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Customer Rating:
Summary: The Saga Deepens
Comment: In this installment of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the characters mature in parallel
to the scope and urgency of the conflict. Annabeth, Percy, Grover, Clarisse and others wisen and
deepen as the conflict takes on a more personal edge.

It opens light-hearted enough:
Percy has a run-in with some not-so-peppy cheerleaders and manages to put Annabeth in a
jealousy-inspired fit in the process. However, as we find out more about the approaching war with
the Titans, the reader is quickly drawn into a literal maze of difficulties.

All of the
main characters have crucial choices they have to make, and this drives the plot forward: Percy has
to deliberately decide several times to renounce his own desires in favor of others' needs; Annabeth
has to exercise both her wisdom and humility; Grover has to simply grow; and we even see some
beautiful character-deepening in Clarisse and Mr. D.

My favorite aspect of this part
of the series is how the personal choices of the characters--whether major or minor characters--so
profoundly affect the overall battle between good and evil. In literature, it is too easy to allow
these forces to runaway and not ultimately be affected by individual decisions, but if it is to be
real, and real fantasy, this element is essential. Riordan masters this chillingly well; even in the
stunning, picturesque comeback of Kronos he reminds us of the importance of individual choice. Book
4 goes necessarily deeper than the previous books, so much so that I am still mulling over it
several days after completing it.

While it cannot exactly be a cliffhanger, Riordan is
definitely segueing into The Last Olympian. Book 4 is a wonderful story in and of itself, but we are
painstakingly set up for the conclusion, and it's just a shame we have to wait so long to get it!

Customer Rating:
Summary: Percy's adventures continue at a frenetic pace!
Comment: I had purchased The Lightning Thief (1st book in the series of 4, so far...) for my 11 year old son
who does NOT like to read silently, figuring that we could read it aloud together, and to try to get
him interested in non-fiction. It also coincided with Greek Mythology a social studies subject in
6th grade. It was fabulous, and we have since read books 2 and 3. He was THRILLED that a new
installment was avaailable and even read it himself! Can't wait for book 5, Riordan is a genius!

Customer Rating:
Summary: Standardized Sphinxes
Comment: These books are always enjoyable. I've been a mythology enthusiast since I was a kid and am still a
sucker for creative variations on Greek Myths. I had to particularly laugh at the Sphinx who ditches
the traditional riddle contest for a standardized test. Her lines are classic.

"Think?
How am I supposed to test whether you can think?, that's ridiculous!"

"If you won't
pass, you fail. And since we can't allow any children to be held back, you'll be eaten!"
/>"My grading machine! I can't be exemplary without my test scores!"

OK, I'm a teacher.
I probably found this much more amusing than the kids that this book is targeted toward.

Customer Rating:
Summary: Demon cheerleaders and friendly hellhounds, what more could you ask for?
Comment: This is the 4th book in the Percy and the Olympians series. I have heard that there are supposed to
be 5 books in the series. This book was as good as the previous ones and follows the same basic
formula as those ones. I listened to this on audiobook and the audiobook was very well done! />
Percy is going to orientation at yet another new school. This time more is at stake because
he was allowed into this school on a recommendation from his mother's boyfriend. As usual trouble
ensues and he is attacked right off the bat by evil monster cheerleaders. So starts another fun
fast-paced adventure with Percy and his buddies.

Percy flees the scene meeting Annabeth
on the way and they end up back at camp half-blood where Annabeth is finally given a quest. Her
quest will take her, Tyson, Percy, and Grover through the depths of the fabled Labyrinth and through
many other fantastical areas of Greek mythology. As Aphrodite promised Percy's "love life" begins to
get difficult with the addition of Elizabeth Rachel Dare to the story.

This was another
great book. I continue to love how the Greek myths are woven in with everyday reality. I love the
characters. I love how even Percy's everyday normal mortal life is kept track of and not forgotten
about. This is just an all-in-all great book. I love this series and am very excited to see how it
ends.

Great book!
Karissabooks.blogspot.com

Customer Rating:
Summary: Its Dark, its Cold, Its the Labyrinth
Comment:
The Battle of the Labyrinth, I have to say, is my second favorite book in the "Percy Jackson
and the Olympians series." The Lightning Thief is my favorite. The Battle of the Labyrinth is
thrilling and spectacular. If you like mystery and adventure, read this book.
Percy Jackson
is the main character who is brave and courageous. He is a half-blood, meaning his dad is a god,
Poseidon, and his mom is mortal. He is a fourteen-year-old teenager who is learning about the
powers that he possesses. He needs to learn how to use his powers appropriately or run away.
Percy, also, can be obnoxious because he makes stupid jokes at the worst times.
This epic
starts with a surprise attack on Percy by a demon-cheerleader while he is at summer orientation for
another new school. As he flees, he takes a taxi to Camp Half-Blood and the real adventure begins.
Percy and his friends, Annabeth, Grover, and Tyson, find a secret entrance to the labyrinth and
searches for its inventor, Daedalus, and a way to stop the evil Titan lord's , Kronos, invasion.
Inside the labyrinth, it is dark, murky, chilly, and ever changing. It is full of entrances, exits,
changing paths, and monsters. Percy kills monster after monster with his pen that turns into a
3-foot sword named Riptide. Inside Daedalus' workshop, they ask for the addias string, which is a
guide that point the way through the labyrinth. They leave the labyrinth to get ready to destroy
Kronos and his army. The camp was losing to the evil army until Daedalus sacrifices himself to
destroy his creation, the labyrinth. Percy thinks his adventure of fighting Kronos is over but he
was mistaken. (We will have to read the next book to find out what happens.)
The theme of
The Battle of the Labyrinth is to have great friends that you can trust, because friendships must
prevail no matter the odds.