Rick Riordan

Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson is on the most dangerous quest of his life.  With the help of a satyr and a daughter of Athena, Percy must journey across the United States to catch a thief who has stolen the original weapon of mass destruction—Zeus’ master bolt.  Along the way, he must face a host of mythological enemies determined to stop him.  Most of all, he must come to terms with a father he has never known, and an Oracle that has warned him of betrayal by a friend.

The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1)

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. When Percy's mom finds out, she knows it's time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he'll be safe. 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.

This book started my love for Greek mythology <3

Marley Musick 

Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1

The Lightning Thief

Daizo 

“A steely look of anger flared in my mother’s eyes, and I thought, just maybe, I was leaving her in good hands after all. Her own.”

“The dead aren’t scary. They’re just sad.”

im starting to believe that Percy and I are the same person 

“ I came from a relatively poor family. Our idea of a splurge was eating out at Burger King and renting a video.”

“ […] most people might think that’s just really bad luck; when you’re a half-blood, you understand that some divine force really is trying to mess up your day.”

“ I resented Poseidon for never visiting me, never helping my mom, never even sending a lousy child-support check.”

“I was used to the occasional weird experience, but usually they were over quickly. This twenty-four/seven hallucination was more than I could handle.”

Here was my favorite teacher, in front of the class, telling me I couldn’t handle it. After saying he believed in me all year, now he was telling me I was destined to get kicked out.”

But the toilets had responded to me. I had become one with the plumbing.

Robert Venditti

After learning that he is the son of a mortal woman and Poseidon, god of the sea, twelve-year-old Percy is sent to a summer camp for demigods like himself, and joins his new friends on a quest to prevent a war between the gods.

The Lightning Thief: The Graphic Novel (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1)

Ivory Flores

“Look, I didn’t want to be a half-blood.”

demeter <3

He pulled a pen from his coat pocket and handed it to me. It was an ordinary disposable ballpoint, black ink,

removable cap. Probably cost thirty cents

Gabi🌸🌷

Even strenght must bow to wisdom sometimes.

Sjoukje Posthumus 

Addictive and emotional book that is fan made material. Very fictional and poignant. 

Someone

Zeus will destroy you!' she promised. 'Hades will have your soul!'

I wasn't sure where the Latin came from. I think it meant 'Eat my pants!

All I could think of was that the teachers must've found the illegal stash of candy I'd been selling out of my dorms room. Or maybe they'd realized I got my Essay on Tom Sawyer from the Internet without ever reading the book and now they were going to take away my grade. Or worse, they were going to make me read the book.

Deadlines just aren't real to me until I'm staring one in the face.

Natalie Christopoulou

Pia 

But this guy was normal. One look at him, and I could see.

"Quite all right, Annabeth," she said. "You have such beautiful gray eyes, child" Only later did I wonder how she knew Annabeth's name, even though we had never introduced ourselves.

My father?" I asked, completely bewildered. "Poseidon," said Chiron. "Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God."

"Monsters don't die, Percy. They can be killed. But the don't die."

desculpa eu ainda prefiro harry potter mas os personagens daq sao mais legais

yas 

Amazing story for teenagers to get into reading! Highly recommend

Margaux Kupp

love, love, LOVE! I read a lot of this as an audiobook on bookbeat and i loved it so much!! got me back into greek mythology.

loni

This whole series is why I basically learnt everything there is to know about Greek mythology (not (also, rookie move because this is a children’s book series that will explain everything you need to know about Greek myth anyway)). Actually enjoyable, I can see why it appeals to a big audience from various age groups.

mikki

This is a book I'm reading for the second time in years. I didn't think I would like it as much or feel as excited to read the continuation as when I read it the first time. To my surprise, the build up for the second book and Percy's personality washed over me all the same. I feel a deep affection for this saga, and it makes me happy that this is indeed a good book.

soir

Okay, I live in a house where it's divided into Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. I, as the youngest, was never on any sides. (I had never read them.) I first tried Harry Potter. Whoow! I could not read it. I don't know why, but I couldn't make it more than a hundred pages. Then it was my brothers birthday and he got Percy Jackson. (The first series: The Olympians.) And then I read this and LOVED it! I honestly really recommend this for people who couldn't read Harry Potter. <3

Bea </3

This was fun! The characters were endearing and exciting. I liked the simplicity of it. It is a great book for young readers!

Camron Swartzendruber

i wish i hadnt watched half of the first movie before reading this because i found myself so bored for the the first half of this book :/ BUT it grew on me a lot, love greek mythology used in modern times. will continue the series but it hasnt got me completely addicted yet 

Jennifer Gosnell

Overall, I quite enjoyed this. But I felt like it was lacking the GRIPPING/can’t-put-it-down quality that I was anticipating. There were a lottt of easy-to-overcome obstacles that felt like they were taking us away from the main plot and at times I felt irritated by those. And it dragged a bit in the middle for awhile. But I enjoyed the ADHD and Dyslexia representation, I was also a kid with both of those. And I liked the characters! I’ll probably continue the series at some point.

Anna 

je mi vážně líto, že to říkám, protože vím, že hodně z vás s Percym vyrostlo a je to součást vašeho dětství, ale mně se prostě nelíbil.
prvních 100 stran bylo ok, příběh začínal, děly se tam zajímavé věci, jenže potom bylo dalších 200 stran opravdu k nesnesení. hrdinové cestovali přes USA a pořád se jim něco dělo. bylo to už tak přetažené za vlasy, že to ztratilo veškeré kouzlo.
u většiny knih máte úvod, zápletku, a rozuzlení, ale tady mi přišlo, že byla jen zápletka jedna za druhou každých 10 stran. a to ani nemluvím o tom, jak zvláštně a řekla bych až povrchově to bylo napsáno. prostě mi to nesedlo, člověk sotva pochopil, že se něco děje, a po 2 stranách to bylo vyřešeno, ale za další 3 strany se začalo dít zase něco jiného. a takhle to šlo pořád a pořád a pořád. nevím, prostě mi to hrozně vadilo.
dál jsem si samozřejmě všimla podoby s Harrym Potterem, tři nejlepší přátelé, hlavní hrdina jakž takž, ale bez chytré kamarádky by nepřežil, a podpůrný třetí kamarád, který je 'comic relief'.
taky mi neseděl autorův humor, ale tak to není jeho chyba.
.
dávám tomu 3*/5*, jsem zklamaná. další díly zkusím přečíst, ale je taky dost možné, že celou sérii odložím a nevrátím se k ní.

radhika dhawan

The lightening thief

I really liked this book! The book was a bit just like "move to each major plot point back to back" and but that is what I would expect for a book series for kids. It was fun seeing the greek mythology in a modern context.

Ashley Denktas

Andrea Morales

maybe si lo hubiera leído a los 13 I would’ve liked it more… actually no I did read it at 13 and still didn’t like it. I don’t think it’s bad, some parts are quite enjoyable, maybe it’s just not for me. 
love me some greek mythology, but I draw the line at making poseidon wear a tommy bahamas shirt.

Kaitlin Simpson

Loved the movie and overall premise of the story. Just might be a little too juvenile for my taste, but it is a great read for young readers! Wish I would have read this earlier.

Shaq H

played out like a movie in my head wow. can't believe I despised reading growing up, this would have rocked 10 year old me's world DOWN

Ditipriya Acharya

I think the Percy Jackson series was after my time because I did not read them as a kid. As a 12-year old I would have loved the characters and the story of this series but as a grown up I found it a little difficult to relate to the situations in the book that are unabashedly targeted at pre-teens. But having said that, reading this book was still an enjoyable experience. 

The first book in the series is an archetypal hero on a quest story, where our unlikely protagonist (Percy Jackson) is the underdog till he is in a dangerous situation that makes him face his real identity (a demigod). He then finds his true family (Camp Half-Blood) and a mentor (Chiron), who send him on a quest he think he isn't ready. He, and his gang, is met with several obstacles for until, lo and behold, he comes out victorious. 

What I really enjoyed about the book was the humour, I didn't think I would enjoy it as much as I did. I also liked how each chapter had a title and I think that this is something that authors should definitely include more often.

Jordan

Will read again for a second time to understand the story, might pump it up for a 4 star though :DD

Luca

Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school . . . again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he's angered a few of them. Zeus's master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect. Now Percy and his friends have just ten days to find and return Zeus's stolen property and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.

Elisavet Rozaki 

Emily

I can't believe I only just recently got into this series. This is 100 times better than the movies. (Though I think the movies are good on their own, disconnected to PJO). I found myself more in love with these characters than most other books about a 12 year old boy who is "the chosen one." I'm sure you know who I'm talking about.

I can't wait to continue reading about this world, and I'm very certain I'm not going to be able to put down the books until I'm completely caught up!

kait

I really liked this and it brought back so many good memories of reading as a kid. This book is so nostalgic and I was able to remember so many scenes very vividly. That may be from watching the movie but even the parts of the book they did not put into the movie were so well-written and in-depth. I loved that this book was able to bring me back into light fantasy and captured my attention. I was on the edge of my seat for most of the action scenes and I was genuinely concerned for the characters so much so that this book made me want to read more books with action and danger scenes in them because of how good these were. There were some things I wish were different like the pop cultures references from so long ago and I probably would have liked them more when the book came out but they made the book feel a little old. However, this book was so good if you are looking for a nostalgic feel. I definitely recommend this book to some many kids who want to get into reading, to anyone who wants to get back into reading, or anyone looking for a good & easy read.

Chell A

Re-read this because of the new show coming up, an easy read when i needed something light!

Sarah Sammis

On May 13, 2010, the Booking Through Thursday question asked if our book choices are influenced by outside forces. Although I didn't have time to write a post as a response, The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan is a perfect venue. During a lunch with Pam of Bookalicious she suggested my son might like The Lightning Thief based on how he liked Coraline and his general love of monsters. As she specializes in tween and YA books, I jumped on her suggestion and bought the book the next day.

The Lightning Thief and the four other books in the Percy Jackson series ended up being a family favorite. My husband and son read it (with Harriet sometimes listening in) and then it was my turn to read it. It speaks well of a book (or series) that can bring an entire family together.

Percy Jackson is twelve at the start of the series. He's ADD and dyslexic and has a bad history with schools. Something always goes wrong and he ends up blamed for it and expelled. He's nearly survived a year at his current school, a personal best when things go wrong once again. Except this time, one of his schoolmates, Grover, lets him in a big secret. He's a demigod, just like his namesake, Perseus.

At the very basic level, Percy Jackson is like another Harry Potter: a boy with a rough life in the normal world finding a home in a magical school and faced with newfound powers and dangers. That's though where the similarities stop. Percy, though he's had a hard time in school, comes from a loving family. Sure, he has a nasty step father but there's a reason for his nastiness. He otherwise has a loving (and living) mother and father. Secondly, Percy's world of the gods, demigods and monsters isn't separate and parallel to the mortals the way that it is for muggles and magic users in the Harry Potter series. The two exist (for the most part) together, hidden by the Mist. Finally, Percy Jackson lives in New York and his summer camp is on Long Island. His quest takes him across the United States and back, giving a very different setting to his magical tale than the more typical British isles (be it England, Scotland, Wales or Ireland).

Best of all though, The Lightning Thief got my son thinking and asking questions about Greek mythology and American geography. Although he's finished the series, he's still talking about it and still asking questions. That earns it five stars on the GoodReads scale.

The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1)

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