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The Lost Hero: The Heroes of Olympus, Book 1
- By Rick Riordan
- Genre: Fantasy
Common Sense Media says
Percy Jackson series spin-off is almost as delightful.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this Percy Jackson spin-off has the same mix of fast-paced battles, scary monsters, and humor. The three new heroes -- Jason, Piper, and Leo -- are in mortal danger multiple times and risk their lives for one another. These heroes are already in their mid-teens, so there's romance in the air between Jason and Piper, though nothing happens just yet. Just like the Percy Jackson series, The Lost Hero will get kids immersed in the details of Greek mythology ... and hopefully clamoring to learn more.
What's the story?
Jason is pretty confused when he wakes upon a school bus on a trip to the Grand Canyon with no idea who he is or how he got there. Earnest Piper acts like Jason's girlfriend, and goofy Leo thinks he's Jason's best friend, but Jason can't remember either of them. Before he can ask many questions, all three are attacked by storm spirits and rescued by a Camp Half-Blood chariot. The newly revealed heroes have barely broken in their cabin bunks when they're called on a quest to rescue Hera (who knows who Jason really is) from dark forces stirring in the Earth -- giants and much more. Riding off in a metal dragon expertly fixed by Leo (Hephaestus' son, of course), the three seek out the nearly-as-dangerous wind gods to help find Hera. But Piper has another secret quest: Her father has been kidnapped by another giant who wants to trade her friends' lives for her father's freedom -- a horrible choice to make.
Is it any good?
If the summary above sounds confusing, it'll help to read the Percy Jackson series first. This spin-off uses the same camp that trains heroes and churns out three more intriguing demigods. Whether they're as likable as Annabeth and Percy is still up in the air, but it's a promising start. Like Percy and Riordan's Egyptology series, The Kane Chronicles, the story set-up isn't terribly smooth, and this is a denser read than the first few Percy Jackson books, but once the action heats up, that's easily forgotten.
Always a draw with Riordan's books is his sense of humor and ingenious mix of myth and modern. Aeolus makes a compelling argument for why meteorologists are wrong so often, and Medea makes for a divine charmspeaking saleswoman (ready to talk you into buying a wide variety of poisonous potions, right this way). This sense of fun and adventure makes every one of Riordan's books a quest worth undertaking.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about this series vs. Percy Jackson. Were kids as excited about this new series if they loved Percy Jackson? How is Jason different from Percy? How is he the same?
Talk about the mix of myth and modern. How does the author make it work so well? Did you learn anything about mythology that you didn't know before? Are there other myths that you're interested in exploring?
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Kid, 11 years old
March 10, 2011
AGE
Love it!!!
This book is the BEST so far!!! I loved how it's like a puzzle I couldn't put it down in class I would try to finish my work early in class so I could read this book. I couldn't relate to any charters I could a little bit with Anabeth but not much but who cares. It hard to describe how much I love this book!!
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AGE
Love the author, Hate the Book.... Please Percy Come Back!!!
Ok, I know, I know this is going to sound bad when I look at all the five stars here, but I really did not like this book. I love Rick Riordan and I LOVED the Percy Jackson series, and I kind of freaked out when I heard a new Camp Half-Blood series was coming. But this book did not live up to my expectations. The characters were replaced with self-centered new ones, that in my opinion had no place being there. Piper is a self-centered Aphrodite girl who's literally obsessed with Jason. Jason seems completely sure of himself and awesome to the extreme, and Leo who's actually the only slight Percy Jackson-like character in this book is strange and brings about to much focus on the Hephaestus cabin.
This also kind of brings down the Percy Jackson series because it makes it seem like quests like that happen every summer. In Percy Jackson it made it seem like it was just Percy's bad luck that made him the star of so many little quests, but now it gives off the feeling that quests like this are a normal occurrence every year.
It was also quite hilarious how much Piper loved Jason. The best thing about the Percy Jackson series was how Annabeth and Percy didn't like each other from the beginning. They were best friends of course and learned to care for each other. Piper loves Jason immediately and in my opinion there is no such thing as love at first sight like that. Plus, Jason only thinks she's beautiful and doesn't seem to care what her personality's like except for one mention of it in the book.
The only thing to look forward to is that Percy Jackson might be in the next book in the series SPOILER with his memory totally wiped SPOILER. So, please Percy come back and talk some sense into these new idiotic dweebs that are running around Camp Half-Blood with their heads held high.
P.S. Below it says that there was a mention of the F word in the book. I don't know if you were thinking of a different one or if your kid said he was reading that book, but wasn't, but as far as I can remember this is a children's story, and there isn't one instance where profanity is used.
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AGE
Love it Love it Love it!
Rick Riordan hit a home run with the creation of The Lost Hero. It's filled with action, gods, and half-bloods. I'm only on page 335, but so far it's amazing!
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Kid, 12 years old
March 15, 2011
AGE
Incredible Book- Iffy for 9 yr olds, but perfect for 10+
I heart this book!! I bought this one, and I cannot wait for the next one in the series to come out. I miss Percy, and go crazy just thinking what might happen, but it is most definitely a must buy.
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AGE
It's Finally Here!
I have some friends who I was waiting for this with, and... just wow! This book ties in with the first series perfectly! It was just a great read for all ages!
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Kid, 10 years old
November 9, 2010
AGE
Younger kids like it too.
I have just started it and I really like it. Perfect for those who know all about Percy and his world
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AGE
Good for any age, but may not hold the attention of younger kids
I thought I wouldn't like it as much as Percy Jackson, but I think I liked it even better! I was so glad that I could still "stay in touch" with the old characters, while still getting a new plot and new characters.
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AGE
BEST BOOK EVER
Rick riordan is amazing... as a writer i am jealous =)
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Kid, 12 years old
April 3, 2011
AGE
this is just as good as the percy jackson series
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AGE
At first i didnt want to read it because it didnt have Percy. But then i found out that the next book has Percy. Its a good book
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| Topics: | magic and fantasy |
| Author: | Rick Riordan |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Fantasy |
| Publisher: | Hyperion Books for Children |
| Publication date: | October 12, 2010 |
| Number of pages: | 557 |
| Hardcover price: | $18.99 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 10 - 17 |
| Read aloud: | 10 |
| Read alone: | 10 |
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