Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

After finishing Harry Potter with my nine-year-old, we picked up the Percy Jackson series after reading all the reviews and suggestions. We just finished The Lightning Thief today, and I have to warn you: If you’re expecting something as good as Harry Potter, you will be highly disappointed with this book. It’s simply not as good as Harry Potter in nearly every way imaginable. The characters, pacing, and storyline have nowhere near the complexity or sophistication of Harry Potter. This book felt like a real drag, and I am trying to figure out how to tell my kid I don’t want to read the rest of the series to her, as I constantly find my mind drifting away while reading because it feels like reading (surprise surprise) children’s literature. To the author’s credit, my kid does seem to enjoy the book much more than I do. But today she told me, “Percy Jackson doesn’t hook the reader, and it felt like it took forever for anything to actually happen in the plot line besides monster attacks.” So maybe if you’re 9, this is a five-star book. If you’re a parent, be careful before committing to reading the whole series to your kid, as it may be a big fat drag. And please stop saying this series is as good as Harry Potter, because it is far far farrrrr from being on the same level.