Hey guys, Harry Potter gets to meet the Greek Gods! O wait... I mean Percy Jackson. 
 Sorry everybody... I just needed to get that out of the way. Now, I should be able to write a review that doesn't constantly reference Harry Potter and the various similarities between the two stories. However, being likened to Harry Potter isn't really a bad thing. I mean hello! It's HARRY FREAKING POTTER! So while there are similarities, I believe that the Percy Jackson series used the best elements from Harry Potter and then created an entirely new world with very different story arcs. So no, this isn't a HP rip off but HP is definitely an influence. 
 So we start off our tale with a kid named Percy Jackson. Percy is an interesting choice for a hero/MC. He has dyslexia, ADHD, he's poor, has an evil stepdad, and only one friend. On paper, this kid seems to be sorely pitiful and then lo and behold he's a demigod! Then he goes on a quest to save the world and stop a war between the Gods with his two friends: Annabeth (a brainy girl) and Grover (a funny sidekick). Ok... there are some more references to similar characters in the HP to many of the characters in this book. I won't get into them all since I'm not supposed to be reviewing HP right now! GAH! Ok, back on task... 
 The Lightning Thief is a fun adventurous middle grade story. That's really the best way to describe it. It just... FUN! It was a light breezy read and I have a good time reading it. I liked Percy quite a bit right off the bat and by the end I really had a soft spot for the kid. O wait... I totally forgot to mention that The Lightning Thief is really funny too. There are a lot of really funny one liners (especially the chapter titles... I laughed out loud at a couple of those) and I really enjoyed Percy's cleverness. The Lightning Thief also lays the groundwork for some new character arcs that will be followed up on in future installments. I love it when the first book works as a standalone as well as the start of a series that has clear goals in the future. I will definitely continue on with this series mainly because I liked Percy so much and my overall enjoyment I got out of entering this new world.