Percy Jackson and The Olympians Series

I read this series a few years ago, but wanted to re-read them since I really couldn't remember much of what happened in them, just bits and parts.  I originally borrowed the books, but a couple of months ago I saw the entire 5 book series in a boxed set on Amazon for less than $30, so I decided to buy it knowing that I wanted to re-read them.

The author of this series is Rick Riordan and the first book is called, "The Lightning Thief".  The series focuses on a boy named, Percy Jackson who is 12 years old and in this first book he finds out that he is a demi-god (half human, half god).  With the help of his friend Grover (who turns out to actually be a satyr disguised as a human), Percy gets to Camp Half-Blood where he finds out that his father is Poseidon.  Percy is selected to go on a quest (he invites his friend Grover, and a girl named Annabeth who is a daughter of Athena, to go with him) to find out who stole Zeus' master bolt and return it to him in Olympus.  The three friends face many monsters along the way, they also discover a traitor in the camp, as well as an even bigger problem that is sure to come up in later books.

This book is a great start to the series.  It is full of adventure, mystery, and you actually learn a surprising amount about the Greek Gods and their mythology.  It's a quick and easy read, but very well written.

The second book in this series is called "The Sea of Monsters".  We meet up with Percy at the end of his grade seven year at another new school.  He has made a new friend named Tyson and with the help of a surprise guest (Annabeth) they are able to get away from the school before it is over-run by a bunch of Cannibals!  The three of them make their way to Camp Half-Blood for another summer only to find it much changed.  The tree that protects the borders of the camp from monsters has been poisoned!  Percy has also been having strange dreams about Grover who seems to be in trouble and need his help.  Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson (who Percy finds out is a good cyclops and his half brother) sneak out of the camp after a rival camper (Clarisse, daughter of Ares) is given the quest to find the golden fleece that will save the camp.  They all must travel through the Sea of Monsters in order to retrieve the fleece and save Grover from having to marry (or be eaten) by the cyclops Polyphemus.  After nearly dieing a few times, they make it back and the fleece saves the camp, but another unexpected thing arises from healing the tree.  Thalia, daughter of Zeus, is freed from the tree and is once again amongst the campers of Camp Half-Blood! 

Will post again after I read the next two books of the series :)  Love these books, they are so fun to read and always keep you on the edge of your seat!