This book was basically a Harry Potter copycat, but who cares? Love Harry Potter, love the copycats, I say. And even though there were a million plot points that were similar to the Potter, I still found myself breezing through this book with a big smile on my face.

I enjoyed the mythology and the whole 'son-of-a-Greek-god' angle. The characters were fun and realistic (as realistic as demi-gods can be.) I'm hooked! ( )

The main difference between the three young children of The Lightning Thief and the three young children of Harry Potter is that these children are half-bloods (demigods) and not witches or wizards. Other than that, trouble seems to follow a special boy because his unique connections to another god and his two friends, a boy and girl of course, tag along on this adventure. Despite many similarities to another fantasy series, this is still a fun read, especially for children looking for the next Harry Potter series. ( )

Percy Jackson, diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia, gets bounced around to different boarding schools until his math teacher turns into a monster from greek mythology and attacks him. From then on he's forced to acknowledge his heritage as a half-blood, son of Poseidon, and is recruited into finding Zeus's stolen lightning and Hades's missing helm to prevent an all out war on Mt. Olympus. This is a fun fast paced adventure story as Percy, with the help of his friends, a daughter of Athena and a satyr, travel across the country fighting monsters in search of the entrance to the Underworld. This is a story of a boy discovering his strengths, who he is, and that his weaknesses aren't really weakness at all. It's a great blend of greek mythology and magic into the modern world. The Lightning Thief is the first in a trilogy and when I finished it I was eager to pick up the next. What a great read. ( )

3.5 rating for an adult, but 4 stars for mid teens down to 10 years old. The heroes are about 12, so it would really capture that age group's imagination, I think.

Set in modern day US, but the Greek Gods are alive & well. Percy & his friends are dyslexic, ADHD & generally don't fit into our world or school well. They find out why & embark on a quest. There are some twists & turns along the way, with clues, so an astute reader will have some foreknowledge, but it's a very well done plot. The characters are well drawn & have excellent motivations. There are a half dozen main ones, just enough to keep things interesting, but not enough to get confusing.

It's a fairly quick read, but there is plenty of meat in the book for discussion. It would probably be excellent for a middle school class to read. Lots of fun & every engaging. I will look for the second book, but this one stands alone very well, too. I was quite impressed.

A little more interesting than the previous volume as more characters come into our "world" and the Gods take a more active hand (or at least more of an interest) in this growing evil - the slow rebirth of Kronos!

Some small surprises are sprinkled throughout and the setup continues in regards to who the "prophecy" child might really be - with a small twist brought in at the very end.

Again, an okay romp for adults. Young readers who've enjoyed the first 2 volumes, will dig this one as well. ( )