The Lightning Thief AND The Sea of Monsters

Percy Jackson and the Olympian Series
Books 1 & 2
Young Adult Fiction
By Rick Riordan

Ah, summer reading! I've been looking forward to falling into a good book now that I have a LITTLE more time in my days (staying home with a six- and one-year-old only barely affords me more time to read than when I'm teaching full time). Also, I finally figured out how to borrow books from the public library on my Kindle. I know, I'm a little behind the times. And the same goes for reading this delightful series. The first one came out in 2005, and some of my students (and cousins) have been after me to read these books for years. Now I see why.

You probably already know all about these books, being much more up on things than I am. But just in case, here's the premise: sixth grader Percy Jackson finds out in the beginning of the first book that he's the son of an ancient Greek god, only they're not Greek anymore. It's modern day New York. And he's being chased by monsters. For the whole book. It's basically just a very fun, young-adult fantasy romp across the country, with super-cleverly integrated Greek mythology references. I'm learning more about Greek mythology than I ever have from middle school, high school, college, or even teaching the stuff. It's great.

One thing that I can't decide if I love or if it bugs me: it's A LOT like the Harry Potter books. Percy finds out as an adolescent why he's always been so different from everyone else, then goes on a quest with two buddies (a smart girl and a goofy guy), solving one mystery per book but leading up to the major conflict, which is that an evil but previously defeated lord is trying to come back and destroy life as we know it. They go to Camp Half Blood once a year and then return to their regular homes annually. Also, there are frequent interactions with the mortal world and explanations of how mortals don't know about the gods. I kept expecting to hear the word "muggles." So I don't know if it bothers me that Riordan is capitalizing on this successful formula, or makes me glad that there's another chance to experience something like Harry Potter anew.  I guess a little of both. But it doesn't bug me enough to keep me from reading the next three books. I placed holds on the e-reader versions on the library website.  If I get all three at once, I may have to hire a babysitter to take my kids to the park so I can read.