In "Harry's Homeboys" Percy is probably Harry's best friend and also his biggest rival. I say he's the best friend because he's smart and resourceful, and probably gives Harry a fresh outlook when he's in one of his depressed stages. I say rival because he holds his own style and because they have similar taste in girls (if we are going for the book versions of Ginny and Annabeth--not the movie versions), so it's fair to assume that if they lived in the same world, they would probably have to compete for a lot.
Now, if you went and saw the movie "the Lightning Thief" and enjoyed it, I am distressed to have to tell you this, but... it wasn't very good. At least compared to the book. Usually, when there's a film version of a book I'm promoting, I'll include the movie trailer with the post, but in this case I just can't. The trailer itself isn't so bad, but it gives the wrong impression about a lot of things I love in the book, and I don't want to mess up your perception if you haven't seen it. If you have, forget it while you read and you will be much happier.
The plot: Oh. The Plot. The plot is really complex, and I can't really give a good summary of it here without giving away important stuff that I want you to experience first hand...so here's just a quick teaser: Percy discovers that he is a demigod, a son of the Greek god Poseidon. How is this possible? He learns that the gods, the monsters, and the rest of Ancient Greek mythology are directly tied to the fire of western civilization, and move with it through the centuries. At the moment, the heart of western civilization is in the United States, so that is where the gods are as well. Percy learns to fight monsters at Camp Half Blood, but when he is accused of stealing Zeus' master lightning bolt, he and his new friends have to go on a quest across the U.S. to find the real culprit and get the bolt back.
Why I love it: For one, this series is just really well written. All the books are told from Percy's perspective, and he has a great almost-sarcastic humor about all the crazy things that happen to him. For example: the chapters are called things like "I Accidentally Vaporize my Pre-Algebra Teacher", "I Wrestle Santa's Evil Twin" (that's in the third book), and "The Underworld Sends Me a Prank Call" (book four), if that gives you any idea. These books are also a great way to learn about Greek mythology. All the gods have specific personalities, and their demigod children often inherit the stronger traits. The books are full of adventure, humor, and a little romance, and right after Harry Potter, this is my favorite series.
Extra endorsement from "The Team": when I asked my three siblings (read about them in the sidebar) what their all-time favorite books were, all three put Percy Jackson on the top of their lists. I read them in high school, my brother read them in junior high and my sister and second brother read them in elementary school. These books transformed my brother Ryan into the huge reader he is today. Finding the right book is the key to getting into reading, and this series is one that is easy to start and hard to put down, so go give it a try!
If you read the first the one, you'll have to read them all, so here are the titles:
#1-The Lightning Thief
#2-The Sea of Monsters
#3-The Titan's Curse (my personal favorite--Apollo and the Hoover Dam make for some great laughs)
#4-The Battle of the Labyrinth
#5-The Last Olympian (The last book of a series is always a gamble, but this one ended perfectly!)
I didn't like the movie adaptation, but I can't lie, they made an EXCELLENT poster!
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