Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan
This is one of my favorite books!! I am so excited to do a review! Aaaannndddd....I stole my name from one of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians' characters. Note: I have read all of these books SO many times, that the general stuff kind of blends together so forgive me if I refer to something that isn't actually in this book. You will find it later in other books.
Please read and comment.
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 lightening 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 a betrayal of a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves. (from back cover)
Ages: 9+
Positive elements:
This could take a while. One reason I think Percy Jackson has become so popular is because Percy is a real hero. He's just a kid, age 12, but he has solid values. He has a strong relationship with his mom and sticks up for her when his step-dad pushes her around. Percy is loyal to his friends and tries to do the right thing. And (as you will see in the next books) when he doesn't do the right thing, his conscience bugs him. Percy and his friends are very close and are always loyal to each other. They risk their lives for each other lots of times.
Spiritual content:
Well, if you read the blurb from the back cover, you know that this book has a lot to do with gods and goddesses. They are discussed and interacted with almost constantly. Mr. Brunner makes one reference to God with a captial G but says they "shan't deal with the metaphysical" and the matter of God is pushed away. They then discuss "gods, plural, as in, great beings that control the forces of nature and human endeavors: the immortal gods of Olympus. That's a smaller matter." Whether you agree or not, is up to you.
Sexual content:
Percy is attracted to Annabeth (not in any particular way) but she pushes him away. To all female readers, however, it is clear the sentiments are mirrored. Dionysious is punished for "chasing after" a tree nymph, even though he's married.
Violent content:
There is lots of this, although none of it is very graphic. Several times throughout the book (and series), Percy will say something to the effect of, "I won't describe it to you. Believe me, you wouldn't want me to." Percy kills a monster by stabbing it in the chest with a horn. Monsters are killed but, I might add, they disintegrate, so there is hardly any blood. Gods get injured and bleed golden ichor, the blood of the gods. Percy gets injured several times, nothing serious, but he is cured with ambrosia and nectar. Percy is warned not to drink too much nectar or it will turn "your blood to fire and your bones to sand and you'd be dead".
Crude or profane language:
a few uses of "gods" and "oh my gods".
Drug and alcohol content:
The gods and half-bloods drink ambrosia. Dionysious, god of wine, is always talking about wine.
Other negative elements :
At the end, one of Percy's good friends betrays them and joins Kronos. People are untrustworthy. A camper tries to shove Percy's head down a toilet. (spoiler warning) Percy retaliates with making the toilets explode and spewing water on the camper.
Percy threatens to make someone "gargle with the toilet water".
Ms. Jackson gets pregnant (with Percy) without being married.
Percy, Annabeth, and Grover visit a casino and hotel where they are trapped for several days because the hotel confuses their brains.
Conclusion:
This is a wonderful book (and series). Percy is a great role model for kids and teens. He isn't perfect, but he tries. He is very loyal to his friends and loves his mom. The story line is excellent, and has several interesting twists. This is a very good series for kids looking for good, clean books. What's not to love!?
Please let me know what you think in the comments!
Happy reading!
~Thalia
Please read and comment.
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 lightening 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 a betrayal of a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves. (from back cover)
Ages: 9+
Positive elements:
This could take a while. One reason I think Percy Jackson has become so popular is because Percy is a real hero. He's just a kid, age 12, but he has solid values. He has a strong relationship with his mom and sticks up for her when his step-dad pushes her around. Percy is loyal to his friends and tries to do the right thing. And (as you will see in the next books) when he doesn't do the right thing, his conscience bugs him. Percy and his friends are very close and are always loyal to each other. They risk their lives for each other lots of times.
Spiritual content:
Well, if you read the blurb from the back cover, you know that this book has a lot to do with gods and goddesses. They are discussed and interacted with almost constantly. Mr. Brunner makes one reference to God with a captial G but says they "shan't deal with the metaphysical" and the matter of God is pushed away. They then discuss "gods, plural, as in, great beings that control the forces of nature and human endeavors: the immortal gods of Olympus. That's a smaller matter." Whether you agree or not, is up to you.
Sexual content:
Percy is attracted to Annabeth (not in any particular way) but she pushes him away. To all female readers, however, it is clear the sentiments are mirrored. Dionysious is punished for "chasing after" a tree nymph, even though he's married.
Violent content:
There is lots of this, although none of it is very graphic. Several times throughout the book (and series), Percy will say something to the effect of, "I won't describe it to you. Believe me, you wouldn't want me to." Percy kills a monster by stabbing it in the chest with a horn. Monsters are killed but, I might add, they disintegrate, so there is hardly any blood. Gods get injured and bleed golden ichor, the blood of the gods. Percy gets injured several times, nothing serious, but he is cured with ambrosia and nectar. Percy is warned not to drink too much nectar or it will turn "your blood to fire and your bones to sand and you'd be dead".
Crude or profane language:
a few uses of "gods" and "oh my gods".
Drug and alcohol content:
The gods and half-bloods drink ambrosia. Dionysious, god of wine, is always talking about wine.
Other negative elements :
At the end, one of Percy's good friends betrays them and joins Kronos. People are untrustworthy. A camper tries to shove Percy's head down a toilet. (spoiler warning) Percy retaliates with making the toilets explode and spewing water on the camper.
Percy threatens to make someone "gargle with the toilet water".
Ms. Jackson gets pregnant (with Percy) without being married.
Percy, Annabeth, and Grover visit a casino and hotel where they are trapped for several days because the hotel confuses their brains.
Conclusion:
This is a wonderful book (and series). Percy is a great role model for kids and teens. He isn't perfect, but he tries. He is very loyal to his friends and loves his mom. The story line is excellent, and has several interesting twists. This is a very good series for kids looking for good, clean books. What's not to love!?
Please let me know what you think in the comments!
Happy reading!
~Thalia
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