First Pages: The Lightening Thief
I love going on field trips. I loved it as a child, and I love it as a mom. If a field trip is on my day off, I always volunteer.
Now that Mini Me is in middle school, they never ask for volunteers. The only field trip I remember going to in middle school was to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. I remember the crystal chandeliers, walking on the stairs in ‘free dress’ (an exciting thing in a world of uniforms), and looking around for my crush/friend. Looking back, I’m sure that field trip was probably boring, unlike the one Mini Me went to a few weeks ago to see the King Tut exhibit.
This is my first time reading ANY Percy Jackson book even though Mini Me ripped through most of them last year, so I got curious, especially when Little Lion brought home the illustrated edition. The illustrations by John Rocco are masterpieces—so brilliantly rendered—and this version would be great for bookworms and bookdragons and reluctant readers alike.
Rick Riordan opens up The Lightening Thief with a warning, a ‘known’ troublemaker, a history of catastrophes on previous field trips, and a mysterious field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Plus an intriguing teacher, Mr. Brunner, who happens to have his own “awesome collection of Roman armor and weapons”.
I’m pulled in right away. I know the series has something to do with Greek mythology and that it’s a fantasy series, but I don’t know much beyond that.
Percy Jackson is relatable, sympathetic, mysterious, and likable with a great voice for this story. The voice of a storyteller.
I can see why this series is so popular.
And I’m encouraged to continue reading because I’m SO curious to see if Mr. Brunner knew all along that Percy Jackson is a half-blood and if this is his ‘test’. If I’m totally off or if you already know, please don’t say anything! I have to go to work and continue the book later today.
And though I love all the illustrations, I may have to download this book to my kindle on my phone so I can read it on my lunch break. A sure sign of a good beginning!
And now I wonder if Mini Me’s seventh grade classmates imagined Percy Jackson as they went through that King Tut exhibit. Different culture, history, mythology, I know, but still intriguing….
Tell Dr. Bookworm!
What was your favorite field trip as a child? As a parent? Let me know in the comment section below.
First Pages note: I started the First Lines and First Pages series in November 2017 as a homage to National Novel Writing Month. In the tradition of one of my previous writing groups, I decided to 'share' the first lines of successful middle grade and YA novels in order to figure out what made them successful first pages. I posted as many as I could in November, and now post the series on the first of every month (or close to it). Please let me know in the comment section if you have any First Pages recommendations.
