Percy Jackson is a problem child. He has been expelled from almost every school he’s been in. He has ADHD and dyslexia which means that all his grades are close to failing or actually failing. However, he wants to change this. He wants to stay in the school he is in, with his awesome Latin teacher Mr. Brunner who actually believes in him, and his best friend Grover who is loyal to him. He is on probation in his new school because of his multiple arguments with the school bully Nancy Bobafit, so he is determined to not accidentally cause trouble like he usually does on the school field trip. When the two argue, he blacks out momentarily, and when he “wakes up” she is in the fountain. Kids are saying that the water grabbed her and dragged her in there. Mrs. Dodds, the math teacher, takes Percy inside for what he thinks is a reprimand. However, she transforms into a monster that he kills after Mr. Brunner tosses him a sword/pen.
He comes out of the museum very confused. Nancy says that the teacher who took him in was Mrs. Kerr not Mrs Dodds, and even Mr. Brunner denies that there ever was a Mrs. Dodds. Grover hesitates before saying that Mrs. Dodds never existed, so Percy decides that they must be lying. His grades go down, he lashes out at other teachers, and he is eventually told that he is expelled after this year. He hears Mr. Brunner saying to Grover in private about a solstice and that a Kindly One was in the school. Then it is time for summer break.
He travels back to his mom Sally’s house that they share with his horrible stepdad Gabe Ugliano. His mom is wonderful, and while he was away she has planned for them to go back to the beach where she met Percy’s real father. He decides not to ruin the moment by telling her about all the crazy stuff that has been going on, but instead just enjoys the day on the beach with his mom. That night, he has dreams of a horse and a large bird fighting each other, and when he wakes up Grover the SATYR has come to take him to Half Blood Hill.
Once he gets to camp, a Minotaur attacks him, taking his mom, and a blonde haired girl who feeds him pudding in his sleep keeps talking about a winter solstice. Mr Brunner/Chiron talks to him once he wakes up about the quest he must go on in order to keep Olympus from war.
I read this book when I was the same age as Percy in this book. I loved it, and I went directly onto reading the Sea of Monsters. I thought I was going to whip through the series. But then, for reasons personal and reasons such as the fact that I only had the first 3 books and not the whole series, I stopped after the Sea of Monsters and about one chapter of the Titan’s Curse. Fast forward almost 6 years. I now have all the books except for 2 of the Heroes of Olympus series, and I am trying to reread the Titan’s Curse in its entirety. I am so lost, I have forgotten almost everything about the characters. I decided that I needed to go back through the whole series to remember the important bits before I dived back into the books.
I really enjoyed reading this book, just like I did years ago. Sure, many of the things that I found funny or cool when I read it at 11 seem a bit more childish to me, simply because of the fact that I am older, but it didn’t make the overall story any less enjoyable. I liked how Percy has a mom who really cares about him, even when he is expelled from school after school she always believes him when he says that it wasn’t his fault. If it wasn’t for his mother Percy would have been a lost cause. Then there is Grover, the small runt-y little satyr that is his friend and who helps him, showing that with determination even the weakest can prove themselves to be strong. I loved Percy and how his strong family grounding helped him through all of his struggles throughout the story.
I would recommend this book for younger readers, for example 4-5th grade and up, but as you can see it is a great read for anyone really. I will be posting the rest of the Series reviews as I read them, and I hope that you follow me as I read hopefully all of Rick Riordan’s kids books.
Overall Rating: 5/5