The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

 Posted by  Book Reviews, Mindy's Reviews
Jul 272011
 


The Lost Hero

Author: Rick Riordan

Publisher: Disney/Hyperion

Published: 2010

Hardcover: 557 pages

ISBN: 978-142311339-3

FTC FYI: I purchased my own copy

“Even before he got electrocuted, Jason was having a rotten day.  He woke in the backseat of a school bus, not sure where he was, holding hands with a girl he didn’t know.  That wasn’t necessarily the rotten part.  The girl was cute, but he couldn’t figure out who she was or what he was doing there.  He sat up and rubbed his eyes, trying to think.” page 1

Jason, Piper, and Leo are in a wilderness program for troubled kids.  Their leader, Coach Hedge, is a very grumpy guy.  It doesn’t help his mood when storm clouds start to gather.  Coach Hedge asks Jason if he was responsible, and that confuses Jason even more.  The coach doesn’t know who he is either.  He starts using words like half-blood, and monsters.  Coach Hedge is a satyr, there to protect the demi gods Leo and Piper, not knowing Jason would appear too.  Storm spirits that were disguised as students have come to destroy them.  The kids just have to hold on until reinforcements arrive.  In the battle, Piper is thrown into the Grand Canyon, without thinking, Jason jumps off and flies after her. Yes, flies.

There are lots of fun twists and turns with this book.  It is a new series by Rick Riordan, continuing the demi-god stories.  I really like what the author does with this book, and the combination of Greek and Roman mythology.  I also enjoyed how Piper, Leo, and Jason grow, and accept who they are.  They are faced with many decisions, one that could destroy the world.

4 out of 5 stars.  I read and enjoyed the Percy Jackson series.  Percy is mentioned in this book, but he’s in trouble.  Annabeth is there too, and is trying to help him.  I am looking forward to book 2 The Son of Neptune. It comes out October 4th of this year.

On a personal note, sorry for my long absence.  I got very sick and it had me down for a few weeks.  Luckily I’m on the mend.

39 Clues: The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan

 Posted by  Book Reviews, Mindy's Reviews
May 202010
 

Book One The Maze of Bones 39 Clues
Author: Rick Riordan
Publisher: Scholastic
Published: 2008
ISBN-13: 978-0-545-09054-4
Hardcover 220 pages

Reviewed by Mindy
FTC FYI: borrowed from library
Grace Cahill was a rich, powerful, and mysterious woman. Right before her death she changes her will and that change starts a fast-paced exciting adventure. Grace’s grandkids Amy and Dan are orphans, their parents died years ago in a fire. They gather, along with many crazy members of their extended family, for the reading of Grace’s will. In her will, Grace selects only certain members of her family to either take a million dollars each, or exchange it for a chance to find the “39 clues”, which will lead to a source of unimaginable power. Amy and Dan decide to take the challenge, along with some ruthless and crazy family members. The first clue is given, and the race is on to find the second. Since their parents died so young, the kids don’t know much about the mysterious Cahill family. They’re hoping this quest can also give them the answers they need as well. Grace’s butler William McIntyre has known the kids for years, and can not give them any help. However, he offers a couple words of advice and warns them not to trust anyone along their journey. Of course, Amy and Dan make rookie mistakes, like, trust those they shouldn’t. And, it seems that whenever hints are discovered or they find a new lead, there is always a bad guy conveniently around to hear. That was what bothered me the most, but it didn’t make it so I didn’t enjoy the book any less.
“The Maze of Bones” is very clever, fun, and a very fast read. There is humor, action, puzzles, loyalty. I found what I liked the most was the relationship between Amy and Dan. Amy is older, shy, and smart while Dan is funny, mischievous, but very smart too. They really watch out for each other and when it comes to protecting each other, they would give it all up to do so.
What is think is neat about this series of books is that each book is written by a different author. The author of this book, however, wrote the outline for the rest of the books. So far there are eight in the series released, and there will be 10 total. Book 9: Storm Warning will be released May 25th 2010, and Book 10: Into the Gauntlet is set for Aug 31, 2010.
3 1/2 stars out of 5
I recommend Book 1 and have read Books 2: One False Note and 3: The Sword Thief. Started Book 4: Beyond the Grave yesterday.
Mr. Riordan also wrote the Percy Jackson series, which I loved.

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

 Posted by  Book Reviews, Sheila's Reviews
Jan 222010
 
I have just discovered, along with my almost 12 year old daughter a new series. It is called “Percy Jackson & The Olympians” The first book is called, “The Lightning Thief” and it has been made into a movie which will be out this February 12th. I went to the website of the film company that made the move to watch the long trailer. The movie looks phenomenal!! (go here to watch the long trailer.)

Here is a synopsis of the first book…

Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school . . . again. No matter how hard he tries, he can’t seem to stay out of trouble. But can he really be expected to stand by and watch while a bully picks on his scrawny best friend? Or not defend himself against his pre-algebra teacher when she turns into a monster and tries to kill him? Of course, no one believes Percy about the monster incident; he’s not even sure he believes himself.

Until the Minotaur chases him to summer camp.

Suddenly, mythical creatures seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy’s Greek mythology textbook and into his life. The gods of Mount Olympus, he’s coming to realize, are very much alive in the twenty-first century. And worse, he’s angered a few of them: Zeus’s master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.

Now Percy has just ten days to find and return Zeus’s stolen property, and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. On a daring road trip from their summer camp in New York to the gates of the Underworld in Los Angeles, Percy and his friends–one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena–will face a host of enemies determined to stop them. To succeed on his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of failure and betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.

The first book in the series first came out in 2005. The good thing is that book 5 was released last Spring so if you pick up the series now, you won’t have to wait for more of the books to come out to finish the series.

The appeal of these books is Greek Mythology. My daughter has been fascinated with Greek Mythology for quite some time now. For Christmas, a friend gave her a great book that she
Cover Image loves called, ” Mythology” a part of the “ology” books for example, “Dragonology, Monsterology, Pirateology etc. We love these books at our house.

Getting back to the main subject,( I hate when I interrupt myself) my daughter was looking for new books to read and she found The Lightning Thief. She read this book so fast! This series will appeal to readers ages 9-16…or adults like me that love a good YA fantasy.

Many people have compared this series to Harry Potter; they both are about “half-blood” kids that go to a special school and find out that they have special powers. From there, it is different to me and you have a very fast-paced, action filled adventure starting with chapter one. If you have a reluctant reader, especially a boy, you must get these books for him. Like I said, these books do not only appeal to boys, because my daughter and her friends also love them.

If you plan on reading the book before you see the movie, get moving and reading. Move over Harry Potter, there is a new kid in town…Percy Jackson!