Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan, caught my eye mainly because it was yet another young adult Fantasy novel being made into a movie. The trailers for the movie looked exciting and the premise of the book seemed intriguing.
Perseus “Percy” Jackson has always known that he was different from other kids. Struggling through another school, he suddenly becomes aware of cosmic forces that are taking sides to help or to harm him. Percy learns not only that the Greek gods and their creations are real, but also that he is actually the son of one of the Gods — Poseidon. As a demigod, Percy is forced into a life of mystical powers and dangerous quests, and his first quest is nothing more than saving the world from the destruction of feuding gods. The good forces manage to get him to the only safe place on Earth, a summer camp named Camp Half-blood. There he meets other children of Greek gods — those that haven’t already been killed by the evil forces at play in the world. After a brief time, however, he discovers that he is the only one capable of accomplishing a very dangerous quest to save the Earth.