Riordan, R. (2005). The lightning thief. New York, NY: Hyperion Books for Children.
375 pp. (in case you were wondering; there's no indication in APA Style where I should list the # of pages. WT-?)
Anyhoo. . .
Rewards
New York Times Notable Book of 2005
A Child Magazine Best Book of the Year
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
$7.99 US/$10.99 CAN
Here's what Miss Martha says about The Lightning Thief . . .
(Thanks Katy Moore! I loved this book.)
Summary
Percy Jackson has almost wrapped his 6th grade school year at (yet another) boarding school, when a series of mishaps causes his expulsion (something he's experiencing every year of his career as a student thus far.) But, before leaving Yancy Academy, Percy overhears his best friend and his favorite teacher speaking in mysterious terms about Percy's fate. . . Lo and Behold, Percy, as it turns out, is not a regular kid. There are reasons why he's always had a hard time fitting in, paying attention in class, and found himself in strange and awkward situations involving unexplained explosions, floods, disappearances and more. He's a demi-god; a son of either a Greek god or goddess. And his life is about to get pretty interesting. . . . Percy goes to live at camp Half-Blood with other demi-gods (also called heroes) where he learns about his parents, his special abilities, and his mission: to retrieve Zeus' stolen lightning bolt. Percy goes on a fun-filled, action-packed adventure to find the missing bolt and meets a variety of interesting monsters, friends and foes along the way.
Review
I must begin with a little self-share here: sometimes people remark that I use "big" vocabulary words in my everyday speech. I don't even notice that I do this, but I believe these people when they say that I do. I am not one to DELIBERATELY pepper my language with "five dollar words," but I happen to read a lot, and digest and regurgitate vocab from a variety of sources. SO. . . I REALLY appreciate the fact that author Rick Riordan blithely uses fabulous vocab in this book. I started circling words that I would want my students to notice and learn, and by page 83, I had a list of more than 30! Now, lest you think this means the book is made too dense or snooty because of vocabulary, let me reassure you that is not the case. Riordan's use of GREAT words is casual, his contexts are almost always crystal clear, and he deftly helps the young reader figure out what those words (like "dais" and "solstice" and "caduceus") mean. I definitely want to teach this book. Possibly as a whole class read for 6th or 7th grade. And one juicy activity is going to be a vocabulary scavenger hunt.
The characters in the story are fun, fun, fun! We have a great mix of personality types among the young people. Noone is all-good or all-bad. There are monsters, gods, goddesses, gnomes, and the like. There are normal human beings who are unaware of the magical world occupying the Earth (always a fun twist) and sympathetic and unsympathetic parental unit-types. There are strong and weak males and females. There are expected and unexpected alliances.
If you liked The Hobbit (one of my faves) you'll like this book.
If you liked The Phantom Tollbooth, you'll like this book.
If you liked Harry Potter, you'll like this book.
If you liked studying mythology (which I did) you'll like this book.
If you like Greek/Roman history, you'll like it.
There are numerous ways to use this book. It would be great for a whole class, lit circles, free choice, read aloud (although it's too long to read the whole thing, each chapter is almost like a complete "episode" in itself and could be a great mini-story to read to students) or summer reading assignment.
I haven't met any boys or girls that come to mind who don't appreciate a "kid goes off in the big scary world with his friends to accomplish the impossible" story. This is one of those. And, along the way, Riordan teaches a TON of terminology, history, mythology, and . . . vocabulary.
DANGERS: Hmm. IF you were teaching in a religiously conservative school (district) and parents/administrators jumped to conclusions, you could possibly find yourself in a Golden Compass-type quagmire. Examples: gods/goddesses vs. God, characters go to the Underworld, the author puts forth philosophies about what happens to us when we die, there are spirits all around us, we see the walking Undead . . . you get the picture. WHY, I wonder, do we have to worry about these things?!!! Alas, we do. And forewarned is forearmed.
I really enjoyed reading this book, in a way that I haven't enjoyed a book for a long long time. I was taken on an adventure, I got to see some monsters, I saw some familiar faces (even one with a reptilian perm!) and I met some interesting but fallible characters.
AND, most importantly, I realized that, if I teach this book, I will have an excuse to air video clips from CLASH OF THE TITANS. Harry Hamlin in a loincloth anyone?
I plan to read the rest of the series. I'll blog about it.
Yep. Thumbs skyward. Read on, people.
. . . and that's what Miss Martha says.
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2 comments:
This is the series that Katy's son fell in love with, right? Well, I answered a resounding yes to each of your requirements for enjoying this book. Obviously, Harry and I are very close. I taped the movie of Phantom Tollbooth and watched it over and over until I could quote it, and then discovered the book. Greek Mythology was a highlight of school for me...so I guess that means I will like this series, right? A friend of mine from high school has a stepson that has ADHD. She says he hates to read, b/c of the whole, instant gratification problem. HOwever, she said this was the only book he absolutely devoured! Pretty good indication that it's good.
Stephanie
PS...I would give anything for your vocab, so if this book can help mine, count me in!
Steph, you brought up a point I forgot to mention in the BLOG. Percy, the main character, struggles with ADHD. He mentions it a lot throughout the book, and identifies specific strategies that he uses in order to overcome daily challenges from ADHD. Another hook. Character empathetic for people coping with or empathetic towards those with ADHD. Thanks for the reminder! - Miss M.
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