As a huge Harry Potter fan, I have often wondered, so what will be the next young-adult series that I will read, LOVE, re-read, see the movies the day they come out and still enjoy watching them on television. Then I discovered the Twilight Series (2005) where I was transformed into a vampire and werewolf loving teenage reader falling madly for Stephenie Meyer’s characters. Lately I had begun to wonder, what next? I can read Jodi Picoult books (but they are not a series) and I can read other popular best-sellers, but what I really love is a good book series. Over Spring Break my best friend’s daughter was glued to Percy Jackson books and knowing her daughter to also be a lover of Harry Potter, I was curious as to what Percy Jackson was all about.
Now let’s be honest here, there were countless similarities between The Lightning Thief and the Harry Potter Series (1998) as I often found myself stopping, laughing, and being reminded of something or some event I had enjoyed in Rowling’s works. Will I read the rest of the books in this series someday? Yes. Tomorrow? No.
Percy Jackson is different than other kids and not just because he suffers from severe dyslexia, but because he is the son of a Greek god. Unaware of his mythological connections he finds that he has been kicked out of several different schools in the New York City area including the latest, a boarding school. He has behavior problems, very few friends and begins to have illusions or dreams with mythological monsters. His Mom, who becomes a major part of Percy’s quest (yes, this action hero also goes on a quest like Potter and the vampires in Twilight), seems at times to be the only person to truly care and love for Percy. She attempts to take Percy away for a weekend and thus the action begins as mythological characters, both gods and monsters make appearances in an attempt to get Percy. Percy begins to connect the characters to those right out of the pages of his Greek Mythology textbook and classroom lectures.
Percy arrives at Yancy Academy where he meets many of the half-bloods (does this sound Rowling-esque as well?) like himself, children of the Greek gods. At the Academy Percy begins to settle in and adjust to his new life just in time to be given a quest. Along with his friends Annabeth and Grover (part boy – part donkey) they attempt to return Zeus’ stolen master lightning bolt while dealing with a father who has abandoned him (Poseidon – Greek God of Seas, Storms and Earthquakes), solving the riddle of the Oracle and rescuing his Mom from the underworld.
This story starts out exciting right from the beginning, but as a reader, I would suggest this book only for being who are interested in reading fantasy where Greek gods and monsters are discussed in detail, their lives and their importance.
