From the Bookshelf of 2025 Reading Challenge…

The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #1)

Rick Riordan

Start date: February 1, 2018

Finish date: February 28, 2018

Discussion: October 2025 Group Read

Discussion leader: Alicia

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of -3 topics — 102 comments total

October 2025 Group Read

Weyward: Reviews by 2025 Reading Challengers
By Winter , Group Reads · 1 post · 6 views

last updated Sep 21, 2025 03:59AM

Weyward: Mid-Reading Discussion
By Winter , Group Reads · 2 posts · 7 views

last updated Sep 21, 2025 03:58AM

showing 10 of 307 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Apr 17, 2012 Kara rated it liked it

Shelves: book-club, fantasy, young-adult, adventure, series

A fun, quick read. I loved the mythology tie-ins (I'm a sucker for Greek mythology). I could've used a tad more character development and less of a Harry Potter feel to the structure. It came across as formulaic: a young boy discovers that he's been special his whole life (even though he always kind of knew because weird things happened to him) which is why life's been so hard for him, goes away to a place for kids just like him, discovers that he's even more special than those other kids, has d ...more

6 likes · Like · see review

Jan 02, 2015 Nadine in NY Jones rated it really liked it

Shelves: audio, young-adult, lotsa-buzz, fantasy-and-sci-fi, tween, myth, gods-known-and-unknown, greek-stories

This book was absolutely a rollicking good time. I listened to the audio book, and the narrator did a fantastic job (though some of his voices, for, say, Zeus or Hades, sounded a lot like PeeWee Herman). I highly recommend this to all the tweens in my life. I am clearly outside the target audience, so I'm a bit conflicted on how to rate this. Based on the level of my enjoyment, it's 3 stars. But looked at for what it is, a book for kids, it's 4 or even 5 stars.

I started out listening to this wit This book was absolutely a rollicking good time. I listened to the audio book, and the narrator did a fantastic job (though some of his voices, for, say, Zeus or Hades, sounded a lot like PeeWee Herman). I highly recommend this to all the tweens in my life. I am clearly outside the target audience, so I'm a bit conflicted on how to rate this. Based on the level of my enjoyment, it's 3 stars. But looked at for what it is, a book for kids, it's 4 or even 5 stars.

I started out listening to this with a mind to share it with my kids. My kids were enthusiastic. Unfortunately, I ended up finishing it without them. And I am most definitely not the target audience. This is a fun and engaging book for the tween set. Percy's love of blue food, his idiotic choices, his irreverence when meeting the gods ... It's all great fun.

I have to lodge a small complaint against this book. Once I was already engaged in listening to it, I decided to engage in the 2015 Ultimate Reading Challenge as well. One category: book set in your hometown. I looked up books tagged as NJ and this one popped up! Fantastic! I'm already reading it! But also confusing, since so far it had been set quite firmly in "upstate" NY and Long Island. Finally, Percy and co take a bus through the Lincoln tunnel, into NJ! At which point, this Jersey girl was highly miffed. Mr Riordan's sense of NJ geography clearly needs an update. There is NO WHERE at the Lincoln Tunnel exit where you can suddenly find yourself on a rural road. Just, no. This area is Urban Blight Central, filled with rail yards and seaports and highways. Additionally, you don't suddenly find yourself walking along the Jersey shore. And if something unusual were to happen here, it would be reported in the Newark paper (The Star Ledger) or the Elizabeth paper (The Daily Journal) .... NOT a Trenton paper.

*

ETA: I just watched the movie with my kids, and I was quite disappointed. This was NOT a faithful re-telling! I understand, they can't include everything, but there were a few things that i consider major plot points that were removed. All of the subtlety of the book was eliminated! We don't see Percy getting much training at all at Camp Halfblood (would it be too much to ask to throw in a 45 second montage to imply time passing???), and the fight with the Minotaur was changed, so that the Minotaur's horn just kind of FALLS off, rather than being broken off by Percy. Luke acted like a creep instead of being the friendly, laid-back surfer boy of the book. Percy, Annabeth, and Gordon SNEAK out of camp instead of being sent on a mission by Chiron & Mr D. Ares was removed, and thus the ENTIRE storyline involving Ares was removed, taking away all of the plot twists and subtlety of the book: the pearls were no longer a surprise gift from Percy's dad, Luke GAVE them a map to follow to find the pearls, so the entire "not sure if I'm doing the right thing or going to the right place" plot was revamped. Tartarus was removed. The exciting sword fight between Percy & Ares was removed. The St Louis arch was completely removed from the story, as was the mattress store in Los Angeles (okay, I can see removing that one, but I was fond of that part!) There was no explanation given for why Persephone was still in the Underworld on the night before the Summer Solstice (she goes aboveground at the Vernal Equinox, surely??) ...more

1 like · Like · see review

May 27, 2009 Cyndi rated it liked it

Shelves: youngadult

This book has a cute story....however....I would not recommend it to elementary school kids. I LOVE greek myths. But I'm an adult. The whole theme of the book is all of these demigods-kids who Olympian parent had an affair with a mortal and then abandon them. Plus, I don't like the casual references to God. ...more

Like · see review

Jun 07, 2018 Michelle rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: reading-goal-2018

I really enjoyed this read. I can't wait to read the rest in the series. ...more

Like · see review

Sep 03, 2015 Deborah P. rated it really liked it

My son started reading this book recently, so I borrowed it when he wasn't reading and finished it before he could. I really enjoyed it and loved how it made Greek mythology so interesting to a 4th grader. Great book. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series, as is my son. ...more

Like · see review

Aug 31, 2010 Meredith rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2010

I got into the story really quick, and although it took me longer than I would have liked I enjoyed the story. A little bit predictable to me but that is how I feel about a lot of books, my brain never stops trying to figure out where the story is going to go.

Like · see review

May 06, 2010 Bridget rated it liked it · review of another edition

Pretty fun...the best part is seeing how the author incorporates all of the mythical gods and characters. Teenagers, though, seem to LOVE this one, so recommend it to them if you have some reluctant readers.

Like · see review