The Lightning Thief

Riordan, R. (2005). The Lightning Thief. New York, NY: Hyperion Books.

Plot Summary:
Percy has spent most of his twelve years bouncing around from school to school struggling with his ADHD and dyslexia. It is at his final school that Percy is attacked by one teacher Ms. Dodds and aided by another teacher, Mr. Brunner. Ms. Dodds disappears and is mysteriously forgotten and not mentioned. After the school year Percy returns to his mom's apartment with her awful husband Smelly Gabe. He and his mom set off on a trip to the seashore, but their visit is cut short with the appearance of Percy's schoolmate, Grover, who alerts them that they are in danger and beckons them to leave with him. As they head towards safety, the three are pursued by a Minotaur who kills Percy's mother and injures he and Grover. Percy awakens at Camp Half-Blood where he learns that he is a demi-god and his teacher Mr. Brunner is really Chiron and his friend Grover is a satyr. At the camp Percy meets other demi-gods, is informed of the existence of Zeus and other gods and goddesses, he trains for battle, and is claimed by Poseidon as his son. Percy soon learns that there is great unrest among the gods as Zeus' master bolt has been stolen and blames Percy, son of Poseidon, but Chiron believes it was Hades who stole the bolt. Therefore Percy is sent on a quest to retrieve the master bolt before the summer solstice and prevent a battle between the gods. Percy sets out on his quest with the help of Grover and fellow demi-god, Annabeth, daughter of Athena. On their quest to the underworld the group encounters and outwits Medusa, the Furies, and Ares before locating the master bolt and discovering the unexpected culprit and learning that his mother might not have been killed after all.

Review:
I could see myself getting easily hooked on this series. I love mythology and loved reading the descriptions of the modern day appearances of the gods and monsters. Rick Riordan includes a lot of humor in the book through his depiction of the gods, such as Medusa owning "Auntie Em's Garden Gnome Emporium" or Ares and Aphrodite rendezvousing on an abandoned Tunnel of Love amusement park ride. The plot of the book is similar to the Harry Potter and Earthsea series, where a boy finds out he is not normal, receives some schooling on the matter, and then sets off to right what has been wronged. But, although this plot has been written many times, the characters are different and the quest is new and exciting to follow.

Genre:
fantasy, adventure, mystery

Reading Level:
Ages 9 - 12

Subjects/Themes:
mythology, good versus evil, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, dyslexia, self-identity

Series Information:
This is the first book of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.

Character Names/Descriptions:
Perseus Jackson (Percy): 12 year-old boy; discovers he is the son of Poseidon; has ADHD and dyslexia - common attributes of demi-gods; must go on a quest to find the master bolt and return it to Zeus
Sally Jackson: Percy's mom; appears to have been killed, but turns out was not
Chiron, Mr. Brunner: Percy's teacher in a motorized scooter at his last school; Chiron, the centaur in his actual appearance; helps run Camp Half-Blood; guides Percy on his quest
Grover Underwood: a satyr who was disguised as a schoolmate to protect Percy; goes with Percy on his quest
Annabeth Chase: demi-god daughter of Athena; assists Percy on his quest
Luke: demi-god son of Hermes; counselor at Camp Half-Blood; chooses to serve Kronos and turn his back on his father
Gabe Ugliano (Smelly Gabe): Percy's stepfather; is mean to Percy and his mother; he smells really bad
Ares: god of war; turns out to be serving Kronos
Poseidon: father of Percy; accused by Zeus to have stolen his master bolt
Zeus: had his master bolt stolen; accuses Percy to have stolen it for Poseidon
Hades: is thought to have stolen the master bolt from Zeus; captured Sally Jackson
Kronos: father of Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades; got Luke to steal the master bolt

Annotation:
After discovering he is the son of Poseidon, Percy goes on a quest to retrieve Zeus' stolen master bolt from Hades to prevent a battle among the gods.

Bone: Rose

Smith, J. (2009). Bone: Rose. New York, NY: Graphix.

Plot Summary:
The story begins with sisters Rose and Briar hearing the tale of the first dragon, a queen named Mim. Mim maintained balance of the world until the Lord of the Locusts entered her mind and made her crazy. She fought against the other dragons until they trapped her underground with the Lord of the Locusts still inside her. Briar and Rose are princesses and will someday be called to rule the land, they must develop their dreaming eye in anticipation of that day. They are taken to Old Man's Cave to finish the last of their training and prepare for their final test. Rose's dreaming eye is more developed than her older sister's and she is able to communicate with her dogs; Briar is secretly jealous of Rose. Once at the Old Man's Cave news comes that the dragon has been released from the mountain and the Lord of the Locusts along with it. Worrying that she released the dragon through her dreams, Rose tries to kill the dragon before it destroys the world. Rose soon realizes that it was Briar, through her jealousy and greed, who freed the dragon. Rose eventually is able to defeat the dragon, but must follow the wise words of the Great Red Dragon and kill the first living creature she sees after completing this task. Next to her is her betraying sister and her beloved dog, Rose must make the choice of whom to kill.

Review:
I didn't know that this was the prequel to the Bone series when I checked it out. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had already read some of the Bone books because I would have had more insight into the story. That aside, it's a great story of jealousy, betrayal, and love between siblings. Rose is a heroic young girl, gifted in the talents that will one day make her a great queen, and full of love for her sister and all other living beings. The illustrations are great, they are done in a more comic book style than most of the graphic novels I've been reading lately. The images of the river dragon are especially beautiful. I look forward to now reading the Bone series and finding what comes of Rose. It was also awesome to find out that Jeff Smith used inspiration from the caves in Hocking County where my family is from in Ohio; in this book are "Old Man's Cave" and "Conkles Hollow."

Genre:
graphic novel, fantasy

Reading Level:
Ages 9 -12

Subjects/Themes:
siblings, good versus evil

Series Information:
This is the prequel to the Bone graphic novel series.

Character Names/Descriptions:
Rose Harvestar: princess; younger sister to Briar; has a good dreaming eye; can talk to dogs
Briar Harvestar: princess; older sister to Rose; is not as gifted as Rose; is jealous of her sister; frees the Lord of the Locusts
The Great Red Dragon: advises Rose on what she must do; good dragon
Mim: first dragon; queen; is driven mad by being possessed by the Lord of the Locusts
The Lord of the Locusts: evil force that possesses Mim and forces her to disrupt the balance of the world

Annotation:
The forces of evil have been unleashed on the land, in her effort to defeat this evil force Rose discovers that those closest to her are not who they seem.

The Dark is Rising

Cooper, S. (1973). The Dark is Rising. New York, NY: Margaret K. McElerry Books.

Plot Description:

It is the eve of his eleventh birthday and Will Stanton notices that things around him are a little strange. The animals are acting funny, there was a strange man on the road, and his neighbor gave him an unexpected gift of a bronze circle with a cross in it to wear on his belt. Will wakes up on his birthday to find the outside of his home covered in snow, but the outside has changed, it no longer looks like it typically does, instead his house is on the edge of the woods. Will attempts to wake his siblings, but they keep sleeping. Will leaves his house to check out the snow. On his walk he sees that where his neighbor’s house once was is now a blacksmith shop, and his neighbor is a blacksmith. He is putting shoes on a black horse for a man dressed all in black. The Black Rider scares Will and he feels as if he shouldn’t trust him. The blacksmith advises will to get on a white horse that appears and he is taken by the horse to ornate wood doors. It is here that Will meets Merriman Lyon and the Lady and is told his fate. He is the seventh son of a seventh son and although he is only 11, Will is told that he is the last of the Old Ones, born to conquer the Dark. Will’s duty is the sign seeker and he must find all of the six signs (such as the one given to him from the blacksmith neighbor). As the days progress Will learns more of his fate, his powers, and sees that he can live in between time, moving from one era to another to find the signs. With the help of Merriman and the other Old Ones, Will must find the six signs and battle the Dark.

Review:

I really wanted to get into this book, but just as with the first book in the series, it didn’t completely grab me. I felt that it was a little slow at times and very dark. There was a lot going on and I often found myself confused. Aside from that, it is well written. Susan Cooper uses vocabulary above what one would typically find in a tween novel encouraging tweens to read up. I believe that my issues with the book have less to do with how it was written and more about me and what I look for in a book. I know plenty of people who loved this book as a tween and it is a Newbery Honor book, but I personally didn’t really enjoy it. In books about good versus evil, I prefer there to be more of a balance between the two. I felt that this book was overwhelmingly dark, I would have liked some relief from that as I read.

Genre:

fantasy, mystery

Reading Level:

Ages 9 - 12

Similar Books:

Harry Potter series; Over Sea, Under Stone series

Subjects/Themes:

good versus evil, family, siblings

Awards:

Newbery Honor Book

Character Names/Descriptions:

Will Stanton: Eleven year old boy, he is the seventh son of a seventh son, he is the last born of the Old Ones who are meant to conquer the Dark, he is the sign seeker

Merriman Lyon: Older man, Old One, assists Will on his quest to find the signs

Series Information:

This is the second book in Susan Cooper's "The Dark is Rising" series. This series consists of five books, one of which won a Newbery medal and one which received a Newbery honor.

Annotation:

On his eleventh birthday Will Stanton discovers that there is more in store for him in his life than he could have dreamed imaginable. His destiny is to be an Old One, the sign seeker, he must work with other Old Ones to defeat the Dark.

Over Sea, Under Stone

Cooper, S. (1965). Over Sea, Under Stone. Orlando, FL: Harcourt Brace & Company.

Plot Description:
Barney, Simon, and Jane Drew are on vacation with their parents to visit their Great-Uncle Merry in Trewissick, a harbor village in Cornwall, England. In a game of exploration the Drew children uncover what appears to be an ancient map in the house their family is renting. As their rented house is burglarized, apparently in search of a map, it quickly becomes clear to the children that they are not the only ones in Trewissick aware of their discovery. They disclose the finding of the map to their Great-Uncle who lets them in on its history, dating back to King Arthur and dealing with the battle of good versus evil. They also realize that if they are able to decode the map, it will lead them to find the holy grail. Unfortunately, the evil forces within the village realize the children have the map and will stop at nothing to take it from them and find the grail themselves.

Review:
This is a great tale of good versus evil. Although it can be somewhat slow at times, the book can also be quite thrilling in parts. It is exciting to see the Drew children decipher the ancient map and stay one step ahead of the evil villagers after the grail. Susan Cooper uses vocabulary above what might be expected in a tween book, which encourages the reader to contextually determine the definition of these words. The natural curiosity of the Drew children along with the prompting of their Great-Uncle helps to lead the reader along with them on their adventure. The book becomes pretty scary in parts with the evil characters stopping at nothing to intercept the children in the search for the grail.

Genre:
Mystery, Adventure, Fantasy

Reading Level:
Ages 9 - 12

Similar Books:

Subjects/Themes:
Good versus Evil

Awards:

Character Names/Descriptions:
Jane Drew: Jane is the middle Drew child.

Barney Drew: Barney is the youngest Drew child.

Simon Drew: Simon is the oldest Drew child.

Merriman Lyon (Great-Uncle Merry, Gumerry, Professor): Merry is the Great-Uncle of the Drew children, but not by blood, he was a friend of their grandfather. He is a professor. He is an elusive character, always disappearing and no one really knows very much about him.

Series Information:
This is the first book in Susan Cooper's "The Dark is Rising" series. This series consists of five books, one of which won a Newbery medal and one which received a Newbery honor.

Annotation:
On vacation to a seaside village in Cornwall, England, Jane, Simon, and Barney Drew discover an ancient map dated to the time of King Arthur, which will lead them to find the holy grail. Along with their Great-Uncle, the children must quickly find the grail before the evil forces of the town beat them to it.

The Mysterious Benedict Society

Stewart, T.L. (2007). The Mysterious Benedict Society. New York, NY: Little Brown and Company.

Plot Description: Through a short series of exams, four gifted children are selected to form a mysterious society run by a man named Mr. Benedict. After a brief introduction and training, the children are informed of what they have been formed to do. These children must go on a secret mission and work together to thwart an evil plan that threatens the world. Each of the children bring their own special talents to their mission and depend on each other and their new found friendships to help them succeed.

Review:
This book is a wonderfully mysterious adventure. I was easily to form an attachment to the four members of the Mysterious Benedict Society, each with their own insecurities and quirky talents. Each child is extremely gifted, but in varied ways, which made it fun to read about their exploits. The book is full of riddles the secret society (and reader) must solve to uncover the evil plan they are meant to destroy. I was entertained the entire way through.

Genre:
Mystery, Adventure, Fantasy

Reading Level:
Ages 9 - 12

Similar Books:

Subjects/Themes:
Friendship, Orphans, Good versus Evil

Awards:

Character Names/Descriptions:
Reynard Muldoon (Reynie): Reynie is an extremely gifted orphan. After answering an ad for gifted children and passing the exams, Reynie meets the other members of the Mysterious Benedict Society and feels for the first time in his life that he has a family. Reynie is especially gifted with deciphering the riddles from Mr. Benedict.

George Washington (Sticky): Sticky, who ran away from home, has the ability to remember anything he sees or hears. He is a very nervous child, constantly fidgeting or polishing his glasses. The duties that he must do as part of the society are more than he can bear at times, but the comfort of feeling as if he is needed is enough for him to continue.

Kate Wetherall: Kate, having been raised by the circus, is extremely talented in getting in or out of any situation. She always has a bucket of handy tools attached to her belt which help her being extremely resourceful in any situation.

Constance Contraire: Constance, also an orphan, is very small and initially thought to be not as gifted as the other members of the society. She is incredibly stubborn and has the habit of complaining about everything.

Annotation:
The young Mysterious Benedict Society members must use each of their gifted, yet quirky, talents to answer riddles, solve puzzles, and uncover the evil workings of a madman.