The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan Date of Publication: 200 ISBN: 0786838655 Number of Pages:

REQUIRED READING ABILITY: Junior: Average/High Intermediate: Average
GENRES: Adventure
THEMES : ood versus Evil - Life versus Death - Sacrifice and Redemption - Family
Prejudice - Loyalty - Appearance versus Reality - Coming of Age - Survival - Betrayal

SUMMARY:
Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson has a way with trouble...it always seems to seek him out! He has never made it longer than one year at a school, and his mother is married to Smelly Gabe, an awful man who delights in making Percy miserable! The schools blame Percy's problems on his ADHD and dyslexia, but there's more going on than meets the eye.

Percy arrives home when he's kicked out of a boarding school yet again, and his mother tells him they are going on vacation. On the way, Percy and his mother are attacked by a minotaur and his mother disappears. Percy manages to get away, saving his friend Grover in the process, but he is badly injured. He is nursed to health at a nearby camp, and when Percy awakens, he learns that he is not a 'normal' boy. His fate is destined by the Olympian gods.

Who is Percy's father? Why is Percy called a 'half-blood?' Why does Zeus seem to want Percy dead? As Percy searches for the answers to these questions, he realizes he is being framed for crimes someone is committing against the gods in Percy's name! He sets out to prove his innocence with the help of his friends Grover the satyr, and Annabeth, another half-blood...but can Percy prove his innocence before the gods and their monsters seal his fate for good?

WHO WOULD LOVE THIS BOOK? A kid who...
- is interested in Greek mythology
- likes adventure
- loves to see the underdog prevail
- likes humour
- enjoys stories told in modern vernacular
- is a bit of a rebel
- has a learning disability
- has issues with an absent parent

WHAT ELSE?
This is the first book in the series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, which also includes The Sea of Monsters and Titan’s Curse, with two more books to come.


RELATED LINK:
For more information, check out the following websites:
www.tracievaughnzimmer.com/lighteningthief.htm
http://www.rickriordan.com/children.htm
http://suzyred.com/2006lightningthief.html