Search Results for: blog the lightning thief percy jackson

Book Review The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, Book 5)

The Last Olympian is the long-awaited fifth and final volume in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan. The series focuses on “half-blood” children of one mortal parent and one Greek god, who are targeted by monsters from Greek mythology which they must fight in order to save themselves and, occasionally, Western civilization. (Kids whose makeup includes dyslexia and/or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder will be pleased to learn that, in Riordan’s world, these are hallmarks by which one may recognize a demigod or hero.) The series begins with The Lightning Thief, which was reviewed by our blogger Lauri, … Continue reading →

The Lightning Thief – Rick Riordan

A few months ago I had never heard of author Rick Riordan or the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series. A few months ago I never would have imagined that my ten year old twins would be fascinated by Greek mythology, or that we would have spent many hours reading these books. The premise of the series is that the Greek gods are not only real, but still around in present day. Some of them have even had children with mortals. The hero of the series is such a child – a demigod, or “half-blood”. Percy is an unlikely hero; … Continue reading →

From Olympus to Egypt: Rick Riordan’s Latest Series

Thanks to Rick Riordan’s “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series, I can’t look at the Empire State Building in the same way anymore. I bet countless readers across the country feel the same. As we gaze up at the New York City skyline, look out across the Hoover Dam, or rest upon any other major landmark in the United States, there will always be an impulse in the back of our minds or in the corners of our eyes to search for hints of mythic Greek gods, monsters, and entrances to fabled underground labyrinths. Now Riordan is about to revive … Continue reading →

The People of Sparks – Jeanne Duprau

The People of Sparks is the second book in the Book of Ember series by Jeanne DuPrau. When the first book, The City of Ember, ended twelve year olds Lina and Doon had just discovered a way out of their underground city. In this second book, they wait anxiously hoping that the rest of their city will follow their lead and find their way out. Lina and Doon are overjoyed when their friends, families and neighbors pour out of the underground. All the people are amazed at the world above the ground. They follow a road to a town called … Continue reading →

Hatchet – Gary Paulsen

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen is a story of survival. Brian begins the book as a fairly average kid. His parents have recently divorced and he is feeling betrayed, and mad, and uncertain. On the way to the airport his mother gives him a hatchet. He’s embarrassed, but attaches it to his belt. The small plane pilot has a heart attack and dies mid-flight. Brian steers the plane away from the treetops and manages to land in a lake. The plane has veered so far off course that the rescue planes can’t find him. Brian finds himself alone in the wilderness … Continue reading →

The City of Ember – Jeanne DuPrau

The City of Ember is a very popular book with fourth and fifth graders. It’s also an ALA Notable Book. I’ve been hearing about it for years. The brief prologue explains that when the city of Ember was built, the builders wanted the people to stay in the city for 200 years. The builders provided instructions for eventually leaving the city in a special box with a timed lock. When the story begins, two hundred and forty one years have passed. The city of Ember is dying. The stored food is coming to an end. Everything is reused and remade. … Continue reading →

Toys! Amazing Stories Behind Some Great Inventions – Don Wulffson

Have you ever wondered who invented the bicycle, or who came up with kites or Silly Putty? Toys!: Amazing Stories Behind Some Great Inventions by Don Wulfson will answer those questions. Toys! explains the strange histories and accidents behind some of our most familiar and popular playthings. Slinkys were a mistake. They were originally an invention that didn’t work. It was meant to counterbalance Navy ship instruments during rough times at sea. Slinkys didn’t work for that, but as a toy they made their inventor a millionaire. During the Vietnam War the Slinky did end up serving the military as … Continue reading →

Week in Review – Media

What a week we had in Media Reviews! Keep reading for a great new interview series on Families.com bloggers, children’s picture books, podcasts, parenting advice, and lots of great fiction! Lauri shared a classic children’s story, The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. Read about the unique illustrations in this fun story that won the Caldecott award in 1963. Tristi interviewed Camille Marchetta on Writing for Television. Read what she has to say on co-authoring and the differences in script writing and writing novels. In Read Books for Charity!, Tristi explains a new promotion from Harlequin books. If you love … Continue reading →

Read What They Are Reading

Many years ago, I worked with hospitalized emotionally disturbed children. One of the girls got a letter from her parents saying that were reading the same book that she was. Their letters to each other grew longer as they had more to talk about. The girl felt more important in her parents’ lives because they were taking the time to read something she liked. I made up my mind that if I ever had children I’d read what they read. For the most part I have. And it has been worth every minute of my time. When my then middle-schooler … Continue reading →