The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

I really enjoyed reading this book. I have been a fan of mythology for a long time and it was fun to have the ancient Greek world updated to modern times. The story is fast paced and engaging, and an easy read. I was able to finish the book easily in a day.

Review by Matt Berman

Percy Jackson, dyslexic and hotheaded, has been kicked out of yet another school. But stranger things are happening around him, and soon he finds himself at Camp Half Blood, a refuge and training ground for children of the Greek gods, who are still around and causing trouble for humans. He discovers that his dyslexia is caused by his brain being hardwired for Greek, and his hotheadedness is because, well, he's a hero. All too soon he discovers which god is his father, and that he is a pawn in a titanic battle between the gods that may ignite World War III. Accompanied by a daughter of Athena and a young Satyr, Percy is sent to retrieve Zeus' lightning bolt from Hades, who supposedly stole it. But things are even more complicated than he and the gods imagined, and there are dangerous plots afoot.

Other books in the series are just as good and include: The Sea of Monsters, The Titan's Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, and The Last Olympian. (The Last Olympian is due to come out in May 2009)