The Lightning Thief facts for kids

The Lightning Thief is an exciting fantasy and adventure novel from 2005. It is based on amazing Greek mythology stories. This book was the first young-adult novel written by the author Rick Riordan. It is also the first book in the popular Percy Jackson & the Olympians series.

The series follows the adventures of a modern 12-year-old boy named Percy Jackson. Percy finds out he is a demigod, which means he is half-human and half-god. His mother is a mortal woman, and his father is the Greek god Poseidon. Percy and his friends go on a big quest (adventure). They need to stop a war from starting between the powerful Greek gods Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades.

Rick Riordan finished writing the story in 1994. The Lightning Thief was first bought by Bantam Books in 1997. Later, Miramax Books published it on June 28, 2005. The book quickly became very popular. It sold over 1.2 million copies in just four years! It also won many awards. In 2007, it was on The New York Times Best Seller list for children's books. It was also named one of the Young Adult Library Services Association's Best Books for Young Adults. The book was later made into a movie called Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. The movie came out in the United States on February 12, 2010. The next book in the series is The Sea of Monsters.

How the Book Was Created

Rick Riordan, the author, at a book release event.

The idea for The Lightning Thief and the whole series started when Rick Riordan made up stories for his nine-year-old son, Haley. Haley had been learning about Greek mythology (old stories about gods and heroes) since second grade. He loved hearing these stories from his dad before bed.

Riordan used to teach Greek myths when he was a middle school teacher. He remembered many of the myths and told them to his son. Soon, he had told all the stories he knew. Haley then asked his dad to make up new stories using the characters from the myths. That's when Riordan created the character of Percy Jackson. Like Percy, Haley had ADHD and dyslexia. Riordan made up the story of Percy traveling across the United States to find Zeus's missing master lightning bolt. After hearing the story, Haley wanted his father to write a book about Percy and his friends.

In June 1994, Riordan finished writing the story. He started looking for agents to help him publish it. He visited many local colleges to find an editor before he found an agent. He gave his story to his agent and editor to read. At the same time, he asked some sixth, seventh, and eighth graders to read the book. They told him what they liked and didn't like. They even helped name the book and described how Percy's sword (Riptide) worked!

In June 1997, Riordan signed a deal with Bantam Books to get the book ready for publishing. In 2004, Miramax Books bought the book. The money he received was enough for Riordan to quit his teaching job. He could then spend all his time writing. The book was published on June 28, 2005. It sold over 1.2 million copies. The book was available in hardcover, softcover, and as an audiobook. It has been translated into many languages and published all over the world.

The Story of the Book

The Lightning Thief is a fantasy and adventure novel. It uses ideas from ancient Greek mythology but sets them in today's world. The story is told in a fast-paced and funny way.

Story Summary

Percy Jackson is a 12-year-old boy with ADHD and dyslexia. He has been kicked out of many schools. On a trip with his mother, he meets his friend Grover. Grover is a satyr, which means he is half-goat and half-human. Grover tells Percy's mother that Percy must go to a special camp. As they drive towards the camp, a scary Minotaur (a monster) attacks them. It grabs Percy's mother. She then dissolves into golden sparkles of light. Grover and Percy manage to escape.

Percy later wakes up at Camp Half-Blood. This is a secret training camp for demigods. Percy has to live in the Hermes cabin because he doesn't know which god his father is. He is looked after by Luke Castellan, who is the cabin counselor (leader). During a game, the children of the war god Ares attack Percy. He is healed when he steps into a river. Then, Poseidon's trident appears above his head. Percy learns that he is Poseidon's son! After World War II, Poseidon, Hades, and Zeus made an oath (a serious promise). They promised not to have any more children because their children would be too powerful. However, Poseidon broke this oath by having Percy.

Chiron, a wise centaur at the camp, tells Percy to find Zeus's master lightning bolt. Chiron thinks Hades stole the bolt. But Zeus finds out that Poseidon broke his oath. He thinks Poseidon told Percy to steal the bolt. Zeus tells Percy that he has ten days, until the summer solstice, to find it. Before Percy leaves, Luke gives him magic shoes. Percy gives them to Grover. Annabeth (a daughter of Athena) and Grover join Percy on his quest to find the bolt.

They decide to travel west to reach the entrance to the Underworld. The entrance is in Los Angeles. On their journey, they meet many Greek monsters. They also meet Ares, the god of war. Ares tells Percy that his mother is still alive. When they get near the pit of Tartarus, Luke’s magic shoes try to pull Grover into it, but he escapes. Percy meets Hades, who also thinks Percy stole the Master Bolt. Hades also believes Percy stole his Helm of Darkness. Percy realizes that Ares has tricked him when he finds the bolt in his backpack. He quickly runs away from the Underworld. He has to leave his mother there for now. Percy fights and defeats Ares by hurting the god's heel. Ares gives Percy the Helm of Darkness. Percy gives it back to Hades. Olympus, the home of the gods, is now at the top of the Empire State Building in New York City. Percy arrives there to give the master bolt back to Zeus.

Percy goes back to camp after hearing that his mother is safe. He meets Luke, who then says that he stole the bolt for Kronos. Luke calls a poisonous scorpion which stings Percy and almost kills him. Percy manages to kill the scorpion first. Chiron cures Percy, who then leaves camp. He goes to a new school and stays with his mother instead of staying at camp.

Main Characters

• Percy Jackson – He is the protagonist (hero, main character) of the story. He is a 12-year-old boy with ADHD and dyslexia. Percy soon learns that he is the son of the Greek god Poseidon. He also finds out that his disabilities are normal for demigods. Soon, he is forced on an adventure to find Zeus's master bolt. He needs to stop a war from starting among the gods.
• Annabeth Chase – Annabeth is the daughter of the goddess Athena. Luke and Thalia brought her to Camp Half-Blood. She helps take care of Percy after he is attacked by a Minotaur. She also joins Percy on his quest to find Zeus's master bolt.
• Grover Underwood – He is a satyr pretending to be a boy. He is also Percy's best friend. Grover helps find new demigods for Camp Half-Blood. He leads Percy to the Camp after Percy's mother is taken. He also goes with Percy on his journey to find Zeus's master bolt.
• Luke Castellan – Luke is the leader of the Hermes cabin at Camp Half-Blood. He helps train Percy in fighting. Later, he betrays Percy and almost kills him. This shows that he works for the Titan Kronos.

Other Versions of the Book

Movie Version

In June 2004, 20^th Century Fox bought the rights to make a movie based on the book. In April 2007, director Chris Columbus was hired to direct the movie. Logan Lerman played Percy Jackson, Brandon T. Jackson played Grover Underwood (the satyr), and Alexandra Daddario played Annabeth. Jake Abel was cast as Luke Castellan. Pierce Brosnan played Chiron. The movie is called Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. It was first shown in the United States on February 12, 2010.

Audiobook Version

On June 28, 2005, an audiobook version of The Lightning Thief was released. It is 10 hours and 25 minutes long. Actor Jesse Bernstein read the book. Listening Library published it worldwide.

Kirkus magazine said in their review that "the narrator’s voice makes this fast-paced adventure story feel real." They also said it was a "tale of heroism that questions the realities of our world, family, friendship and loyalty." AudioFile Magazine praised the audiobook. They said both adults and children would be "fascinated" by "this deeply imaginative tale." School Library Journal liked and disliked parts of the audiobook. They said, "Although some of Jesse Bernstein's accents are not perfect, he does a fine job of making the main character's voices clear and different."

The Next Book

The Lightning Thief is followed by The Sea of Monsters. In this book, Percy and Annabeth rescue Grover. He has been captured by Polyphemus, a Cyclops. They also get the Golden Fleece from Polyphemus's island to save the camp. Percy's half-brother, Tyson, and Clarisse join them on this mission.

Like The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters won several awards. Reviewers also liked it a lot. It sold over 100,000 copies in paperback.

Other Languages

The Lightning Thief has been published in many different languages. It was released in French, German, Spanish, Finnish, Swedish, Hebrew, and Brazilian Portuguese. In 2008, it was also published in Serbian. The French edition is called Le voleur de foudre. The German name of the book is Diebe im Olymp. These two, along with the Spanish version El ladrón del rayo, were published in 2006. The three other translations of the book are Salamavaras in Finnish, O ladrão de raios in Brazilian Portuguese (in Portugal it is called Os Ladrões do Olimpo, meaning The Thieves of Olympus), and פרסי ג׳קסון וגנב הברק or Persi G'eḳson ṿe-ganav ha-baraḳ in Hebrew. These were all published in 2008.

See also

In Spanish: El ladrón del rayo para niños