Module 7: (October 11-17)Riordan, R. (2005). The Lightning Thief. New York, NY: Miramax Books.
Summary: Percy Jackson thinks he is just your average ADD, dyslexic, human 12-year-old. However, on a field trip his whole life begins to change, and puts him on a path to realize that he is, in fact, not completely human at all, but is actually a demi-god. His mother is human, but is father is Poseidon—that’s right, the Greek god of the sea. He must go to Camp Half-Blood, where he and other young demi-gods get trained to protect themselves from dark forces. Then, he is sent on a quest to clear his father’s name and must face all sorts of mythological evils he had only read about in textbooks.
My Impressions: This series has been wildly popular for some time now, so I was really excited to finally start it! I was certainly not disappointed! Riordan and Percy aren’t quite as amazing as Rowling and Harry, but the formula of “normal” kid discovering his true magical/mythical identity and the whole cast of characters that must inevitably follow is still a winner in my book! I will definitely finish the rest of this series, asap!
Reviews: “"Without sacrificing plot or pacing, Riordan integrates a great deal of mythology into this tale and believably places mythical characters into modern times, often with hilarious results.”—Publisher’s Weekly*
“Riordan's fast-paced adventure is fresh, dangerous, and funny. Percy is an appealing, but reluctant hero, the modernized gods are hilarious, and the parallels to Harry Potter are frequent and obvious. Because Riordan is faithful to the original myths, librarians should be prepared for a rush of readers wanting the classic stories.” –Chris Sherman, Booklist*
*(Both reviews from this site). http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2548/merge_shared/details/RecordDetails.asp?item_uid=80627560&viewItemIndex=0&navPage=1&FullText=&BipAlertQueryString=&BipAlertDisplayQText=
Library Use: Although I heard the movie version of this book wasn’t fantastic, I still think this is a good candidate for a movie night after reading the book. Sometimes a less-than-satisfying movie version actually makes for a better discussion. You might also have the kids play some kind of board/jeopardy game to match gods and goddesses with their “power,” like mythology trivia. You could also incorporate this book with non-fiction books about Greek and Roman mythology for a display to promote the program.
Image retrieved from: http://www.amazon.com/Lightning-Thief-LIGHTNING-THIEF-Paperback/dp/B002VGZDYY/ref=sr_1_9?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1290837476&sr=1-9
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