I've mentioned that I love being entertained before and books are very entertaining. For this month, I've chosen The Lightning Thief and I am fond of it. Certainly, Percy Jackson and The Olympians is a good series and appropriate for a young age group. I first read this when I was in 6th grade. It was actually the summer reading assignment, but I enjoyed every moment of it. When you have a book that is fun, it is not a chore; it is a chance to learn something interesting.
Rick Riordan is also a funny/sarcastic writer. As evidenced by the table of contents in The Lightning Thief. The chapters are amusing and also make you want to read further. Why are three old ladies knitting death socks? What is a Garden Gnome Emporium? Which god buys them cheeseburgers? How does he settle his tab? And where does he battle his jerk relative?
All of your questions will be answered if you dare to flip the pages. And I do mean dare. Percy warns you on the first page that if you're one of them, then you might want to stop reading immediately. Because they'll find you.
And who are they, you might ask.
They are the monsters. The things that stalk and hunt demigods.
Or as Percy says, half-bloods.
It's a very down-to-earth story. I mean that in readability and the way that it is written. The beginning is like Percy is speaking directly to you. He gives you the basics, tells you who he is and then gets into the story. We learn that he has had an unusual childhood. Strange things happen around him and he's been kicked out of more schools than your average middle schooler.
It isn't until later that we understand what the other half of his heritage might be. Part god. Greek god to be exact. Olympus is real. Monsters are real. And well, they're all...mad because something has been stolen. It doesn't take a genius to figure it out. Merely read the title and I think you know what it is. Begin the chant of: quest! Quest! Quest! We need a quest!
Give us a Joseph Campbell Hero's Journey!
The setting is a sort of modern day mixed with mythology. The things we know exist, but there is a hidden world that our mortal eyes can't see. Namely because of the mist, but that concept will be explained later. However, a modern day setting means that Percy and his two companions will be traveling in a modern day world. Buses, trains, walking...actually I just thought about a fun vacation where you mimicked his journey across the states. Wouldn't that be fun? If only some of the more fanciful locations were real.
Back to the book. Percy is relatable, especially if you're around 12 when you're reading this. He has to deal with bullying, not fitting in, strange teachers, and an awful step parent. And that is before he learns that he is a demigod.
Also, I think that it is really great that Rick Riordan invented the story for his son, Haley, and that it was meant to normalize ADHD and dyslexia. These aren't bad things. They're signs that you're a demigod - you can't sit still because of your fighting reflexes and your brain finds it easier to read ancient Greek than the modern alphabet.
Besides that, Greek mythology is cool. It is absolutely fascinating. There are so many stories and variations on stories. There is so much art to be found. Our language has some roots in Greek. And they have some of the weirdest/terrifying monsters. How is a half-man, half-bull possible? Yet, it happens. What about a woman with snakes for hair and a petrifying gaze? And that is just scratching the surface.
Consider Percy Jackson as an introduction to the world of Greek mythology and perhaps you'll feel spurred on to dig deeper and uncover buried bones of myths not so dead.
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