The Lightning Thief

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This got 4 stars solely because it was the first real chapter book my 9 year old finished. That is cause alone to celebrate.
I read it and liked it. I really enjoy mythology, and this was a great way to introduce it to young readers. I liked how Riordan set the gods in modern time--really great stuff. And some of the adventures read just like a modern day Homer quest. Meeting Ares and Medusa were great scenes. Retrieving Ares shield was great, mixing the old myth with new technology. And the Lotus Casino was pretty good re-imagining, too.
However, I couldn't wholly rally behind the book, either. It lacked...gravitas. A monster attacks and he swipes his sword, and the monster dies. Just like that. And a lot of the plot lines are readable a mile away. A lot of the plot lines. And the author is not subtle at all in putting forth his agenda: "America is the best, but Americans don't appreciate or respect the earth and btw, NY is WAAAY better than LA".
But once again, this book is written for tweens and my tween loved it.


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