Book Review Assignment
Directions:
● Read reviews at this website for teens: http://teensreadtoo.com/Opening.html
● You can also read book reviews at amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com
Read the Example Book Review Below on The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
A young man thinks his biggest problems in life are his ADHD and dyslexia, maybe a bully
or two, but then he discovers that he's half god.
This very clever book (written primarily for middle school to early high school students, but
rewarding and enjoyable for adults, too) imagines that the Greek gods are still around and
still up to their old ways-especially going out and having children with mortals. The writing
is very witty; the author had me laughing out loud more than once. The plot is great and
never slows down.
Readers are rewarded for knowledge of Greek mythology by having an idea of where the
author is going with his story. You can read the beginning of a description and know right
away which monster or god it is. Keep in mind, this is a book written for young adults, so
don't get too happy when you figure out the Oracle's prediction way before the other
characters do. Also, seeing as this is a book about the gods' influence on Earth, don't be
suprised by the large amount of deus ex machina in the plot.
My one and only complaint is that I felt the chapter headings contained too many spoilers.
Read another Example on the same book with a different perspective
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan is one of the rare childrens books I cannot recommend.
I'm disappointed because I wanted to like the story, but it is so derivative. Unfortunately,
The Lightning Thief reads more like the story of young Hercules than an original work of
fiction. Anyone who has read Greek mythology will recognize the many borrowed ideas.
Anyone who has watched Hercules or Xena will know how the plot is going to work out.
Putting Percy Jackson in a more modern setting doesn't help much either, and the early set
up of the story seems to be torn from the pages of Harry Potter where poor Percy is the
subject of abuse and a misfit that doesn't fit in who later discovers a magical world. Instead
of Hogwarts though, Percy journeys off to Camp Half-Blood where special kids like him go to
train against monsters.
Reading this book was a chore and I couldn't wait until it was over. I'll read the others but
only because I've already purchased them. My kids, however, says they're not going to
continue. They give the story two thumbs done.
My advice on this one is to purchase the first book only. That way if you don't like it, you
won't have wasted your money on the other books.
Things to notice about both reviews:
● The reviews did not say, “The book was good” OR “The book was bad.” Both reviews
explained what made the book good or bad.
● Both reviews gave background knowledge needed to understand the stories, but it was not
just a summary of the book. You must insert your opinion.
● Both reviews used respectful and appropriate language with few or no grammatical
errors – you must do so as well.
● You do not have to like the book – see the second review.
