Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief
Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson, expelled from yet another boarding school and newly in trouble for turning his pre-algebra teacher into something with wings, learns that he is the son of Poseidon. Sent to Camp Half-Blood on Long Island, he is quickly framed for stealing Zeus's master bolt and sets off cross-country with his friends Grover the satyr and Annabeth, daughter of Athena, to recover the weapon before war breaks out on Olympus. Rick Riordan, who began the series as bedtime stories for his ADHD son, folds Greek gods into a snappy, modern middle-grade adventure that spans highways, casinos, and the Underworld beneath Los Angeles.
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What you might want to know about Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson keeps getting kicked out of schools and learns he is the son of Poseidon. Accused of stealing Zeus's lightning bolt, he sets out across America to clear his name.
Rick Riordan's original Percy Jackson and the Olympians series has five books. He has continued the world with The Heroes of Olympus, The Trials of Apollo, and additional spinoffs.
Yes. Disney+ premiered Percy Jackson and the Olympians in 2023 with Walker Scobell as Percy. Rick Riordan is the showrunner. The show is widely considered far more faithful than the earlier films.
Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief was written by Rick Riordan, published in 2006 by Disney-Hyperion Books.
Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief is 384 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief takes most readers 6 to 8 hours to finish.
Yes. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief is book 1 in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan.
Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.