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The Lightning Thief Book Review

5.0 rating
Reviewed by Ashlee Kelsen in Book Review
  • AuthorRick Riordan
  • PublisherPuffin
  • Published1/01/2013
  • Pages377

Hello everyone! This is Ashlee! If you don’t remember, in Episode 6: My Reading Goals for 2020, I said that I wanted to finish a series. I did mention Nancy Drew, but I also said I wanted to read the Percy Jackson series! Well, ladies and gentlemen, I can now say I’ve finished the Percy Jackson series! For a while now.

The Book Review Podcast

I’m currently on The Mark of Athena, the third book of the Heroes of Olympus series. For this week’s episode, I wanted to share my thoughts on the book that started it all! The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, sorry if I’m saying his last name wrong. I hope everyone enjoys it!

The Review

12-year-old Percy Jackson has always been a troubled kid. He has been expelled from so many schools, along with his abusive father, Gabe, and he has ADHD and dyslexia. Once Percy has an exciting encounter with his Algebra teacher Mrs. Dodds, he finds out he’s more important then he thinks, and Percy gets brung to a camp, Camp Half-Blood by his satyr friend, Grover.

At camp, he realizes that the Greek gods are real, and he is a descendent of Poseidon, the god of the sea. Percy meets Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, goddess of wisdom and battle strategy, and they have a rocky relationship. The easiest way to put it, they’re parents are enemies, and they are kind of forced to be too.

Noteless, the trio, Grover, Annabeth, and Percy have to complete a quest. Someone has stolen Zeus’ lightning bolt, and Zeus is quick to start a war with his brother, Poseidon. It’s their job to find the Lightning Bolt before the summer solstice.

We follow the three as they go through fun and action-packed adventures along with twists and turns along the way! (P.S so much happens in this book, so it was hard to simplify it, so I apologize if I left anything out.)

Author Praise

If you didn’t know, this is Rick Riordan’s first middle-grade novel and series! He adds a lot of humor in his stories and makes it a fun and enjoyable read for young readers! Riordan makes the action so much fun and great to read.

Basic Facts

  • There are 377 pages in this novel
  • In the 377 pages, there are 22 chapters, with hilarious chapter names
  • Unfortunately, I do not know if this book has won any awards
  • The author of this book is Rick Riordan
  • The publishing brand is Disney Hyperion

What is My Rating?

Time to rate this book! Because of how amazing, action-packed, and the thought of this being Rick’s first middle-grade story, ever, I’m going to give this book a solid 5 out of 5 stars. I think this book was a great way to start The Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.

It has some twists, which I’m not going to mention until the Highlights segment, and a high dose of mystery added into it. By the end of the book, I’m dying to read the next and continue with this series, and that’s a sign the book is a great one!

Would I Recommend It?

Would I recommend this book to anyone? Yeah, that’s not even a question. Ever since I’ve finished the.. third book, I’ve been recommending it to all my friends who want something to read, and I’ve gotten some actually to read it!

My friend is currently reading it now! (And I’m super excited.) If you didn’t get the hint, my answer is yes. I would recommend this book to all my book reading friends, even you!

Highlights Segment

Here is the part where I spoil a lot, but not everything. If you’re currently reading or haven’t read Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, I wouldn’t listen to this segment because I do spoil some things about the book.

  • The part that made me very shocked was when Luke Castellan, son of Hermes, turned out to be the antagonist of the series by having a poisonous scorpion bitting Percy, almost killing him! I thought I could trust Luke, for all that he’s done, but I felt betrayed when I read this part
  • Overall, all the adventures Annabeth, Grover, and Percy go on. Aunty Em’s, The Arch, The Lotus Hotel, and some other things they did to find the Lightning Bolt. It was a fun time following our characters to go through death-defying quests.

Character Thoughts

My favorite segment, character thoughts! We have some pretty fun and cool characters to talk about. First, Percy Jackson. He’s a sarcastic, funny, and likable character that people can love instantly. Then we have Annabeth Chase, a smart, leader-like, funny, and sarcastic character that saves Percy and Grover from so many things. Speaking of that, Grover!

Grover is the best friend of Percy, always there by his side to help him out. Even though he’s a satyr, he’s still such a relatable character to love. And because I want to, let me list out some honorable mentions (and not all of these characters I necessarily like, I just think they’re important to mention) Clarisse, daughter of Ares, Sally Jackson, Percy’s mom, and Dionysus, the god of wine.

My least favorite character in this book is… Luke. Of course. And my favorite character is Annabeth. Because she’s just the best. She’s such a role model and plays a significant part in this series.

Thanks For Listening!

I hope this was a good episode for everyone to get exposed to the world of Percy Jackson because I love it so far! Have a great day everyone, and here is our official ending

About Rick Riordan

Rick Riordan is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Kane Chronicles, and the Heroes of Olympus. He is also the author of the multi-award-winning Tres Navarre mystery series for adults. For fifteen years, Rick taught English and history at public and private middle schools in the San Francisco Bay Area and in Texas. In 2002, Saint Mary's Hall honored him with the school's first Master Teacher Award. While teaching full time, Riordan began writing mystery novels for grownups. His Tres Navarre series went on to win the top three national awards in the mystery genre - the Edgar, the Anthony and the Shamus. Riordan turned to children's fiction when he started The Lightning Thief as a bedtime story for his oldest son. Today over 35 million copies of his Percy Jackson, Kane Chronicles, and Heroes of Olympus books are in print in the United States, and rights have been sold into more than 35 countries. Rick is also the author of The 39 Clues: The Maze of Bones, another #1 New York Times bestseller. Rick Riordan now writes full-time. He lives in Boston with his wife and two sons.

OTHER BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR

The Lightning Thief The Sea of Monsters The Titan’s Curse

Ashlee Kelsen

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About Rick Riordan

Rick Riordan is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the Kane Chronicles, and the Heroes of Olympus. He is also the author of the multi-award-winning Tres Navarre mystery series for adults. For fifteen years, Rick taught English and history at public and private middle schools in the San Francisco Bay Area and in Texas. In 2002, Saint Mary's Hall honored him with the school's first Master Teacher Award. While teaching full time, Riordan began writing mystery novels for grownups. His Tres Navarre series went on to win the top three national awards in the mystery genre - the Edgar, the Anthony and the Shamus. Riordan turned to children's fiction when he started The Lightning Thief as a bedtime story for his oldest son. Today over 35 million copies of his Percy Jackson, Kane Chronicles, and Heroes of Olympus books are in print in the United States, and rights have been sold into more than 35 countries. Rick is also the author of The 39 Clues: The Maze of Bones, another #1 New York Times bestseller. Rick Riordan now writes full-time. He lives in Boston with his wife and two sons.

OTHER BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR

The Lightning Thief The Sea of Monsters The Titan’s Curse

About Me

Hi, my name is Ashlee Kelsen. I am the host of, Readability! I am 11 years old and I love reading! I am apart of the Battle of the Books team at my school and I am enjoying it, nonetheless. I have a little brother I hang out with all the time and we both love reading so much! I really hope you enjoy my podcast, every Saturday! Keep reading!

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