I absolutely love the Percy Jackson book series by Rick Riordan. I first read the first book in the series, The Lightening Thief, when it was featured on a the Abe Lincoln list, a reading list that teachers, students, and librarians in Illinois compile. As soon as I read the first page of the book, I knew I was in for a fun ride. I devoured each book and have been recommending it to people nonstop. When I finished the Percy story arc with The Last Olympian, I was bit saddened to leave Camp Half-Blood, a place where demigods learn about their heritage and study. When I heard that Riordan was going to do a spin off series called Heroes of Olympus, I was elated and I couldn't wait to get my hands on the first book, The Lost Hero. I just finished the book and I will say that it exceeded all of my expectations.
  Since the storyline for The Lost Hero is a bit complex, I will let the author describe the book to you:



Review: The Lost Hero picks up right where The Last Olympian left its readers. While the Heroes of Olympus is a spin off series of the Percy Jackson, I highly recommend that readers read the Percy Jackson series first in order to get a proper introduction to Camp Half-Blood and several major characters that are from the prior series. Otherwise readers may feel like they are dropped into a middle of a series and be a bit confused as to what is going on. 
  As the author mentioned in the video above, The Lost Hero introduced three new demigods: Jason, Piper, and Leo. All three characters are thrown in together at a school for troubled kids. During a school field trip at the Grand Canyon, they are attacked by mythical creatures and are whisked away to Camp Half-Blood where their demigod heritage is revealed. While at the camp, the trio learn that the gods of Olympus has been silent and that Percy Jackson has disappeared. If that is not enough unsettling news, the trio also discover they are involved in a new, dark, great, and complex prophecy: Seven half-bloods shall answer the call/To storm or fire the world must fall/An oath to keep with a final breath/and foes bear arms to the Doors of Death. Thus begins a new quest by the trio of newbies to find and free Hera.
  I continually appreciate that Riordan continues to give us both strong female and ethnically diverse characters. Leo is Latino and Piper is half Cherokee. He seems to effortlessly hits the right tone in depicting teenage language, emotions, and behaviors. He is able to make his characters complex by giving them interesting back stories and insecurities. I cared for each of his characters as the details of their lives are revealed in each of their chapters (the story is seamlessly told from each character's perspective without sacrificing pace and tone). With an equal balance of humor, action, and a dash of romance, I was never bored with The Lost Hero. In fact I tried really hard not to read the book so quickly because I knew I would have to wait a long time for the second book to come out.
 What I love about Riordan's books is that he is able to tell a story that is fun, action-packed and simultaneously educational. Since I love Greek mythology, I love the foreshadowing and allusions to some of the famous myths and characters. In The Lost Hero we get Roman mythology as well as Greek, which was the primary focus in the Percy Jackson series. I loved the discussions of the subtle differences in the gods from one culture to the other. The Roman names of the gods really kept me on my toes and I wanted to know more about both.
 As you can tell, I really loved this book and I can not wait until the second book reveals what happens to Percy. It was a blast getting to know these trio newbies as well as meeting old friends at Camp Half-Blood. 

Rating: 5 stars

Curriculum Connection:  English and Social Studies

Words of Caution: There are some scary, fantasy violence that is PG rated. I think this book is appropriate for Grades 4 and up.

If you like this book try: The Son of Neptune (Book 2 of the Heroes of Olympus series, available Fall 2011), The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan, Gods of Manhattan by Scott Mebus, The Night Tourist by Katherine Marsh