The Lightning Thief (Rick Riordan)

When we announced we were reading this book for grade three book club cheers erupted throughout the room. Boys hugged each other. Frenzied conversations took off at lightning speed. 

Now that I have finished the book, I get it. This has all the ingredients boys love. It reminded me of when my son was little. I'd tell him to do something that would keep him safe and he would tell me that if this happened he'd just punch the bad guy in the face and run away and cut his legs off and....and on and on would go his dreams of victory. 

Percy Jacksons life is like that.  I found myself rolling at my eyes at crazy situation aft crazy situation. But if I was a 9 year old boy, I'd probably totally eat it up. Judging from the way my students are voraciously working their way through this series, they are clearly eating it up.

I think this book must be at the top of all the "if you loved Harry Potter, you'll love...." lists.

We had a great time at our book club meeting for this book. We watched some clips from the movie. We decided the movie is decidedly more freaky than the book. We also had a good time with some public kahoots. The discussion around the book was great. It was clear that everyone enjoyed it and learned a lot about mythology.

Goodreads summary:

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.