Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief (graphic novel) by Rick Riordan

7/10

Percy Jackson is a normal high school kid who goes to classes, plays games and hangs out with his friends, but he also has learning difficulties, answers he wants to his strange life and to be honest, not everyone likes him, even his teachers. One of his problems is his difficulty with reading, and finds after a while he is actually dyslexic - the words on the pages of a book or on a computer screen just don't make any sense. This makes it hard for him to concentrate in class or with his studies at home, but there is a reason for this - he's a special kind of kid and it is time for him to find out who he really is.

There is trouble brewing in heaven, and the gods of Greek legend are angry, especially Zeus as his lightning bolt having been stolen by a wayward thief - who he is is a mystery, but he has sent his best mento find out, and that means they could be looking for Percy. Percy discovers he is different from everyone else when Mr Brunner tells him he must know about the people who are around him who can help him become strong for the upcoming fight between them and the gods. Percy realizes that he should not have been born as the three sons of Kronos decided that they would never create any more half-bloods, so they are angry that Percy is still alive and well and on the human world. The reason Zeus thinks that Percy has stolen his thunderbolt is that his father, Poseidon has tried to usurp his brother's throne before, so if he possessed his thunderbolt that makes other thunderbolts from it, then he would have his source of power - but is it as easy as it sounds?

Adapted by Robert Venditti with art by Attila Futaki and colour work by Jose Villarubia, this is the graphic novel version of the movie. Attila Futaki's art looks realistic and bold and occasionally has a touch of detail in certain panels. He brings the story to life, and also gives it a sense of intense movement. This is also part one of a series which includes; Sea of Monsters, Titan's Curse, Battle of the Labyrinth, The Last Olympian, and the Demi God Files. I found that the story from the movie had left out the boring bits and made it move on well enough as a result, making it flow for the younger reader.