The Lightning Thief

Riordan, Rick. The Lightning Thief. Book 1 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. 2005. 377p. ISBN 9780786838653. Available at FIC RIO on the library shelves.

Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson has never known his father, and though his mother does her best to protect him, her no-good husband, Percy's stepfather, is a self-centered and abusive jerk who wants Percy out. Attending a private school, Percy once again finds himself close to being suspended. Despite himself, he's always getting in trouble. It's as if trouble followed him wherever he goes... At school, Percy's only friend Grover does his best to help him stay on the right path, but it is so difficult. The only thing Percy enjoys is his Latin class, where the teacher makes the antique world come alive.

On a class field trip to a museum, Percy is attacked by his math teacher, and soon discovers that he is in fact the son of Poseidon, god of the sea. The Greek gods survived to today, and they continue to toy with humanity. Someone stole Zeus' lightning bolt, and Percy has been blamed for the theft, and Poseidon is threatened with war if it is not returned. Percy is stunned to learn all of this from his friend Grover, who is actually a Satyr sent to protect him.

Percy's mother decides to take him to Camp Half-Blood for his own protection, because all kinds of mythological monsters and beasts are now hunting him, but she is killed by a Minotaur on the border of the camp. Camp Half-Blood is a safe space for the children of the gods, and there Percy meets Annabeth, daughter of Athena, and soon he, Grover, and Annabeth find themselves on a quest to retrieve the lightning bolt, save his mother from Hades, and prevent a war between the gods. Percy will need all of his wits to survive a cross-country trip with gods, monsters, and beasts all wanting to be the ones to capture him and deliver him to Zeus for swift punishment....

A fantastical tale where the gods are still present and living in New York City, the story of Percy combines heroics of Greek mythology and modern sensibilities to deliver a fast-paced tale that readers who appreciate fantasy or tales from the antiquity will surely enjoy.