The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

This book is the first in the Percy Jackson series, and I gave it a rating of five out of five. Percy notices some strange things occurring around his school and has one of his teachers attach him. He later discovers that he has some special powers when he gets around water. After nearly being killed, Percy goes to Camp Half-Blood where he discovers that his father is Poseidon. His father is feuding with Zeus, because Zeus believes Percy has stolen his lightning bolt. Percy is given ten days to retrieve the lightning bolt and return it to Mt. Olympus. It is believed that Hades actually stole to bolt, so Percy must travel to the Underworld to find it. The world will go into a monumental war if he fails in his quest.

I thought the plot moved along well, and the character interactions are fun. Percy and his two companions constantly mix their roles as mythical characters with their unique personalities. I also enjoyed the oracle's prophecies. I like reading unclear predictions and then seeing how they actually turn out in the end. It's fun to make predictions as an active reader.