titled The Kane Chronicles.
At the pace G1’s been devouring these books, I’m not sure how long they will keep him occupied for but I must say that this was a really good pick. Percy Jackson has been recommended for children anywhere between 8 to 14 years old, although Commonsense Media has rated it 9 years and up.
Nurture for the Future 