Wednesday's Read

Today I will talk about a few of my summer reads. I read a little over 20 books this summer, some of them noteworthy, some of them not, and some of them awful. As I was searching for books to pass the time on those lazy summer days, I turned to a children's series that I was hearing excellent things about, "Percy Jackson and the Olympians", by Rick Riordan.

There are 5 books in the series and I read 2 this summer and I finally got my hands on the third(there are MAJOR waiting times at the library for these books!) So far, I really enjoy this series, it vaguely reminds me of the beloved Harry Potter.

We have a boy named Percy who discovers in his pre-teens that he is "special". Percy has certain special powers being that he is part God(in the Greek mythological sense). He doesn't end up at Hogwarts, but he does end up at a special camp for half-bloods. As a potential "chosen one" Percy faces treacherous tasks to keep peace among the Gods, but of course he is not alone in all of this, for what is a chosen one without his posse? In Percy's case he has Grover and Annabeth by his side, to battle the enemies.

In all reality, although there are similarities between this series and Harry Potter, I think that it is more of a compliment then anything. Who doesn't love HP? These are fun books that are an obvious easy read seeing as they are in the Children's genre. I also feel that they are quite educational when it comes to Greek Mythology. There are many myths and creatures that I new virtually nothing of until I read about them in these books.

So far the "Percy Jackson" series has been exciting, scary, funny and even educational. I know that there are times when I just want to read an entertaining and easy book that purely entertains, and these are that kind of book for me, a great summer read.

So if you ever find yourself going through Harry Potter withdrawls and need a book about a chosen boy with special powers and his two sidekicks, warding off evil while heeding advice from a wise old confidant, give the "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" series a try.

*The fourth and fifth books are both out-the fifth just barely came out. I have yet to read them yet.