Percy Jackson
April 20, 2010
As a future teacher, I am interested in the books children are reading. A teacher recommended that I read this series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians. I found it quite engaging. If you find mythology intriguing or even a little interesting, then I think you should pick up this series. It’s a quick read written for young children. So, obviously, the language isn’t that inspiring but it’s fun. Something I really enjoyed about the books, was the use of hero mythology. Things happened to Percy and Co. that happened to Hercules or Perseus. It was fun to spot it. Ok, that came off nerdy, but I like making connections with stories.
So then I went and saw the movie with a friend. The movie was entertaining, but I was a little disappointed with how much it deviated from the book. The main plot of the lighting bolt getting stolen was there, but other things weren’t. For example, the main bad guy in the books is not Hades. (Trust me, I’m not ruining it.) Also, there is another strong girl character in the books that is Percy’s ‘arch-enemy peer’ named Clarisse. In the movie, Annabeth became a mix of her book character and Clarisse. Which is a little sad. Third, the books focus on Percy through middle school to high school. The movie has him in his junior year at high school. There were a couple other things, but I found those three to be the most upsetting because that’s what carries the books through the rest of the series.
Also, I have to say that I didn’t picture the centaur guy, Chiron, as Pierce Brosnan. That was a little weird. Hard to wrap the mind around. But the other characters were well cast, I thought.
Anyway, if you see the movie, you should read the book. If you have a child going into middle school or interested, I think you should also read the books. I’m very glad I bought them. They are really fun to read.
