I bought this book for my 10 year old son to read, and decided to read it myself. After all, I loved Harry Potter! It is similar to Harry Potter in that Percy & Harry have two best friends that help them on their quest; their home life is challenging; they don't know their own strengths or where they really come from; they don't know who to trust. There is also a summer camp (similar to Hogwarts) where Percy can learn skills with others like him.
What is different is that Percy's story deals with Greek mythology - which I remember next to nothing about! The last time I took a Greek mythology class was when I was starting High School, a very long time ago! Fortunately, the author explains who all of the gods are and what they represent throughout the novel. Percy finds out that he is a demigod (half god/half human) and that he is the only son of Poseidon (since the gods promised not to sire anymore children with humans).
Percy's quest in this book is to find out who stole Zeus' master lightning bolt and return it to him before the summer solstice and pending war between the gods. Although this is a major feat in itself, it is a small problem in the big scheme of things. Evil is lurking in the name of Kronos (Voldemort-like) who is fighting his way to becoming relevant again - by using others to do his evil deeds. That will be the main battle in this series of books. One of Percy's "friends" at camp is actually working for Kronos. (Which becomes obvious as an adult reading this book - but I don't know if all children would pick up on it).
I like Percy and his friends, Annabeth and Grover. What is a tad unique though is that Annabeth and Grover have their own quests. They help Percy in this novel, but I'm not sure if they both come into play in the next one. Grover becomes the seeker he wanted to be - and leaves in search of Pan. Annabeth returns home to be with her father & step-mother. I'm pretty sure we will see Annabeth again, but I'm really not sure about Grover. I ordered the next four books though, so I guess I will find out!
Wendy's Rating: ****
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