Intro

Percy Jackson and the Olympians—which The Lightning Thief is the first book of—is easily one of the most beloved middle-grade series out there. And, with the ongoing TV series, it’s only gotten even more mainstream over the last few years. So, if you haven’t read it yet, now is a great time to get started!

If you love Greek mythology, snarky heroes, epic adventures, and deep friendships, there’s no better book for you than this one. It has a lot in common with Harry Potter, in that it’s about a regular tween going to a magical place to learn magical things and then getting wrapped up in a dangerous quest, but the overall vibe is very different. While Harry Potter is fairly slow-paced and focuses more on whimsy and drama, Percy Jackson is much faster and puts more stress on humor and action. (Not to mention that Percy has much more sassitude than Harry does, which actually adds more flavor than you’d think.) It’s probably the most unique-feeling middle-grade magic school series I’ve read. (And I’ve read several.)

So, let’s dive into it, shall we?

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan Overview

All his life, Percy Jackson has been labeled as a troublemaker. In six years, he’s been kicked out of six different schools, all because of his repeated involvement in freak incidents. But these incidents aren’t Percy’s fault—it’s just that trouble always seems to follow him.

At first, he thinks it’s just foul luck. But, when his math teacher suddenly transforms into a monster before his eyes and attacks him, it becomes apparent that there’s more to it than that. And, sure enough, when he tells his mother of the incident, she reveals that the father he never knew is one of the Greek gods—making Percy a demi-god, and thus a target for monster attacks.

To ensure Percy’s safety, his mother takes him to Camp Half-Blood, a summer camp dedicated to teaching demi-gods like him how to live up to their godly bloodlines. Once he arrives, though, Percy soon finds himself faced with another, even bigger problem; Zeus’s master lightning bolt has been stolen—and, somehow, Percy is the primary suspect. To top it off, the whole Greek pantheon is now preparing to go to war over the issue.

Determined to stop the war and clear his name, Percy embarks on a quest to find the true thief. He’s joined by Grover Underwood, his best friend from school who claims to be his guardian, and Annabeth Chase, a quick-witted daughter of Athena that Percy can barely stand. They’ll have to work together if they’re to succeed. But, after being given an ominous prophecy from a being known as the Oracle, one that claims that a friend will betray him, Percy finds himself unsure who to trust. Will he be able to navigate the dangers of being a demi-god and stop the war? Or is this quest just going to be another addition to his list of failures?

Personal Thoughts

Okay, I’m aware that this is probably a very writerly thing to nerd out about that normal people probably wouldn’t even pay much attention to, but I’m going to nerd out about it anyway: Riordan is quite possibly the best first-person author I’ve ever read. As a lifelong reader, I’ve read lots of books told in first-person, but none of them feel quite as much like I’m really in another person’s head as Riordan’s. He utilizes the first-person narrative to its full potential, describing the events of the story using Percy’s voice, worldview, and sarcasm. This makes Percy’s personality shine through at pretty much all times, and weaves his thoughts seamlessly into the narration. In the vast majority of the other first-person books I’ve read, it usually doesn’t feel all that different from third-person, just they’re saying “I” and “my” all the time and there’s a little more inner dialogue thrown in. That’s not the case with Percy Jackson, or any of Riordan’s other first-person books. So, in short, if you’re a lover of the first-person narration style, you’ve got to try this book out.

Another thing that I really like about this book—and all of Riordan’s books, actually—is how the mythological elements are handled. Riordan does his research, so his Greek pantheon is probably among the most faithful to the original that I’ve read—the biggest difference is that he translates the Greek gods’ established interests and personalities to a modern context. For example, Ares is a motorcycle dude who likes guns and Dionysus is a beer garden-obsessed hipster. As for the myths themselves—which often serve as inspiration for the plots of the books—Riordan tends to leave them wonderfully untouched, letting them exist in all their weird, over-the-top mythological glory without making any adjustments to make them any less ridiculous or convoluted. He just rolls with it, letting it be weird and nonsensical, which I love. And it’s even better when Percy’s natural sarcasm is taken into account, leading to lots of hilarious conversations and inner dialogue.

As I mentioned earlier, this book is fast-paced, funny, and action-packed—all of which make it a very fun read for just about all ages. I was roughly twelve when I read it the first time, and I remember appreciating the focus on action and humor in particular—largely because I hadn’t been lucky enough to find many other middle-grade books that did them quite the way that I liked. (In most, action scenes were far between, and the humor was often not quite snarky or chaotic enough for my tastes.) So this book was everything my preteen self wanted, and I trust that the same goes for many modern preteens as well. Even reading this series now as an adult, I still love the same things about it—so don’t let yourself think that kids are the only people who can enjoy it.

Outro

That’s all for today’s reading recommendation. I hope I’ve convinced you to give this book a shot. Or, if you’ve already read it, feel free to look into the similar titles I’ve listed below. As always, thanks for reading!

Books Similar to The Lightning Thief

• The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan
• Pegasus: The Flame of Olympus by Kate O’Hearn
• Of Giants and Ice by Shelby Bach
• The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan