Written by Rick Riordan
The older I get, the more convinced I am that “juvenile fiction” is some of the best writing out there. Rick Riordan does nothing to change that opinion.
The hero of this book, Percy Jackson, is a misfit. He has ADHD. His mom is divorced and dating a horrible guy. He has no friends, save one who is as big an outcast as Percy is. And trouble seems to follow him wherever he goes.
Then Percy finds out that his father is a Greek god. Cue the adventure.
I don’t want to spoil the surprise, so I will leave those as the final details that I provide.
Here’s why I love this book, this series, and basically anything else Rick Riordan writes. Riordan tells myth in a way that is very accessible. He makes the stories fun and relatable. But there is also a lesson here for us all. What Riordan and Percy teach us is that we can do anything. The things that make us odd or awkward or weird are also the very things that allow us to do extraordinary things.
This is a fun book. It is a romp across the US, through our childhood imaginations, and through classical history. It is the best type of story: one that teaches while it entertains. Buy it for your kids as a way to teach character and a sense of excitement and adventure. Then read it yourself. Or just be brave and buy it for yourself, kids or no.
Hers for the Reading 