Watermark's Cool Summer Read #1
"The Battle of the Labyrinth: Percy Jackson & the Olympians, Book 4" by
Rick Riordan (Hyperion, 9781423101468, $17.99, for ages 9 and older)
Packed with action and magic, the "Percy Jackson & the Olympians" series
follows a group of modern-day kids as they battle mythical monsters and
embark on legendary quests. Each summer, Percy goes to a secret summer camp
to learn to be a hero, just like the heroes of Greek myth, and it's now up
to him to save the world from an approaching clash of titans--the original
Titans!
In this newly released fourth book, Percy and his stalwart friends must
defend their hidden campground from an invasion, then navigate the twisting
underground maze of the Labyrinth. Of course, where there's a Labyrinth,
there's bound to be a Minotaur, but Percy, Annabeth, Rachel, and Grover have
more savvy and more magical weapons than ever before.
Riordan got his start writing thrillers, and this series is filled with
exciting adventure, action-movie-style humor, and lots of clever details
from Greek mythology. Young readers will love the quick pace and the
thrills, and along the way, they'll learn all about Zeus and Mount Olympus,
Medusa the Gorgon, the Pegasus, and more. These books are especially
appealing to younger fans of Harry Potter because they're all about
youngsters who attend a special school and discover that there's a secret
magical world alongside our own.
With four books already available, this series will give an avid reader a
lot to enjoy. New readers should begin with book one, "The Lightning Thief"
and go from there. Once they start, they'll want to read them all--and
probably a good collection of Greek myths, too.
Review by
Mark David Bradshaw, May 8, 2008
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