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You Need to Read: Percy Jackson

I was a kid myself when The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan was published, and it didn't take long for the Percy Jackson series to take the world by storm. Being the son of a Poseidon, Percy Jackson has some unique challenges as a half-blood. Here's some books that I think could've helped Percy when he was on his adventures trying to save the world:

Written by Kenny Curtis and Jillian Hughes
Illustrated by Javier Espila
Washington D.C.: National Geographic, 2024. Informational. 191 pages.

Percy, I know Chiron did a good job teaching you about mythology in Latin class, but this book is sure to be good to have on hand while you're traveling across the United States. Greeking Out is written in a kid-friendly voice with vivid illustrations and a sometimes-snarky tone (much like Percy himself). It also presents real-life creatures and places along with the information about Greek mythology.

Written by Joshua G. Shifrin
Illustrated by Tracy Nishimura Bishop
Washington D.C.: Magination Press, 2021. Informational. 131 pages.

While your ADHD makes it easier for you to focus on multiple things in combat, it can be hard to focus in class. This informational book is from the perspective of four different middle-schoolers with ADHD, who figure out over 100 study skills to make school easier for them. These skills are presented as different "tricks" that can be tried, encouraging students to experiment and find out what works for them.

Crayola: Cooking with Color
By Insight Editions
San Rafael, CA: Insight Editions, 2023. Informational. 126 pages.

Percy, you need to learn to appreciate foods that aren't blue. Your mom's blue chocolate chip cookies will always be special, but the other colors of food are also delicious! In this cook book, you will find recipes for chefs of all different skills, so there will be plenty of dishes you can make with your mom, with your friends in Aunty Em's kitchen, or all by yourself!

Medusa
By Katherine Marsh
New York: Clarion Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2024. Fiction. 277 pages.

Speaking of Aunty Em... this novel is about a girl who's not descended from a Greek god, but from Medusa! Ava Baldwin travels to a school in Venice for children who are related to all different kinds of Greek monsters. But after her friend is punished for challenging a teacher, Ava starts to realize that this school has a secret: one that might only exist to keep the status quo. I think Percy would like this book because like Ava, Percy is not content just abiding by what's been decreed by the gods as "normal."

The Last Shadow Warrior
By Sam Subity
New York: Scholastic Press, 2021. Fiction. 313 pages.

If Percy wants a story about a tween with a great mythological destiny thrust upon them that isn't Greek, I think he'll love The Last Shadow Warrior. It tells the story of Abby, who has been training to be a Viking Aesir, someone who protects the world from Grendels. When she and her father are attacked by the monsters, they travel to Vale Hall, just to find that the Viking council doesn't believe that Grendels still exist. Abby has to fight to prove that she isn't lying and to save her father's life.

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