Percy Jackson and the Olympians

The half-blood son of an Olympian god, middle-schooler Percy Jackson bravely battles mythical monsters in modern settings.

Perseus “Percy” Jackson is a modern demi-god, the half-blood son of an Olympian deity. Percy balances everyday teenage woes in the mortal world with daunting adventures in the mythical realm, from recovering Ares's lost chariot to visiting Hades. On his missions, he gets more than a little help from his friends—a satyr and the demigod daughter of Athena among them. Percy’s a typical adolescent–boyish and sarcastic–as he tries to prevent the destruction of Mount Olympus. Listeners will enjoy Percy’s clever humor and the novelty of meeting mythical creatures in ordinary places like school and summer camp.

Narrator Jesse Bernstein slips into this oddly engaging world where contemporary teen characters mingle with those from ancient Greek mythology. Bernstein is so good at accurately portraying teenagers that it’s hard to believe he isn’t one! He also reveals his ability to become a satyr, cyclops, or guinea pig–whatever the scene requires.

Author Rick Riordan taught English and history at the middle-school level for 15 years, giving him insight into the minds and behavior of ‘tweens. While teaching full-time, he began writing mystery novels for grownups, going on to win the genre’s top three awards—Edgar, Anthony, and Shamus—for his Tres Navarre series. He turned to writing children’s fiction when he started Percy Jackson’s debut adventure, The Lightning Thief, as a bedtime story for his oldest son. Now a full-time writer, Riordan is the number one New York Times best-selling author of four series for ‘tweens and teens: Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Kane Chronicles, Heroes of Olympus, and The 39 Clues.

The Percy Jackson novels have been adapted into a series of feature films, Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief and Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, and inspired a Broadway musical, The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical.