"Percy Jackson's Got the Thunder"(5/5)

Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief is a coming-of-age fantasy book about demigods, monsters, and many more Greek elements. The main protagonist, Percy, is a dyslexic boy from Manhattan who is forced to attend a charter school. As Percy ages, he realizes he is not like everyone else. Percy’s suspicions are confirmed on a field trip with his class. To shorten this portion, I will list the main events, His teacher becomes a monster, Percy is handed a golden sword from another teacher, and he vaporizes his monster-turned-teacher. This sets off many other events which lead not only Percy and Grover but also a new friend Annabeth on an extremely dangerous journey. The grand purpose of this journey is to find out who stole the missing thunderbolt from Zeus, the god of lightning and skies. The commotion of the story is the person being framed for this crime. Eventually, Percy and his friends take their journey to the gateways of the underworld in search of the culprit.

I have always been a good reader but there has never been a book as exciting as Percy Jackson. This book gave me endless surprises and cliffhangers. Every single word always enticed me to read more. At the end of each chapter was just more build-up for the ultimate climax which served as a great conclusion to the book. The overlaying message of the story perfectly blends in with the rest of the book. In the beginning, we see Percy as a boy who is practically behind. As the story progresses, we see not only Percy but all of his friends progress in maturity as a person. This is the true beauty of books.

Overall, This book gave me a sense of surprise while also teaching basic Greek mythology. I do advise that this book is for more advanced readers. Any age from eight and up may be best for young readers. The story altogether is very complex and sophisticated. This of course is why I recommend the previous ages. In my opinion, those who are seeking any type of adrenaline-filled adventure along with some history should definitely seek out Percy Jackson.

-Cristian Alcaraz