As a troubled New York City teen who continually is failing to perform in school, Percy Jackson, finds that his insecurities, dyslexia, and ADHD are are contributions that ultimately reveal himself as a child of the Greek god Poseidon. After this revelation, while training at Camp Half-Blood, Percy is given the challenge to stop the war between the gods and retrieve Zeus' thunderbolt, along with the help of Grover and Annabeth, to Los Angeles and bring it back to Olympus. Percy is given ten days until the summer solstice (before the war begins) to find out what really happened to the bolt, and is told he must travel to see Hades, lord of the underworld, who is believed to have taken the bolt - which in the end, proves to be not true. Surprisingly, Luke, Percy's friend and fellow sword trainer, is the one who set him up and is the real Lightning Thief. This then leads into Percy deciding to leave Camp Half-Blood and return home with his mom for the year to test out his newfound abilities; yet, he warns that Cronos will seek his revenge with the gods, as the battle and adventures with Percy seem to lead into the next book in the series.
As the challenges Percy and his friends face prove to be life-threatening, the three of them form a bond of trust as they protect each other along the way. Percy's character evolves from a doubtful young man to a brave goldling and hero. At first, his reading disability and ADHD held him back from getting good grades at Yancy Academy; however, it proved to be helpful in deciphering ancient Greek and being able to be aware of all of his surrounding during the battles he fought.
While not knowing much Greek mythology myself, readers are able to gain knowledge and tidbits about each mythical being and creature in order to understand their involvement in the story - and peak their interest in finding out more using other resources. When you are reading The Lightning Thief, Riordan's use vivid descrptions in characters, setting, and chain of events assist in creating clear mental images of Percy's trials and tribulations as if we are right there helping him along the way. Excitment, momentum, and suspense is continued from page to page with the hope that Percy can and will be able to make his mother and father proud of him. Percy, as many middle school children, yearn to be accepted and fit in among their peers. He is a protagonist in a story that a lot of kids connect with in some way. With that being said, I can understand why so many adolescent readers take part in the exploration of the Percy Jackson series. The Lightning Thief is jam-packed with thrilling details that allow children to escape their every day challenges and travel into an existence where fantasy and reality coexist.
The Lightning Thief can also serve as a springboard for researching Greek mythology and various reading and writing connections can be incorporated throughout the story. Rick Riordan's website includes a teacher's guide for each book that includes literature circle discussion questions, project ideas, author video interviews, etc.
http://www.rickriordan.com/index.php/books-for-children/a-teachers-guide-to-percy/
Riordan's website also includes recommendations for "reluctant readers" and/or those who finish the Percy Jackson series and want more books of this type. Included in this link are a list of books that I have used in assisting students of my own in making future book selections.
http://www.rickriordan.com/index.php/books-for-children/recommendations/
I will be reading The Sea Of Monsters as soon as my February Scholastic book order comes in (below is the link for the Arrow order form) - I've ordered the entire series for those who are interested in borrowing!! I just have to know how Percy is going to get back at Luke and whether Cronos will be coming to seek his revenge!! Will Annabelle and Grover join Percy on his next adventure? Is Poseidon going to form more of a closer relationship with his son? How did Percy and Annabelle do while living at home for the year? So many questions...I hope they will be answered in the next book!!
Looking forward to seeing the movie on Tuesday!
http://teacher.scholastic.com/clubs/pdfs/february/arrow.pdf
I completely agree that one of the reasons for this books popularity is the relation that adolescent teens can make with Percy. I am not one to pick up a science fiction book and dive right into it, but even as an adult, I felt a connection with Percy. I wanted him to succeed. I wanted him to prove himself - not to anyone else, but to himself. I can see how young readers would also have that connection, and also see parts of themselves in him. I think, in a way, this is an inspiring story of perserverence.
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