Percy Jackson Graphic Novel: The Lightning Thief

I love Rick Riordan's writing style and characterization. I have always enjoyed mythology and he does a great job of bring any and all mytholgy to life in a fresh and new way. I find the characters to be engaging and to feel really real. His characters feel fresh and diverse without feeling like he makes them diverse just to have diversity. He does not belabor the point of their diversity it just is a fact of who they are and yet anyone who reads his books can feel included in representation. I love how he weaves the mythology into modern times so you feel like you are learning something as you are being entertained.

Percy Jackson, not your average 12 year old, is having trouble adjusting to everyday life and finding that he's not so normal. He begins to see this when his teacher turns into a monster and tries to kill him. He gets thrown into a world that he previously thought was just a myth. It turns out that Percy Jackson is a Half-Blood - he's part Greek God and part human. He's part of a prophesy; destined to be a hero. The plot centers around his quest to help save Zeus' lightning bolt when he becomes the prime suspect. He sets off to find the Underworld and begins one of the most exciting and dangerous journeys where he encounters many other dangerous mythical characters along the way. His quest spans from across the US, stopping at various show more cities to find the lightning thief.

The author does a great job of melding the mythical world into the modern world, and seeing how these two work together, makes this a magical, fun read. The characters have a great sense of humor, which sometimes leaves you laughing out loud. The character traits, cities, and events have been given a modern day adaptation. It really brings an inventive take on Greek Gods. This is a fun, adventureous fantasy with so many twists and turns. It's entertaining from start to finish. It's an easy, simple and light read, but complex enough to not leave an older reader bored. I would recommend this to readers of all ages. This is book one in the series of five.

Grades: 6-8 show less

I had meant to read this book for years, but my little brother was assigned to read it in his freshman English class and loved it from page one. I decided to start reading around the same time so we could have a little book club over it.

Its an okay book, but to be honest it took me a long time to get into it. I finished the book in three sittings, but they were spaced out with weeks in between.

If you're looking for a good mindless story to zip through, and you're into Greek mythology, its a fun read.

4Q
5P

The stunning illustrations in this graphic novel version of The Lightning Thief bring the characters and settings to life so much so that one might think they would spring off the page! Children who enjoy both graphic novels and The Lightning Thief will love this rendition of the tale with its vivid, bold artwork. The only thing that keeps it from 5Q is that it is an exact retelling of the story and Rocco does not use the illustrations to add depth to the story, but simply to retell it almost exactly. While the illustrations are stunning, I would have preferred them to add more to the story.

I might have passed on the news that The Lightning Thief and other Percy Jackson books were being released in graphic novel format, had I not attended a session in New Orleans that featured Rick Riordan in a panel discussion with his colleagues. One of the panel members was Robert Venditti, who wrote the adaptation for this graphic novel.

Venditti explained both the challenges, and his method of condensing a beloved book into GN format. It was not a task that he undertook lightly, and it was clear to everyone in attendance that he put a great deal of effort into maintaining the spirit and content of the original book. My co-worker and I spoke with him later about the process of working with Attila Futaki (artist) and Jose Villarrubia show more (colorist) in creating the adaptation to ensure that readers of the original book would not be disappointed. There is much more to the process than you might think.

The resulting book is a new way to experience the Percy Jackson saga (the rest of the series will follow!) and adheres to the story much better than the movie. And yes, Annabeth is blond, as she should be. My only complaint with The Lightning Thief: The Graphic Novel (2010 Disney Hyperion) is the font color for otherworldly messages. I found it difficult to read, but perhaps I'm just getting old!
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I thought this was such a fun graphic novel retting this story. I really enjoyed the graphic art style as well. I thought this story was super well paced and really was captured by the art. It flashed me back to this world and was nice way to remind me of the story. It was a book that I was able to fit in one siting. I really liked seeing this story presented. I noticed some smaller changes from the original text but def would keep reading these graphic novels!

I thought this was such a fun graphic novel retting this story. I really enjoyed the graphic art style as well. I thought this story was super well paced and really was captured by the art. It flashed me back to this world and was nice way to remind me of the story. It was a book that I was able to fit in one siting. I really liked seeing this story presented. I noticed some smaller changes from the original text but def would keep reading these graphic novels!