Percy Jackson and the Olympians

This series has received wide popularity.  I got in to it because I noticed that every last one of my 4th grade students was hooked on it.  I soon followed suit.  It is told through the eyes of the title character as he discovers he is a demigod son of Poseidon and learns to navigate a modern world filled with monsters and mayhem.  His trusty friends (and equally trusty enemies) are always at his side as he learns that there are worse things than a world influenced by tempermental gods

Audience

Boys slightly more, but girls like it too.  The dynamic is similar to Harry Potter.  The romance plot is secondary to the friendship of the characters, but it is well handled.  The series is best suited to middle schoolers because of the sarcastic tone, but I'm reading it aloud to a 3rd grade class and they LOVE it.

Why I Love These Books

I love all the modern tie-ins with mythology.  Some are silly, such as chain stores growing like weeds.  Some are serious as architecture and thought patterns are explored.  This book is pretty child safe, in spite of being about Greek mythology.  The characters are lovable and I easily became invested in their adventures.  There is a good balance of action, humor, and character exploration.  I thought the tone was spot on for a boy of Percy's age.

Cautions

1) In the interest of being child safe I've heard many say the books are oversimplified.  The gods are ultimately relateable, so the myths were toned down in some places.
2) Even being child safe, the kids are demigods, and the fact that their parents are not married is addressed.
3) There is a lot of "praying to" and "swearing by" the gods in this book, who are actual characters themselves

4) At the beginning the characters are somewhat flat.  They grow and change through the series.

5) Some parts are overly descriptive for my 3rd graders
6) In some ways it is very similar to Harry Potter, but I think the similarities fade as the series progresses

Series
The Lightning Thief
Sea of Monsters
Titans Curse
Battle of the Labyrinth
The Last Olympian