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A review by kamrynkoble
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
5.0
I completely see why this was my first "favorite" book. In fourth grade, a group of boys handed me The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordon and I was as skeptical as a nine-year-old girl can be--why would I want this odd fantasy book? Deciding to trust the boys, I started a whirlwind journey that would consist of seven years of being obsessed with the world of Percy Jackson. In fact, you would be hard-pressed to find a school notebook of mine that did not have some creepy fan fiction or fan art in it. What I love about it has changed with me, as I now understand the science behind writing a good book more than I did, but this truly remains a masterpiece and I am not disappointed with my elementary school taste.
Percy Jackson is a juvenile delinquent, a boy whose smallest problem is that he's going to be kicked out of boarding school again. His life is quickly turned around when the gods and monsters of his textbook start to come to life before him--especially when he's angered a few of them. Percy and his friends have only a few days to set things right on Olympus before World War III commences.
This book is incredibly important. So much went right over my head when I was younger, and I couldn't be more thankful that I reread it. Percy Jackson loves his mom. That seems like a strange thing to be excited about; however, parents in books--especially ones like this--are set up as either completely uninvolved in their children's lives, or evil villains trying to stop their children from reaching their true potential. Sally Jackson is a mortal woman married to a physically abusive scumbag, , got pregnant as a teen and never saw the father again, finished high school later, and now works a minimum wage job. Despite this, she's presented as a lovely woman who loves her son, selflessly sacrifices her own life for his well-being, and Poseidon himself declares her "a queen among mortal women." I love how Percy appreciates everything she does even if he doesn't understand it right away. Riordon presented a very fresh way on how we view women like Sally and how boys should treat their mothers.
Along with dear Sally, I love Annabeth. I'm not going to pretend that she wasn't the driving force in my mind for years and years. I've always been obsessed with Annabeth. I wanted a blonde wig and gray contacts, I took an architecture class just because she loves it, I've drawn her on every worksheet and worn my orange t-shirt with pride. Now, as an older reader, I can appreciate her even more. She's not a wimp, she's mature beyond her twelve years, she fights "with the boys" (figuratively and literally), she's beautiful but her brains are more important (not to mention that she's respected for them!), she's witty and she has uncommon interests like architecture, she loves to read, she's so brave (in the big things like facing monsters and the seemingly smaller things like facing her stepmom), and she is such an important heroine. I can't sing her praises enough. I am nothing like Annabeth, but she is such a good role-model despite the fact that she kills monsters.
Now let's get on to the literature side of things. I am so thankful that I can now appreciate Riordon's mastery and it makes me sad that this book is dubbed for middle grade students so adults don't read it. This man's foreshadowing is flawless. His story arcs begin and are tied up neatly, he's a connoisseur of the plot diagram, and every little thing he does has intention. Writers, read these books. Riordon knows his way around a good technical story, that's for sure.
Not to mention that it's so exciting! I'm not typically a fantasy girl and I love reading the battle scenes! Can you tell that I'm practically gushing? I'm sure anyone reading this review has gathered that I'm a big nerd-subject-advocate. I didn't realize how much knowing these novels has helped me in school. An incredible amount of education is happening in a pretty little swords-and-dragons bundle. I could name all twelve major gods and goddesses by fourth grade, plenty of minor ones, all the big names in Greek mythology. Those are our roots, they're important, and it is so fun to learn about them through Percy Jackson. It was also wonderful to see iconic figures in literature like Zeus and Ares in a modern form that kids can identify more with than the stuffy men in togas.
Thank you for this book, Rick Riordon. I cannot thank you enough. If anyone somehow escaped adolescence without reading this book, please go find it. I'm sure your library has twelve copies. It truly is remarkable.
Percy Jackson is a juvenile delinquent, a boy whose smallest problem is that he's going to be kicked out of boarding school again. His life is quickly turned around when the gods and monsters of his textbook start to come to life before him--especially when he's angered a few of them. Percy and his friends have only a few days to set things right on Olympus before World War III commences.
This book is incredibly important. So much went right over my head when I was younger, and I couldn't be more thankful that I reread it. Percy Jackson loves his mom. That seems like a strange thing to be excited about; however, parents in books--especially ones like this--are set up as either completely uninvolved in their children's lives, or evil villains trying to stop their children from reaching their true potential. Sally Jackson is a mortal woman married to a physically abusive scumbag, , got pregnant as a teen and never saw the father again, finished high school later, and now works a minimum wage job. Despite this, she's presented as a lovely woman who loves her son, selflessly sacrifices her own life for his well-being, and Poseidon himself declares her "a queen among mortal women." I love how Percy appreciates everything she does even if he doesn't understand it right away. Riordon presented a very fresh way on how we view women like Sally and how boys should treat their mothers.
Along with dear Sally, I love Annabeth. I'm not going to pretend that she wasn't the driving force in my mind for years and years. I've always been obsessed with Annabeth. I wanted a blonde wig and gray contacts, I took an architecture class just because she loves it, I've drawn her on every worksheet and worn my orange t-shirt with pride. Now, as an older reader, I can appreciate her even more. She's not a wimp, she's mature beyond her twelve years, she fights "with the boys" (figuratively and literally), she's beautiful but her brains are more important (not to mention that she's respected for them!), she's witty and she has uncommon interests like architecture, she loves to read, she's so brave (in the big things like facing monsters and the seemingly smaller things like facing her stepmom), and she is such an important heroine. I can't sing her praises enough. I am nothing like Annabeth, but she is such a good role-model despite the fact that she kills monsters.
Now let's get on to the literature side of things. I am so thankful that I can now appreciate Riordon's mastery and it makes me sad that this book is dubbed for middle grade students so adults don't read it. This man's foreshadowing is flawless. His story arcs begin and are tied up neatly, he's a connoisseur of the plot diagram, and every little thing he does has intention. Writers, read these books. Riordon knows his way around a good technical story, that's for sure.
Not to mention that it's so exciting! I'm not typically a fantasy girl and I love reading the battle scenes! Can you tell that I'm practically gushing? I'm sure anyone reading this review has gathered that I'm a big nerd-subject-advocate. I didn't realize how much knowing these novels has helped me in school. An incredible amount of education is happening in a pretty little swords-and-dragons bundle. I could name all twelve major gods and goddesses by fourth grade, plenty of minor ones, all the big names in Greek mythology. Those are our roots, they're important, and it is so fun to learn about them through Percy Jackson. It was also wonderful to see iconic figures in literature like Zeus and Ares in a modern form that kids can identify more with than the stuffy men in togas.
Thank you for this book, Rick Riordon. I cannot thank you enough. If anyone somehow escaped adolescence without reading this book, please go find it. I'm sure your library has twelve copies. It truly is remarkable.