The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #1) in Challenge Corner

From the Bookshelf of Challenge Corner…

The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #1)

Rick Riordan

Start date: October 1, 2024

Finish date: October 31, 2024

Discussion: Book of the Month

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 6 topics — 715 comments total

Book of the Month

This topic has been closed to new comments.

* Previous BOTMs
By Felicia · 11 posts · 705 views

last updated Dec 27, 2024 06:25AM

* BOTM Polls!
By Alaina · 19 posts · 182 views

last updated Apr 19, 2025 06:53AM

showing 10 of 72 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Oct 23, 2018 Patty rated it really liked it

Shelves: myths-and-magic, freebies-and-owned, 2018, young-adult, book-series-started, also-a-film

Percy has struggled much of his life with learning in school and he has been bullied because of his dyslexia and ADHD. But it all starts to make sense after he gets attacked by his math teacher who turns into a Fury and he has been told that he is a demi-god... with the ability to read Greek. So he will go join the others like him at the half-blood camp to begin learning about this other world. Play some capture the flag, get attacked by a God of War, and meet some new friends, one whom will bet ...more

9 likes · Like · see review

Jun 25, 2014 Heather rated it it was amazing

I absolutely loved the character development in this book and the friendship between the main character and the campers! I wasn't expecting to like it at all because it is labeled as middle grade but, I heard everyone raving about it and I had to try to read it! I don't regret trying to read this book because it was absolutely wonderful and it kept you on your toes with the journey Percy Jackson goes through. The plot really had me drawn in and I most definitely got caught off guard when it came ...more

9 likes · Like · see review

Mar 17, 2021 Elizabeth Emily Browne rated it liked it · review of another edition

I have been meaning to read this series for YEARS. I even bought a box set of them about 5 years ago... but too many books, too little time, am I right?

This was a really quick and entertaining read. The best bit about this book by far is the friendships. Especially between Grover, Percy and Annabeth. I love anything to do with Greek mythology so I loved reading about Demi- Gods and seeing the Gods communicate with their children.

I have watched the films of this one and the Sea of Monsters so I ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Jan 02, 2015 T.J. Burns rated it it was amazing

Shelves: preferred-publisher, disney-hyperion, owned-book, young-adult-teen, middle-grade, fantasy-sci-fi, physical-book, cali

Wow! I absolutely loved this book. Percy's inner dialogue is hilariously entertaining -- I just can't get enough of him! Action pure, interesting characters, witty dialogue... it's all there! Fantastic start to an exciting, entertaining, imaginative series! ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Sep 04, 2014 Melanie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: own-print, mythology, fantasy

The Lightning Thief is a fantastic read following a boy who discovers he is a demigod and the adventure he goes on to clear his name of the theft of Zeus' master lightning bolt.

Strange things happen around Percy Jackson and as a result he's about to be kicked out of yet another boarding school. As far as Percy can tell, the monsters he's read about in his Greek mythology textbook have come to life. But that can't be real, can it? Unfortunately for Percy, the monsters are real and so are the gods The Lightning Thief is a fantastic read following a boy who discovers he is a demigod and the adventure he goes on to clear his name of the theft of Zeus' master lightning bolt.

Strange things happen around Percy Jackson and as a result he's about to be kicked out of yet another boarding school. As far as Percy can tell, the monsters he's read about in his Greek mythology textbook have come to life. But that can't be real, can it? Unfortunately for Percy, the monsters are real and so are the gods. And Percy has made one of them very angry. Accused of stealing Zeus' master lightning bolt, Percy and his new friends from Camp Half Blood go on a quest to find the bolt before war erupts on Mount Olympus.

Percy is an absolute delight, he's sassy and sarcastic. The revelation that he is a demigod and his father is Poseidon is a lot for Percy to take in. He adapts well to his new life though and learning he's different helped Percy begin to accept who he is. He reacts to the events of the book in a way you would expect a twelve year old to react, the author really did a great job in his portrayal of Percy. The other two members of Percy's party are Annabeth, a demigod and daughter of Athena, and Grover, a satyr charged with getting Percy to camp. The dynamic in the trio is wonderfully done with each filling a different role. Grover is the peacemaker while Annabeth is the one with a plan. I really enjoy the friendship between these three and how much is grows over the course of the book.

The search for Zeus' bolt takes our characters all over the U.S. from New York to St. Louis to Denver to Las Vegas. Ultimately the group end up in the Underworld, situated below Los Angeles, towards the end of their journey. I enjoyed the portrayal of the Underworld, particularly when it came to Cerberus. We see a number of the gods throughout the book and I enjoyed the way they were portrayed. Ares as a badass biker in particular was a fun one. The situation with the bolt has a few unexpected twists which are well done. The ending was fantastic and nicely sets up what's to come in the next book.

Overall The Lightning Thief was an excellent start to the series and I highly recommend it for readers looking for a fun, adventure series. I will definitely be picking up the next book in the series, The Sea of Monsters, soon.

Second Review August 2017
It was so much fun rereading The Lightning Thief! This series is so much fun and very quick reads.

Original Review August 2015
Why did I not read this book sooner?! It was fantastic! I loved the story and the characters, especially the dealings with the gods. Percy was so sassy and sarcastic, I loved it. This was such a fun read and I wish I'd read these back when they came out. I can't wait to start the next book and continue with this series! ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Jan 26, 2014 Cookie Monster rated it liked it

This book is light and easy to read. Highly recommend for those who have always had that curiosity about the Greeks myths but never had the strength to thoroughly study this subject. This book is a great way to spark the interest in this type of mythical literature.

The characters themselves do not have much depth, are very typical and easy to predict and understand. It's a book easy to read, you can dig it up in only one day.... It's a light read...

Anyway, I recommend to first-time readers, an ...more

Like · see review

Dec 19, 2017 Jodie rated it really liked it

A book filled with monsters, gods, greek mythology, and a fun plot. When I started reading this book I felt it had some cheesy lines and plot progression but as I continued it became increasingly more addicting to read. I was able to read it in a day, so it was a very quick read but I felt it was the perfect length. I learned a bit of fun greek mythology and I am eager to,continue reading the series.

Like · see review