Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Today we’re jumping into the Greek mythology series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan!

Description from Goodreads-

Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse - Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy's mom finds out, she knows it's time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he'll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friends—one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena - Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.

This series came out when I was in elementary school, but I wasn’t into reading at that time, so even though I got the entire series in paperback signed by the author himself while he was at my elementary school, I didn’t actually read this series till about a year ago. And to put a timeframe on that, I’m in college now. I’ve always had a love for Greek mythology, but what prompted me to finally pick this series up was my 10 year old dyslexic brother, who also expressed immense interest in Greek mythology. He has trouble reading by himself, so I bought the series as a way for me and him to bond and both enjoy a book together.

The characters in this series were all so fun and lovable! Percy is brave and loyal, and an all around good person, he’d do anything for his family both his blood relatives and his new family of friends he builds along the way of his journey. Annabeth is the perfect girl role model! Never being a damsel in distress and is very intelligent as well as fierce. And Grover, the perfect sidekick to Percy while still being his own person and a sense of comedic relief.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians mixes modern day with Ancient Greek myths to creat the story. Teaching ancient myths in a new and interesting way for a whole new group of people. Sometimes the ancient stories mixed into the modern ones even went over my head until I finished the book and thought about it a little more.

The series kept me entertained throughout the five books, and before I even finished them I got onto Amazon and ordered the Heroes of Olympus so that I could continue the series. It’s a story about finding where you belong, especially if you feel like an outsider, making new connections to friends that become family, and making a place your home even if you don’t like it at first.

I’m super excited that this series is getting a second chance at a film adaptation from Disney plus! The first two books were changed into movies, but they flopped so bad that they didn’t continue the series, so hopefully Disney plus does a little better and we get to see all five books turned into a series. I do have a little bit of a dream cast in my head! I think Logan Lerman, who played Percy Jackson in the movies would make a perfect Poseidon now, and Mia Talerico from Good Luck Charlie would make an amazing Annabeth!