The Lightning Thief (Corey Whelihan)

Title: The Lightning Thief
Author: Rick Riordan
Publisher: Hyperion Paperbacks for Children
Pages: 375

Where did you find the book?: I found this book lying around my house and it looked kind of interesting.

Summary: Percy Jackson is a twelve year old boy, diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia. Because of this and other strange things he doesn't know the truth about, he has been kicked out of every school he has attended, and gets in trouble with the law a lot. While on a trip to a beach cabin with his mother, Percy's friend Grover reveals that he is a satyr, and that they must go to camp. Once percy gets to the camp, he is moved into the cabin of Hermes, which is where all of the newcomers go until their Olympian parents come to claim them. Percy gets attacked by the children at the camp, but heals when he goes into the river at the camp, and is revealed as the son of Poseidon when Poseidon's trident appears above his head. Percy is then given a quest to find Zeus' master bolt and return it to him within ten days, before the summer solstice. Percy encounters many different challenges and people on his quest. Percy eventually brings Zeus his master bolt on top of the Empire State Building, but Zeus tells him that he may never enter the skay again. When Percy gets back to camp, he is stung by a poisonous scorpion that was called out by a boy named Luke, and nearly dies. He is saved by Chiron and at the end of the summer, he decides to attend another school that his mother finds, even though he's sure he will get kicked out.

Who is the audience?:I would say that the audience for this book would probably be early teenagers and high school students, because some adults might find some of the ideas in it sort of childish.

What is the author's writing style?:The author's writing style is very descriptive and tells the story in the first person through the eyes of the narrator. "Mrs. Dodds was a sand castle in a power fan. She exploded into yellow powder, vaporized on the spot, leaving nothing but the smell of sulfur and a dying screech and a chill of evil in the air, as if those two glowing red eyes were still watching me. I was alone."

Three passages that struck me in some way:
1) "It's funny how humans can wrap their mind around things and fit them into their version of reality." I liked this passage because it is something that every person does. They see and hear the things that they want to see and hear. They take life, no matter how it happens, and they morph it so that it pleases them. I just thought it was an interesting quote because it applies to everyone.
2)"He was slumped over, blood trickling from the side of his mouth. I shook his furry hip, thinking, No! Even if you are half barnyard animal, you're my best friend and I don't want you to die!" I liked this quote this quote because it really showed how strong the characters bond of friendship was. Even though his best friend was part barnyard animal and was severely hurt, he still really cared about him and stayed to help, when he could have just left him behind to die.
3)"Hades raised an eyebrow. When he sat forward in his throne, shadowy faces appeared in the folds of his black robes, faces of torment,as if the garment was stitched of trapped souls from the Fields of Punishment, trying to get out. The ADHD part of me wondered, off-task, whether the rest of his clothes were made the same way. What horrible things would you have to do in your life to get woven into Hades' underwear?" I liked this quote because I thought it was really funny. Although Percy is in a dangerous situation, dealing with Hades, he is wondering what horrible things you would have to do in order for your life to get woven into Hades underwear. I just thought that it was funny, and it wasn't something that I would have expected him to say in that situation.

How I interacted with the book?:I thought that this was a pretty good book. It is not the style of book that I would normally read, but I found it fairly interesting. I really don't know how I would relate to this book, except for the fact that the main character Percy Jackson, and I, are similar in the fact that we are both very determined to achieve our goals in everything that we do. A part that really spoke to me was when Percy's best friend got badley hurt, and even though Percy could have just left him there, he stayed with him and made sure that he was alright. I would recommend this book who like mythological stories, such as those of the Greek Gods