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3.5/5
Non-Fiction
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Re-read for the release of the Disney+ show.
Rating: 4/5
Pages: 377
Started: 19 December 2023
Finished: 20 December 2023
Summary:
Percy Jackson is your average troubled kid--six schools in six years, struggles to pay attention in class or to make friends. Except, after a monster attack that no one else seems to be able to see, Percy learns that he is a half-blood, the son of a human mother and one of the Greek gods. And though Percy truly fits in at Camp Half-Blood, the summer camp for kids just like him, he still agrees to embark on a quest for the gods, especially since it provides an opportunity for him to try to get his mother back from the Land of the Dead. Accompanied by his best friend Grover, who happens to be a satyr, and Annabeth, a daughter of Athena, Percy sets off to find Zeus's master thunderbolt, and to bring his mom back from the dead.
Thoughts:
I forgot how much fun Percy's irreverent narration is. It's simultaneously very pre-teen and also very clever, witty and sarcastic while also being backed by doggedly strong morality. The world-building and pacing of the book are also excellent, with short and engaging chapters that are very middle-reader, but also with enough happening throughout the book that it doesn't feel boring or too light. It's wild that I first read this book in first grade, literally twelve years ago, and I am still generally happy with my experience reading it.
TV Show Thoughts (after the first two episodes):
I think Disney+ erred in their choice to appeal to the 12 year-olds of today rather than the 20 year old population who grew up as Percy Jackson kids. The show looks pretty good, but the sanitization and simplification, as well as the lack of Percy's narration, take away so much of what makes the book special. Hopefully further episodes will have a bit more grit, and shy away less from Percy's morality in the face of fictional and real-world evil.