Guys, you've heard me talk about Greek mythology before.
Hark back with me to 2005. I was in college when a new young adult series was making its way onto the literary scene. While I was indeed wrapped up in the then-contemporary world of Harry Potter, teenage wizard of great renown, a new series about some middle schooler learning he was half Greek deity was a touch "young" for my liking. (OK, I didn't feel like I was above it, per se, just not particularly interested at that time.) Anyway, I'd heard of them, but never bothered to pick up any of the Percy Jackson books.
Fast forward to February of 2023. For about three years, my family had purchased season passes to our local children's theater, where stage adaptations of books are very common. That winter, we saw a production of The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical. For whatever reason, this particular performance really sparked an interest in Greek mythology for my kids, especially for my daughter. After the show, we went to a nearby Starbucks, got our favorite drinks, and talked about the musical. It was at that point that I began telling my kids all the stories I recalled loving in my childhood and adolescence: epic mortal adventures, family feuds among the Olympians followed by unity when facing the Titans, their common enemy. My kids sat, rapt with attention, listening to my every word, asking intelligent questions, impressed with their mother's vast knowledge (it isn't) of such a badass topic. It was an historic event, like a comet that appears every 200 years. Even my husband was into it. It was a special moment in my life that I will never forget.
Anyway, as you know, we continue to be a mythology loving crew. Later in 2023, when Disney+ came out with a new Percy Jackson series, my daughter got really into it, and so did I, by extension. (Seriously, I felt like it was very well done.) Soon after, her class had a unit on mythology at school, and she dominated it, knowing far more than even her teacher. So, I felt like maybe I ought to pick up this book and read it myself.
I already knew the story, having seen a few different renderings of it on the stage and the screen. I have a pre-established knowledge and understanding of the "who's who" in Greek mythology, and certainly a predilection for it. The book did not disappoint! It was great fun for me from start to finish, even knowing how it would end. (On that note, may I just reiterate the quality of the Disney+ series? Sure, they may have changed a couple of things and the cast doesn't always match the physical descriptions of the characters in the book, but it really captures the spirit of the novel.)
Without giving too much away, the first of the Percy Jackson series introduces us to to the titular character. A young tween living in New York, Percy is the son of Sally Jackson and [question mark]. Percy struggles with a number of things including dyslexia and ADHD, although the reasons for these are later explained to him. He has bounced around between schools for as long as he can remember, always getting into trouble, despite trying his best to avoid it. When unexplained phenomena begin occurring at his current school, things take a new turn that even Percy couldn't have imagined. Upon learning that he is a "half-blood" (a demigod: half human, half Greek god), the world of mortals becomes so dangerous for him that he ends up moving to a special place for kids like him. Camp Half-Blood is a training facility and home for (wait for it) half-bloods, that is safeguarded against the particular sorts of mythological monsters bent on destroying the mortal children of the Olympians.
But even Camp Half-Blood can't protect him forever. Inter-Olympian struggles are brewing that threaten the entire planet, and Percy's very existence lies at the heart of it. Along with friends -new and old- Percy is destined to set things to rights. In so doing, he learns the identity of his father and discovers an entirely new side of himself. It's a great coming-of-age sort of adventure, fun for kids and adults alike...
...especially for the mythology-loving nerds among us.
