Book Review: The Lightning Thief: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1
Rated by 17 members
What Parents Should Know
Parents should know that the premise of the story is that
Greek gods have affairs with mortal women and the resulting
children are demigods. You'll find fantasy violence including
swordplay and monsters. Percy's mom is apparently killed in
front of him and his stepfather, who drinks to excess, used to
hit his mother.
Families can talk about the references to Greek gods and myths. Finding and identifying the references can be a fun parent/child game. Issues such as urban sprawl and environmental destruction are also raised.
Common Sense Media Review
Written from Percy's point of view in choppy,
attitude-filled prose, there are two levels of fun here. One is
the fastpaced adventure/quest of a young hero and his friends
to save the world. This part is exciting and suspenseful, and,
though the characters aren't emotionally involving, very
satisfying nonetheless. Action and humor keep the pages turning
as the three young heroes race across the U.S., beset by
mythological monsters all the way, to find the entrance to the
Underworld (in L.A., where else?) before war breaks out.
Children who don't know much mythology can still enjoy the
breakneck adventure on its own.
For those who do know Greek myths though, or for those inspired to go find out about them, there's another level of fun here -- spotting the references and laughing at the wicked ways the author has updated the gods and monsters for the 21st century: Ares is a cross between a Hell's Angel and a professional wrestler, a math teacher is a harpy in disguise, and demigods can communicate by IMing -- Iris messaging (you'll have to read it to get the details on that one). A fun read for anyone, and a great read-aloud for a class studying mythology.
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