The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #1) by Rick Riordan

Title: The Lightning Thief
Author: Rick Riordan
Publication: April 2006 by Miramax
Pages: 375
ISBN: 9780786838653

Description: 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. Percy's mom decides it's time that he knew the truth about where he came from. 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. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves

I Give This Book 4 Stars!

I've always been interested in Greek mythology, so this book caught my eye really quick!  The story is extremely simple, which is not suprising since it is written for middle schoolers.  But, it was a fun and fast read.  My only issues were the ease in which the problems were solved and the mythology presented in the book.  For example, why would a 6th grader be able to take out a minotaur so easily?  And then beat Ares, the God of War, in a battle?  There was also a lot of mythology introduced in this book, with little explanation behind it.  I knew most if because I've studied Greek mythology in high school and in college.  But, how much of this would the average middle schooler know?  Still, a very fun way to introduce mythology to young readers!  I'll continue on with the series.