Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Review of The Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Lightning Thief: The Graphic Novel

The Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Lightning Thief: The Graphic Novel
GeniusJen avatar reviewed on + 5322 more book reviews


Reviewed by Kira M for TeensReadToo.com

Percy Jackson is twelve years old, has been kicked out of every school he's ever gone to, and is seen as quite a troublemaker. With ADHD and dyslexia and a reputation for trouble following him wherever he goes, Percy has learned to not get too attached to any one school, set of friends, or teachers, for that matter.

Yancey Academy has been no different, except for two things. His best friend, Grover, and his Latin teacher, Mr. Brunner, seem to really care about him. While on a school field trip, Percy has quite the bad day. He almost drowns Nancy Bobofit, the school bully; gets attacked by Mrs. Dodds, the math teacher; and then gets told by everyone that there never was a teacher named Mrs. Dodds at Yancey academy.

Confused and mistrusting of the two he had come to call friends, Percy grows distant and ends up getting kicked out of yet another school. After the last day, Percy and Grover get onto the city bus to go home. While there, Percy sees three old ladies cutting a piece of yarn. Grover freaks out and asks Percy to wait for him while he runs into a store. Percy ignores him and heads home.

Through a series of bad choices and a fight with a foul-tempered, monstrous beast, Percy's mom appears to be killed and the two boys end up at Camp Half-Blood. If monsters aren't enough to take in, Percy finds out his father is Poseidon, the god of the sea, and that his uncle, Zeus, is demanding that Percy return the master lightning bolt by Summer Solstice or he'll be destroyed and another World War will begin. His only hopes are Grover and a smart-aleck girl named Annabeth.

Can Percy find the master lighting bot and save everyone's skin, or will the gods start a war bigger than anything anyone has seen before?

A great graphic novel adaptation of the original THE LIGHTNING THIEF book. The illustrations are wonderful. The novel is fairly true to the original book; the plot remains intact and is, therefore, well-written. The characters are true to their natures and are well-developed. Readers who are fans of Rick Riordan, action-adventure, fantasy, graphic novels, and mythology will all enjoy THE LIGHTNING THIEF: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL.