After Today's Earthquake, I Thought I'd Share a Book that Rocked. My. World.

…really it is a series of books. But, let me backtrack. It took me until the first Harry Potter was available in paperback to read it. Because I hate magical worlds (or at least I thought I did). And I hate epic series (or I thought I hated). And then I read Harry Potter because my father gave it to me (and he normally has reasonably good taste in books) and have devoured every HP book since. A few years ago I received an advanced reading copy of a book called The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan from the publisher. It sat on my shelf forever because it included magical worlds AND was an epic saga AND dealt with Greek mythology (of which I thought would bore me). Finally, stuck in the house without a book to read, I grabbed The Lightning Thief off the shelf – and didn’t stop reading until I was finished. I then rushed out to buy the next book in the series and loved that (and every subsequent one) as well.

This book makes Greek mythology cool. It has a campy feel, with plenty of action, suspense, and hero/villain interaction to keep most tween boys happy. I suggest reading this book with your child, as it will likely spur some great dinner conversations and you will be able to help your child understand some of the secondary story lines and inferences made in the book. Besides, Percy, even with his demigod status is still pretty “normal” for a kid. He is likable, but he certainly is a bit awkward and stubborn…and totally has that “teen angst” thing down.

If you *just can’t do* Greek Mythology, try Riordan’s Kane Chronicles (Egyptian Mythology) or the Heroes of Olympus series (Roman AND Greek Mythology). If you think you can’t do mythology at all – just give it a try. Riordan makes it completely accessible and engaging with his outstanding storytelling skills….

(This book is most appropriate for boys in grades 4 through 8.)