The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan is a prime example of what a first book in a series should be. It introduces us to the incredibly charming world of Percy Jackson, filled with so many lovable characters and environments. The book follows Percy, a twelve-year-old boy who for his entire life has felt like an outsider. He is perceived as a trouble maker and has been kicked out of more schools than he can count in one hand. Sally acts as Percy's sole parent figure as his dad has never been in the picture until one freaky field trip changes his life forever. Percy finds shelter at Camp Half-Blood, a place filled with kids like him, children of Greek gods to be exact but even then Percy still struggles to find a sense of belonging. We get to join Percy on his quest to return Zeus' master bolt with his friends Grover and Annabeth.
The entire premise of having the story follow children of various Greek gods is incredibly charming, you can’t help but wonder which god would claim you and assign you to your cabin. Percy's dynamic with both Annabeth and Grover is so fun to read. Their unbreakable bond is so sweet and it makes each of their characters extremely likeable. This book is a love letter to neurodivergent kids everywhere with the amount of representation throughout. Reading it for the first time was incredibly healing. I believe Percy Jackson and the Olympians is 100% a series everyone should read at least once in their life; from the lovable characters to exploring the worldscape, it’s easy to become incredibly invested into the story.
Written by Aryanna W.
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