Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com

Average Customer Rating:

Help for the Potter Addicted

Customer Rating:

I've blasted through all four Percy Jackson & the Olympians series and re-read them for extra measure and pleasure. The seamless blending of 21st century situations AND Greek mythology is nectar and ambrosia to someone who, as a child, reveled in Plutarch's mythology of the Greek and Roman gods. It's cleverly written, captures the angst and language of teenagers who have become aware of themselves as heroes and their onerous responsiblity to save mortal humanity. Mr. Riordan effectively and cleverly captures and continues the quirks and foibles of the gods and goddess of Homerian times and plunks them into modern day western civilization. The ancients myths were meant to be timeless parables and that is why the concepts works so well for the series. More, the ancient "monsters" provide our protagonists with ample opportunities to learn about accepting and learning from people who are different. Dealing with parental disaffection and abandonment is another theme of the series, but it's done without a heavy hand. It's a great series for young people and people young at heart. I await the last of the series with great anticipation.

A Snappy Book	Customer Rating:
I liked this book nearly as well as the first book. I had the 3rd book waiting on my lap when I finished this one. A great series for 3rd - 4th graders.

A Snappy Book	Customer Rating:
I liked this one nearly as well as the 1st book. When I finished this book, I had the 3rd book on my lap just waiting to be read! An excellent series for 3rd-4th graders. We read them out loud to my younger brother.

immensely better than book 1!

Customer Rating:

I enjoyed this book so much more than I did book 1. I liked "The Lightning Thief" but there were a few things about it I didn't enjoy, mostly the seemingly random monsters they encountered. I feel the author made a perfect move to take an existing story in mythology (the Odyssey) and use that has the basis of the plot. the story just flows better this way, IMO, and doesn't have than random "monster of the week" feel the first book had. I like the addition of Tyson to the story and the conflicts this bring up, liked Tantalus and his role in the story, and loved the story's conclusion which was a very interesting plot twist. when I read the first book, I was truthfully not sure about the very light tone of the book (I've always gravitated towards darker tales like the His Dark Materials trilogy or later part of the Harry Potter series), but have come to enjoy the lightheartedness of the stories and is a fun alternative to some of the more depressing YA books out there.

Encouragement for reading	Customer Rating:
My son has a reading learning disability and the audio book not only helps him read the book, but encourages him to do so. He loves the Percy Jackson series and requested this audio book even though it wasn't for a school assignment. This is the first time he has ever shown an interest in reading and the audio book makes reading fun and easier for him.