The Lightning Thief

Book Summary:

Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he sometimes has trouble focusing and controlling his temper. Lately at boarding school, it has been getting worse. He thinks his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. Percy's Mom finally decides to tell him the truth about where he comes from. She sends him to Camp Half Blood, a summer camp for demigods. Soon a mystery unfolds and with his friends Percy sets out on a quest to reach the gates of the Underworld to prevent a war between the gods.

My Thoughts:

I thought this was a fun way to introduce young readers to some classic Greek mythology. I do think they get more out of it if they are already familiar with the stories, but they do not have to be to enjoy Percy's adventures. It also makes the story slightly more predictable as an adult if you know the Greek myths.

I think young readers will also identify with Percy if they do not fit in or have learning difficulties. This story gives them a hero to identify with and see him succeed despite the problems he has. Percy has to balance personal and family issues as he tries to learn about himself and his new abilities. I think the author did a great job writing a story that young readers will get excited about.

This was the twenty-first book the Bookworms read together. This was Paige's pick. I was interested in reading this book as I had heard of the series, but never read it. I also love Greek mythology so was interested in discovering how the author would portray the myths in a modern setting. We had fun talking about Percy's encounters with the gods, how he must have felt when he started seeing monsters, explaining Greek myths and how that makes the reader understand certain parts of the story. Here are some of the Bookworms' thoughts on the book. Warning! There may be some spoilers if you have not read the book yet.


Q&A With The Bookworms Book Club


How many stars out of 5 would you give this book?
Paige 5
Alejandro 5

Who was your favourite character?
Paige Charon because he is nice to Percy. Also Annabeth.
Alejandro Grover. I thought it was awesome he was half goat.

What was your favourite part of the book?
Alejandro When Percy goes into the Mississippi river and survives.
Paige The end when he returns with his Mom for the school year by themselves.

What did you think about Percy eavesdropping? Did he like what he heard? What would you do?
Paige He didn't do it on purpose.
Alejandro He didn't like what he heard.
Paige It also confused him.
Alejandro If it were me I would go away.
Paige I think I would listen to know what they were saying about me.

Did you guess who Percy's Dad was?
Paige I thought maybe it was Zeus.
Alejandro I wasn't sure.

Why do you think he did not tell anyone about the prophecy?
Alejandro I thought he was scared and wanted to keep it a secret.
Paige He didn't want to believe it or to let anyone know how scared he was.

Would you join the quest?
Alejandro No because it was dangerous and Zeus was trying to start World War 3.
Paige I would do it because it would save lives.

Would you read the other books in the series?
Paige Yes. I'm currently reading them.
Alejandro Maybe.
Paige You should they are really good! Better than the first book.

Did you watch the movie?
Paige I didn't see it yet but will see it soon.
Alejandro Yes. It skipped a lot.
Paige Was it better, worse, or the same as the book?
Alejandro I thought it was a bit better even though there are more details in the book.

Which cabin would you be in?
Alejandro A fancy one like 1,2,3, or 8.
Paige Athena. The same as Annabeth.

Did Percy make the right choice to not save his Mom?
Paige Yes because if he did it would have killed Annabeth and Grover. His Mom would not have liked it if he sacrificed his friends.
Alejandro He needed to complete the other quest, and the right choice is not always easy.

Paige's Question:

What do you think will happen in the next book?
Alejandro Probably more adventures with his friends.
Whitney He will go to school until the next creature comes and he and his friends will fight it.

Thank you Paige and Alejandro for reading and discussing this book with me. I look forward to our next book.