A Fun Fast Fiction Fantasy Book

(review by Julie)
Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a fun series of fiction books by Rick Riordan about the Mythical Gods of ancient Rome, but set in the present day. In the first book, The Lightening Thief, we meet Percy Jackson and discover this strange world that exists, unnoticed, right in front of the humans, along side Percy.  I won't give any more of the plot away (it's predictable enough on it's own) but I'll tell you that Riordan does a great job of incorporating the ancient characters and myths into today's world- maybe I'll even remember a few of those stories now.

I believe the books are considered teen or young adult books. They remind me a lot of the Harry Potter books, but weren't similar enough to be annoying.  They're fun, they draw you in and move quickly- I think I read The Lightening Thief in less than 24 hours between baby wrangling, toddler herding and dinner cooking. It seems like they would be ideal travel books because they would make the miles fly by.  Plus, by the time you get there, you'd be about done with one, so you wouldn't spend your whole vacation with your nose in a book. (I've been told repeatedly that this is rude to your co-vacationers.)

I hear they've made The Lightening Thief into a movie, but I usually avoid seeing a movie once I've read the book, so I don't know much about it.  Have any of you seen it?