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Great Book

Customer Rating:
This is another great book in the Percy Jackson series. My daughter and I have loved every one of them. She's 11 and I'm 43

The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 2) (Purchased on 08/31/2008)

Customer Rating:
I ordered all four books of Rick Riordan' collectiion books and was very impressed with the packaging, the condition was excellant also. I would certainly order from this company in the future. B. Long

Good Book

Customer Rating:
The book is a good one for kids of all ages.
It is aimed at younger ones but I enjoyed it.
I really like Harry Potter, Narnia, and such so this was a good read. I am on the third book and they all keep you interested.

Fabulous Follow-Up

Customer Rating:
Riordan loses no time reintroducing us to Percy and Annabeth in an action-packed ride that rocks with adventure. This delicious sequel includes all of the twists and thrills we have come to expect from The Lightning Thief, but it goes a bit deeper, getting into themes of faith, loyalty, and appearance versus reality.

Riordan masterfully plays with old cliches as he turns them on their heads (e.g., one chapter is entitled, "I Go Down with the Ship"). I never thought I would find an author that encounters age-old problems as well as Lloyd Alexander, but Riordan seems to be another modern author that feels like classical values are, well, classical for a reason. They work.

Anyway (please forgive the enthusiastic digressions!) Percy gets a new relative in this book, and it is beautifully handled. Percy's new friendship gives the reader much to mull over long after the book is put down. Additionally, a new development is added at the end that chills the blood of the reader. Riordan knows how to plot. It's phenomenal.

The idea crops up over and over, starting with Tantalus and ending with Kronos, with everyone including the Sirens mixed up in between, that things are not always what they seem. Now, this refrain is as old as the hills, but Riordan somehow makes it new.

The characterization is pretty great too, with Annabeth really growing into her role. She's a lead worthy of being Percy's foil, and it makes for a great read. I also enjoyed the development of Clarisse's character, and the portrayal of Chiron's family had me in tears I was laughing so hard. (Another digression: I had to stop and read one passage of the end of the book to my class during silent reading time, because they saw me laughing and had to know. I had them in stitches too, and unfortunately, we never quite recovered the class that period!) There are very few authors I give carte blanche reverence to: CS Lewis (Narnia), Robin Hardy, Lloyd Alexander, Gene Yang; however, Riordan is now on that list.

This series is a must-read. Start out with Book 1, and prepare to be swept away!

Best Series for my 10 year old

Customer Rating:
My 10 year old has so enjoyed these books. They are his favorites. He has flown through the published ones and is now having to wait for the next. This is the first time he has ever been excited about reading and I have found him reading late when he should be in bed and reading first thing in the morning. He finally caught the reading bug!