"The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan

What if dyslexia and ADHD weren't just learning disorders? Percy Jackson has been kicked out of multiple schools. He's a trouble maker. What's worse, he also struggles with dyslexia and ADHD. Whene he turns 12, however, through a series of life altering events, Percy learns that hid dyslexia and ADHD are not the learning disorders that they appear to be. They are signs that he is the son of an ancient Greek god. Percy. with the help of his wimpy friend Grover, travel to Camp Half-Blood, a year-round camp for kids who are half-god. Getting to the camp alive is only a foretaste of the adventure to come. Percy must figure out which god is his father and then go on a quest to recover a powerful and lost item, all in time to prevent the gods from starting World War III!

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I learned a lot about Greek myths, which, though not an incredibly important life skill, is interesting historical trivia to have on hand. If I were to compare The Lightning Thief to Harry Potter, I think The Lightning Thief falls short in both plot and writing. The plot did not grab me as much, and I thought that hearing the story from Percy Jackson's point of view got a little bit irritating. He's kind of a contrary opinionated little kid. Two things I will say in favor of The Lightning Thief, however, are that it is more lighthearted than Harry Potter. In Harry Potter, the depiction of evil is... well done. In The Lightning Thief, the antagonist is a little more human (even though he is a god) and less formidable. Also, I appreciated the theme running through The Lightning Thief of showing kindness to everyone, not just the people who look like they would want kindness. 

However, when I compared Harry Potter to Percy Jackson to my coworker, who happens to be our library's young adult librarian, she said I was comparing apples to oranges. British author to American author... narrated in third person omniscient to written in first person. In either case, I liked Harry Potter better, but I still think I will finish the Percy Jackson series!