Book Review: Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Synopsis (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.

My thoughts:  Well, I absolutely love Greek Mythology so I was really hoping I would like this book.  It did not disappoint!  What is even better is that my kids (who are homeschooled) and I are learning about Greek Mythology right now in their curriculum so it was easy for me to follow along with all the myths and the Gods.

Riordan does a great job incorporating the Greek myths into our world.  I love that it has history in it but with all the action and monster fighting, it stayed entertaining through the whole book. There were twists through the book that made for fast reading! 

The other thing I loved was the chapter titles!  The first chapter, "I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher" had me laughing from the start.  Each chapter had an equally entertaining title that made me want to keep reading to see the meaning behind them.

I think this is going to be one of my favorite series (alongside Harry Potter and the Mortal Instruments).  I am going to have my son read this next as I know he is going to love it!