The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Bibliographic Information:

Title: The Lightning Thief

Author: Rick Riordan

Publisher: Disney

Copyright Date: 2005

Format: Print Book

Genre: Fantasy/ Adventure/ Neurotransmittal Atypicality

Awards: Young Readers' Choice Award (2008), Books I Loved Best Yearly (BILBY) Awards for Older Readers (2011), South Carolina Book Award for Junior Book Award (2008), Grand Canyon Reader Award for Tween Book (2008), Nene Award (2008), Massachusetts Children's Book Award (2008), Pennsylvania Young Readers' Choice Award for Grades 6-8 (2008), Rhode Island Teen Book Award Nominee (2007), Sunshine State Young Readers Award for Grades 6-8 (2007), Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader's Choice Award for Intermediate (2008), Iowa Teen Award (2009), Lincoln Award Nominee (2009), Oklahoma Sequoyah Book Award for YA (2008), Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award (2009), Maud Hart Lovelace Award for Grades 6–8 (2009)

Interest Level: 9 - Beyond

Plot Summary:

This book and its series are extremely well known. Percy Jackson is a boy living at a boarding school where he struggles to fit in and to be confined to the expectations of the world and teachers around him. He has one friend Grover who seems to both understand and relate to his uniqueness. After a crazy and unbelievable field trip as well as other unexplained events Percy get kicked out of school. His mother welcomes him home at the disappointment of his step father and takes him on a trip to the coast. On the way he his mom and somehow Grover are met with a terrible mythological monster. Percy's mom poofs away and Percy is left reeling with the unbelievable news his mom, Grover, and his new home have shared with him. Percy has been thrust into the world of the Greek Gods.

Author Background:

Rick Riordan was a Middle School English and History teacher in the Bay Area. While teaching he began writing adult mysteries and won many awards with his Tres Navarre series. He began the adventures of Percy Jackson as a bedtime story for his son which has turned into an empire!

  Critical Evaluation:

This book introduces many new concepts to young readers as well as introducing mythology and other historical contexts to students at a highly concentrated level. This book allows students to explore uniqueness and personality in a fun and new way. I recently read this book, and as a Classics major I am utterly disappointed in myself that I haven't gotten it sooner, I would have done much better in some of my classes! If I were to have read this book when it came out I think I would have been a much more developed and interesting kid.

Creative Use for Library Program:

I used The Lightning Thief as the first book in my Book Club at my Middle School Library. I chose this book for multiple reasons. One we had a surplus of copies, two I had not read it, three the Percy Jackson show on Disney is new and relevant, and because who doesn't love Greek Mythology. I split this book into 4 sections and after each section I asked/introduced reading prompts to consider after each section. In addition I presented an activity to go along with each section. I will include the activities that I incorporated into this blog.

Learn to Play Pinocle- At lunch the students like to play games in the library. I ordered Pinocle decks of cards and printed out rules and directions to learn how to play Pinocle like they do in Cmap Half Blood.

Design a Half Blood Cabin- Each half-blood at Camp Half-Blood is the child of an Olympian. Pick one of the 12 Olympians or another god in Greek or other Mythology that you are the child of and design your cabin. Draw the outside or the inside of you cabin and explain why you are the child of that God?

Virtual Lotus: Greek Video Games- My book club is virtual so I included multiple links to different online video games both free and payed. If you have access to a video game console the following games can be added to you library collection: Aphrodite's Day Off, Grepolis, Apotheon, Persophone, Hades, and Stray Gods.

Design a Trial- Heroes in all myths are instructed to complete a quest, journey, or a trial of some kind to get what they want whether it be to save someone or to receive fame. These trials not only test the strength, will, and cleverness of the hero but also change them in some way. An example of this transformation can be seen in the change of Hercule's appearance and age as well as Percy's understanding of the world and his mindset about life. Act as if you are the gods and are creating a trial for a hero to test their skill, strength, will, or brains. What would they need to accomplish? Why are they on the journey? Who would they face? What would their transformation look like?

Speed Round Book Talk:

Have you ever thought you were special, different, but special? Do you ever feel like you dont fit in, don't "school" well, have unique talents? If so you could be a half blood. But this isn't something to get excited about, you should be careful. Listen to Percy he'll tell you why.

Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation:

As this book discusses Greek Gods in the current climate discussing religious or theological diversity can be more challenging and met with some push back. However this book does not introduce Greek Mythology as a replacement for any religion and in fact mentions the difference between gods and "God".

Reason for Inclusion:

I include this work as a post not to inform or introduce anything new to its commentary but more to provide examples of how I incorporated this book into my middle school library. This story and its world and even universe have taken literature, especially middle grade literature by storm. This novel and others in relation to it have transformed the reading landscape of middle school. Many novels today use this as a template. Many authors are inspired by the magic that this series has brought them as a child trying to transcribe the same feelings they felt while reading this into their own work.

Check Out:

References:

Good Reads. (n.d.). The Lightning Thief. Accessed February 2025 from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123675190-the-lightning-thief?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=SHqqw66Di7&rank=1

Read Riordan Staff (2017). Quiz: Based on Your Work Habits, Which God Are You Descended From?. Read Riordan. https://www.readriordan.com/2017/10/12/what-god-are-you-descended-from/

Riordan, Rick. (n.d.). About. Accessed February 2025 from https://rickriordan.com/about/