The Lightning Thief

The Lightning Thief is the first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. It was released in 2005. The book has been made into a movie as of February 12, 2010 staring Logan Lerman, Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario and Jake Abel.

Plot
Percy Jackson is a twelve year old boy diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia, who is expelled from every school he ever attended. On a trip with his mother, his friend, Grover, who is a satyr, urgently tells Percy's mother that Percy must go to a certain camp. As they drive towards camp, they are attacked by the Minotaur, who grabs Percy's mother. She dissolves into a golden shower of light, while Grover and Percy narrowly escape. Percy is unconcious for a few days and wakes up at Camp Half-Blood, a secretive training ground for demigods.

During a Capture the Flag game, Percy is attacked by five Ares campers. He is healed when he steps into the adjoining river and is revealed to be the son of Poseidon, when a trident appears over his head. Poseidon had broken an oath taken with Hades and Zeus after World War II not to have any more children because of a prophecy given by the Oracle of Delphi. The prophecy stated that a child of one of the Big Three gods (Poseidon, Zeus, and Hades) would make a decision on his sixteenth birthday that would either save or destroy Olympus. Percy is then granted a quest to find Zeus's master bolt which Chiron believes Hades has stolen. However, Zeus, who discovered Poseidon's broken oath, believes Poseidon had Percy steal the bolt. Percy, who has ten days before summer solstice to find the lightning bolt, is given magic shoes by Luke before leaving. However, Chiron tells him that it is a bad idea to use the shoes, so they are given to Grover. Percy, accompanied by Annabeth and Grover, decides to travel west to reach the entrance to the [[Underworld in Los Angeles. They encounter several Greek monsters along with the war god, Ares, who tells Percy that his mother is alive. As they approach the pit of Tartarus, Luke’s shoes try to pull Grover into it, but he manages to slip free. Percy confronts Hades who also believes Percy stole the Master Bolt as well as his Helm of Darkness. Percy realizes that Ares has tricked him when he discovers the bolt in his backpack. He flees from the Underworld, forced to leave his mother. Percy then fights and defeats Ares by injuring the god's heel. Ares gives Percy the Helm of Darkness which Percy returns to Hades. Percy reaches New York City to give the lightning bolt to Zeus  on top of the Empire State Building, where Olympus is now located. Zeus accepts the bolt and Percy returns to camp, where he learns that his mother is alive. He meets Luke, who reveals that he stole the bolt for Kronos. Luke calls out a poisonous scorpion which stings and nearly kills Percy. Chiron cures him and Percy leaves to attend another school found by his mother. The camp bead for Percy's first year is a black bead with a green trident in the middle.

Prophecy
This book's prophecy was given to Percy Jackson.


 * You shall go west, and face the god who has turned, (Percy goes to California and fights Ares)
 * You shall find what was stolen, and see it safely returned, (Zeus' Master Bolt and Hades' Helm of Darkness)
 * You shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend, (Luke betrays Percy)
 * And you shall fail to save what matters most, in the end. (Percy's mom, who comes back after Percy returns the helm of darkness)

Monsters

 * Alecto and the other Furies
 * The Fates (though not really monsters)
 * Minotaur
 * Hellhounds
 * Medusa
 * Echidna
 * Chimera
 * Procrustes
 * Cerberus
 * Pit Scorpion

Chapter list

 * 1) I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-algebra Teacher
 * 2) Three Old Ladies Knit the Socks of Death
 * 3) Grover Unexpectedly Loses his Pants
 * 4) My Mother Teaches Me Bullfighting
 * 5) I Play Pinochle with a Horse
 * 6) I Become Surpreme Lord of the Bathroom
 * 7) My Dinner Goes Up in Smoke
 * 8) We Capture a Flag
 * 9) I Am Offered a Quest
 * 10) I Ruin a Perfectly Good Bus
 * 11) We Visit the Garden Gnome Emporium
 * 12) We Get Advice from a Poodle
 * 13) I Plunge to My Death
 * 14) I Become a Known Fugitive
 * 15) A God Buys us Cheeseburgers
 * 16) We Take a Zebra to Vegas
 * 17) We Shop for Water Beds
 * 18) Annabeth Does Obedience School
 * 19) We Find Out the Truth, Sort Of
 * 20) I Battle My Jerk Relative
 * 21) I Settle My Tab
 * 22) The Prophecy Comes True

Film adaptation
In June 2004, 20th Century Fox acquired feature film rights to the book. The following November, screenwriter Joe Stillman was hired to adapt a screenplay based on the book. . In April 2007, director Chris Columbus was hired to helm the project. . The film has gone into pre-production. The budget hasn't yet been set, concept art is being created, and the script is being finalized. It has been announced that the release date of the film will be February 12, 2010. The offical title for the movie is Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief opening the growing chances of a sequel, and eventually the entire series. Logan Lerman has been cast as Percy Jackson and Brandon T. Jackson as Grover Underwood. Alexandra Daddario will be playing Annabeth Chase in the Percy Jackson adaption. Uma Thurman will be playing Medusa, and Pierce Brosnan will be playing Chiron. Joining them will be Kevin McKidd as Poseidon, Sean Bean as Zeus, and Melina Kanakaredes as Athena.

Graphic Novel
A graphic novel for the first book is planned to be released 19 October 2010 (a week after the release of The Lost Hero).

Deluxe Edition
A Deluxe Edition of this book was released in late 2009/early 2010, it contained additional content in the form of eight full-coloured illustrations by the series cover artist John Rocco, and it came in a slipcase with a ribbon bookmark, rough edges and a cloth cover.

Awards

 * Mark Twain Award 2008 (Missouri Association of School Librarians)
 * Bluebonnet Award Nominee (Texas Library Association)
 * Askews Torchlight Award (UK)
 * Best of the Best Book List (Chicago Public Library)
 * Top Shelf Fiction List (Voice of Youth Advocates)
 * Notable Book (American Library Association)
 * Best Book for Young Adults (Young Adult Library Services Association)
 * Red House Children's Book Award Winner (UK)
 * Choice Award; Notable Children's Book (Cooperative Children's Book Center)
 * National Council for Teachers of English, Publishers Weekly National Children's Bestseller
 * Warwickshire Book Award Winner (UK)
 * Beehive Award Winner 2006 (Children's Literature Association of Utah)
 * Maine Student Book of The Stupids