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Description edit
Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school ... again. And that's the least of his troubles. Lately, mythological monsters and the gods of Mount Olympus seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. And worse, he's angered a... read more
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
Summary edit
Percy Jackson is a twelve-year-old boy, diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia, who has been expelled from six schools, the latest being Yancy Academy. During a school field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, his pre-algebra teacher, Mrs. Dodds, attacks Percy revealing that she... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)
Characters edit
- Perseus "Percy" Jackson: Percy is the main character of the story. He is dyslexic and has ADHD and later he learns these are natural traits of demigods. He is a twelve-year-old boy who, was a boarding school student at Yancy Academy. His best friend is Grover Underwood, a satyr. His father is Poseidon. He is the first demigod to be identified as the son of one of The Big Three (Zeus, Poseidon, Hades) after many years and is believed to fulfill a prophecy.
- Grover Underwood: Grover is Percy's best friend, and a fellow student at Yancy Academy. Grover is actually a satyr. He is half goat and half human. He accompanies Percy in his adventure throughout the book.
- Luke Castellan: He is Percy's temporary counselor in Hermes cabin. He is the son of Hermes and has stolen some valuable things.
- Annabeth Chase: Daughter of Athena, she has blond hair and gray eyes, and is strong willed, smart and confident. She is a skilled demigod and later became Percy's girlfriend. She considers Luke as her brother and cares him.
- Mr. Brunner/Chiron: Mr. Brunner is a middle-aged man in a motorized wheelchair, and is the Latin teacher at Yancy Academy. Chiron is Percy's mentor and the head of Camp HalfBlood.
- Sally Jackson: She is Percy's mother. She claims that Percy's father had to leave because he came from a rich family and had to keep their relationship a secret. She often likes to make food that is colored blue, such as blue waffles or blue chocolate chip cookies. Later in the book, she was imprisoned in the underworld and Percy had to take a quest to save her.
- Zeus: Lord of the Skies, Bearer of the Master Lightning Bolt, brother of Poseidon and Hades, God of the skies, weather, order and fate. His symbols are the eagles or a lightning bolt. One of the "Big Three." Zeus is also considered as the king of gods.
- Poseidon: Poseidon is the God of the sea. He is the bringer of storms and earthquakes. He created horses. He is one of the twelve-olympians, and one of the "Big Three.Poseidon is the father of Percy Jackson and he always loves his son. He comes to Percy's aid at the time of danger.
- Lord Ares: Ares is the God of War and father of Clarisse, the camp bully. He wears black jeans, combat boots, a leather duster, shirt with a bulletproof vest, a necklace made of iron padlocks and sunglasses. Ares has some anger towards Percy. Also dating Aphrodite.
- Lord Hades: The brother of Zeus and Poseidon. Ruler of the Underworld. One of the big three. Hades was actually tricked by his brother's to rule the underworld and had always had a grudge against Zeus.
- Mr.D/Dionysus: The god of wine, 12th member of the Olympian council and camp director at camp half-blood as a punishment for his wrongdoing. He does not like his job as camp leader, but does it as his punishment.
- Aunty Em/Medusa: Aunty Em is the owner of the garden gnome emporium. she is a mysterious little woman, who always wears a shawl. Medusa is cursed by Athena because of her beauty. She has a special power that upon whom her gaze fall, they will be turned to a stone. Medusa was beheaded by Percy in this book. Her head helped him futher in his adventure.
- Mrs. Dodds: Mrs. Dodds is Percy's math teacher from Georgia who always wore a black leather jacket, even though she is fifty years old. She has always had something up against Percy Jackson.
- Persephone: The goddess of Plants and Fruit. She is the wife of Hades.
- Aphrodite: According to Greek mythology, she is the Goddess of Love and Beauty. She is also one of the Olympians. Her husband is Hephaestus but she is dating Ares, the god of war.
- Athena: Greek goddess of wisdom and battle. Athena is the mother of Annabeth Chase.
- Mr. Charon: Hade's worker who brings people on a boat ride to the underworld. He is the ferryman of the River Styx, which is at the entrance of the Underworld. In order to reach there, Charon has to be paid a golden Drachma for passage on his ferry.
- Clarisse La Rue: She is the daughter of Ares and a fellow camper. She may sometimes act as a bully and she is very arrogant.
- Minatour: A huge beast
- Argus: Add a description of this character.
- Barbara Walters
- Nancy Bobofit
- Thalia
- Kronos
- Gladiola
- Demeter
- Darrin
- Smelly Gabe
- Hermes
- Cerberus
- Echidna
- Maurice
- Oracle
- Mrs. Kerr
- Hera
- Eddie
- Artemis
- Hercules
- Uncle Ferdinand
Quotes edit
-
“Hades raised an eyebrow. When he sat forward in his throne, shadowy faces appeared in the folds of his black robes, faces of torment, as if the garment was stitched of trapped souls from the Fields of Punishment, trying to get out. The ADHD part of me wondered, off-task, whether the rest of his clothes were made in the same way. What horrible things would you have to do in your life to get woven into Hades' underwear?”
Percy Jackson -
“Grover didn't say anything for awhile. Then, when I thought he was going to give me some deep philosophical comment to make me feel better, he said, "Can I have your apple?”
Percy Jackson -
“You drool when you sleep.”
Annabeth Chase -
“Braccas meas vescimini! I wasn't sure where the Latin came from. I think it meant 'Eat my pants'!”
-
“Then, well, duh! Percy Jackson. Did you think I was Aphrodite, perhaps?”
Dionysus -
“Am I a troubled kid? Yeah, you could say that.”
Percy Jackson -
“I was alive, which was good.”
Percy Jackson -
“Spontaneous combustion IS a form of harm, Mr. D.”
Chiron -
“Cream the punk!”
Clarisse -
“Yes, I suppose I'd better say hello to all you brats. Well, hello. Our activities director, Chiron, says the next capture the flag is Friday. Cabin 5 presently holds the laurels. Personally, I couldn't care less, but congratulations.”
Mr. D/Dionysus -
“Food....”
Grover Underwood -
“What are you thinking? I'm thinking that I want you on my team for capture the flag.”
Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase -
“Because you're my friend Seaweed Brain. Any more stupid questions?”
Annabeth Chase, Percy Jackson -
“Sounds like a plan worthy of Athena.”
Percy Jackson -
“What horrible things would you have to do in your life to get woven into Hades’ underwear?”
Percy Jackson -
“I thought she would say something like "Your so cool!" or "Wow you killed a Minotaur!". Instead she said, "You drool when you sleep." And ran off.”
Percy, Annabeth -
“If you do not announce your intentions, we will assume you have vacated your cabin or died a horrible death. Cleaning harpies will begin work at sundown. They will be authorized to eat any unregistered campers. All personal articles left behind will be incinerated in the lava pit! Have a nice day!”
Mr. D/Dionysus -
“Hey my reed pipes still work!" Grover cried. "If I could just remember a 'find path' song, we could get out of these woods!' He puffed out a few notes, but the tune still sounded suspiciously like Hilary Duff. Instead of finding a path, I immediately slammed into a tree and got a nice-size knot on my head.”
Grover Underwood and Percy Jackson -
“'Show's over!" I yelled."'Thank you! Good night!" I wondered if Olympus had gone to a commercial break or if our ratings had been any good.”
Percy Jackson -
“Wouldn't that put a twist in your toga?”
Chiron -
“I'd love to tell you I had some deep revelation on my way down, that I came to terms with my own mortality, laughed in the face of death, et cetera. The Truth? My only thought was Aaaaggghhhhh!”
Percy Jackson -
“I could smell food. Fried, greasy, excellent food. I realized I hadn't eaten anything unhealthy since I'd arrived at Half-Blood Hill, where we lived on grapes, bread, cheese, and extra-lean-cut nymph-prepared barbecue. This boy needed a double cheeseburger.”
Percy Jackson -
“Look, I didn't want to be a half- blood.”
-
“Did I mention that Maine is very nice this time of year?”
Grover Underwood -
“Then he groaned "Food," and I knew there was hope.”
Percy Jackson -
“The thing was wearing underwear, and not just any underwear. Bright jumbo mamba underwear. It would have been funny if the top half weren't so scary.”
Percy Jackson -
“In his pocket was a set of reed pipes his daddy goat had carved for him, even though he only knew two songs: Mozart's Piano Concerto no. 12 and Hilary Duff's "So Yesterday," both of which sounded pretty bad on reed pipes.”
-
“Poseidon," said Chiron. "Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God.”
Chiron -
“Once you sever it, it becomes a spoil of war.”
Annabeth Chase -
“Jack-of-all-trades, master of none.”
-
“You shall go west, and face the god who has turned. You shall find what was stolen, and see it safely returned. You shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend. And you shall fail to save what matters most, in the end.”
The Prophecy -
“Old Seaweed!”
Ares (Referring to Poseidon) -
“Old Corpse Breath!”
Ares (Referring to Hades) -
“Seaweed Brain!”
Annabeth Chase (Referring to Percy) -
“Wise Girl!”
Percy Jackson (Referring to Annabeth) -
“Even strength has to bow to wisdom sometimes.”
Annabeth Chase -
“Leave it to a girl to make everything complicated.”
Percy Jackson -
“Boys always messed things up.”
Annabeth Chase -
“Please. I'm not into self-inflicted pain.”
Annabeth Chase -
“It's funny how humans can wrap their mind around things and fit them into their version of reality.”
Chiron via Percy Jackson -
“Knowing too much of your future is never a good thing.”
Chiron -
“Hades raised an eyebrow. When he sat forward in his throne, shadowy faces appeared in the folds of his black robes, faces of torment,as if the garment was stitched of trapped souls from the Fields of Punishment, trying to get out. The ADHD part of me wondered, off-task, whether the rest of his clothes were made the same way. What horrible things would you have to do in your life to get woven into Hades' underwear?”
Percy Jackson -
“The plan," Grover gulped. "Yeah. I love the plan.”
Grover -
“"I'm going to kill her I mumbled.'' "It's okay, I like peanut butter.''”
Percy,Grover -
“"Don't say I didn't warn you."”
Percy Jackson -
“Eat my pants!”
-Percy Jackson -
“Shut up, goat boy”
-
“Shut up, goat boy”
- Annabeth Chase -
“"Don't say I didn't warn you"”
- Percy Jackson -
“"The guy on the bike would've made pro wrestlers run for mama."”
-Percy Jackson -
“"He hauled me away before I could punch a hole in the appliance store window."”
- Percy Jackson -
“' A kid could stay safe if they weren't stupid.'”
-Percy Jackson
-
“Poseidon,” said Chiron. “Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus Jackson, Son of the Sea God.”
Highlighted by 457 Kindle customers -
“Braccas meas vescimini!” I yelled. I wasn’t sure where the Latin came from. I think it meant “Eat my pants!”
Highlighted by 439 Kindle customers -
“Oh, nobody much,” Grover said, obviously still miffed about the donkey comment. “Just the Lord of the Dead and a few of his blood-thirstiest minions.”
Highlighted by 430 Kindle customers -
But if you recognize yourself in these pages—if you feel something stirring inside—stop reading immediately. You might be one of us.
Highlighted by 393 Kindle customers -
You should’ve seen him run when it was enchilada day in the cafeteria.
Highlighted by 356 Kindle customers -
In his pocket was a set of reed pipes his daddy goat had carved for him, even though he only knew two songs: Mozart’s Piano Concerto no. 12 and Hilary Duff ’s “So Yesterday,” both of which sounded pretty bad on reed pipes.
Highlighted by 317 Kindle customers -
“Well, half credit, Mr. Jackson. Zeus did indeed feed Kronos a mixture of mustard and wine, which made him disgorge his other five children, who, of course, being immortal gods, had been living and growing up completely undigested in the Titan’s stomach.
Highlighted by 280 Kindle customers -
I thought about that as we waited for the ghouls to pass. I pretended not to see Annabeth wipe a tear from her cheek as she listened to the mournful keening of Cerberus in the distance, longing for his new friend.
Highlighted by 272 Kindle customers -
Grover tried to calm me down. “It’s okay. I like peanut butter.”
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I ACCIDENTALLY VAPORIZE MY PRE-ALGEBRA TEACHER
Highlighted by 205 Kindle customers
Setting & Locations edit
New York, Denver, Los Angeles
- Camp Half-Blood: A refuge for half-human, half-gods. This is where the demigods get to train and prepare themselves for combat. It is protected from monsters.
- Mount Olympus: The mountain was regarded as the "home of the gods", specifically of the Twelve Olympians. It is located on the 600th floor of the Empire State Building.
- The Underworld: Underworld is a region in some religions and in mythologies which is thought to be under the surface of the earth. It could be a place where the souls of the recently departed go, and, in some traditions, it is identified with Hell or the realm of death. Hades is the ruler of this place. It is located at DOA Recording Studio in Los Angeles.
- Elysium: It is a section of the Ancient Greek underworld where indifferent and ordinary souls were sent to live after death. This is the final resting places of the souls of the heroic and the virtuous.
- Metropolitan Museum of Art: It is an art museum on the eastern edge of Central Park, along "Museum Mile" in New York City, United States. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works of art, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, often called "the Met", is one of the world's largest art galleries; there is also a much smaller second location, at "The Cloisters", in Upper Manhattan, which features medieval art.
- Tartarus: It is a deep, gloomy place, a pit, or an abyss used as a dungeon of torment and suffering that resides beneath the underworld. This is where the worst of the monster's are imprisoned, along with the evil titan lord, Kronos. It is a place that appears often in Percy's dreams.
- Long Island Sound: This is where Camp Half-Blood is located.
- Yancy Academy: It is a private boarding school for troubled kids in upstate New York.
- Big House: The place in Camp Half-Blood where Chiron and Mr. D reside. It is also the home of the Oracle.
- Empire State Building: The building where Mount Olympus is based.
- Aunty Em's Gnome Emporium: It is a place full of statues overseen by Medusa, who lures in unsuspecting travelers, turns them to stone, and sells the statues as decorations for Hades in the Underworld.
- East One-hundred-and-fourth and First: This is where Percy's apartment is located.
- Montauk: It is a beach that Percy and his mother enjoy visiting.
- Cabin Eleven: It is one of the cabins in Camp Half-Blood. It takes all the undetermined, newcomers, all visitors and its patron is Hermes.
- Gateway Arch: It is a museum of things from the 1800s and it has an observation deck.
- Waterland: It is an old, shut-down water amusement park in Denver.
- Lotus Hotel and Casino: It is a five star hotel with incredibly good features like a waterslide, bungee jumping, etc., inside. Time passes differently there and can trap the guests for decades with its allure.
- Crusty's Water Bed Palace: It is a water bed store.
- DOA Recording Studios: It is located in Valencia Boulevard. This is the entrance to the Underworld, guarded by Charon.
- Field of Asphodel: It is a section of the Ancient Greek underworld where indifferent and ordinary souls were sent to live after death. This is where the souls of people who lived lives of near equal good and evil rested.
- Santa Monica Beach: One of the settings in this book.
Organizations edit
- Camp Half-blood: Camp Half-Blood is the only safe place in the world for a demi-god to go because its borders are enchanted where nothing can get in without being invited in by someone in the camp, including weather, monsters, and other people.
First Sentence edit
Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood.
Table of Contents edit
1. I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-algebra Teacher / 1
2. Three Old Ladies Knit the Socks of Death / 16
3. Grover Unexpectedly Loses His Pants / 29
4. My Mother Teaches Me Bullfighting / 44
5. I Play Pinochle with a Horse / 57
6. I Become Supreme Lord of the Bathroom / 75
7. My Dinner Goes Up in Smoke / 93
8. We Capture a Flag / 107
9. I Am Offered a Quest / 127
10. I Ruin a Perfectly Good Bus / 149
11. We Visit the Garden Gnome Emporium / 168
12. We Get Advice from a Poodle / 188
13. I Plunge to My Death / 197
14. I Become a Known Fugitive / 212
15. A God Buys Us Cheeseburgers / 219
16. We Take a Zebra to Vegas / 242
17. We Shop for Water Beds / 266
18. Annabeth Does Obedience School / 283
19. We Find Out the Truth, Sort Of / 300
20. I Battle My Jerk Relative / 320
21. I Settle My Tab / 334
22. The Prophecy Comes True / 354
Glossary edit
- Mist: The mythological force that keeps mortals from seeing Mt. Olympus, Camp Half-Blood, and the Greek gods.
- Half-Blood: The offspring of a human and a god. Also called a 'demigod'.
- Dyslexia: Condition where someone mixes up the order of letters. Makes reading very difficult. In this series, this condition is present in all demigods for the English language.
- ADHD: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Characteristics are difficulties in concentration, hyperactivity/impulsiveness or both.
- Olympus: The mythological place where the Greek gods live.
- Saytr: Half goat nature protectors
Themes & Symbolism edit
- Greek gods: It explain Greek Mythology in a fiction tale!
- Learning disabilities: Percy's ADHD enables him to react to situations like a warrior.
- Dyslexia: Most half-bloods are diagnosed as having dyslexia. This is because their brains prefer to read Greek, and therefore have trouble deciphering English.
- Friendship: Percy, Annabeth, and Grover become friends.
Errata edit
On page 81 of the paperback version the Ares cabin is described as Cabin Number 5. On page 324, talking about the boar, the Ares cabin is named cabin 7.
Series & Lists edit
This is book 1 of 8 in Percy Jackson and the Olympians. (standard series)
Followed by The Sea of Monsters.
This is book 54 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (June 2011). (authoritative list)
This is book 48 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (December 2011). (authoritative list)
This is book 57 of 194 in Shelfari Most Popular (December 2010). (authoritative list)
This is book 65 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (June 2010). (authoritative list)
This is book 11 of 216 in Whitcoulls Kids' Top 50 (2011). (authoritative list)
This is book 1 of 8 in Modern Olympians. (universe)
This book is in Top 10 Clean Fantasy Novels. (community list)
This is book 1 of 15 in 2008-2009 Iowa Teen Award. (authoritative list)
Authors & Contributors edit
- Rick Riordan (Author)
First Edition edit
Original Language: English
Publisher: Hyperion
Country: United States
Publication Date: 2005
ISBN: 0786856297
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Hyperion
Country: United States
Publication Date: 2005
ISBN: 0786856297
Page Count: 384
Awards edit
- Askews Torchlight Award (UK) (2006)
- Colorado Children's Book Award (Finalist, 2008: Junior Book)
- Georgia Children's Book Award (2009: Grades 4-8)
- Golden Sower Award (Nebraska) (2008: Young Adult)
- Grand Canyon Reader Award (Arizona) (2008: Tween Book)
- Indian Paintbrush Book Award (Wyoming) (Finalist, 2009: Grades 4-6, #3)
- Iowa Teen Award (2009)
- Louisiana Young Readers' Choice Award (2008: Grades 6-8)
- Maine Student Book Award (2007)
- Mark Twain Award (Missouri) (2008)
- Massachusetts Children's Book Award (2008)
- Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award (Minnesota) (2009: Division II)
- NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) Award (2006)
- Nene Award (Hawaii) (2008)
- Nutmeg Children's Book Award (Connecticut) (2008: Teen and Intermediate)
- Pennsylvania Young Readers' Choice Award (2008: 6-8)
- Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award (Illinois) (2009)
- Sequoyah Book Award (Oklahoma) (2008: Young Adult)
- South Carolina Junior Book Award (2008: Grades 6-8)
- Sunshine State Young Reader's Award (Florida) (2007-2008: Grades 6-8)
- Texas Bluebonnet Award (Finalist, 2006)
- Virginia Readers' Choice Award (2008: Middle)
- Volunteer State Book Award (Tennessee) (2009: Grades 7-12)
- Young Hoosier Book Award (Indiana) (2009)
- Young Readers' Choice Award (United States) (2008: Intermediate Division)
- Geffen Award (Finalist, 2008: Best Translated YA or Children's SF&F Book)
Classification edit
- Library of Congress: PZ7.R4829 Li
- Dewey: 813.54
Subjects edit
- Books › Literature & Fiction › World Literature › Mythology › Children's Books
- Books › Teens › Literature & Fiction › Adventure & Thrillers
- Books › Teens › History & Historical Fiction › Historical Fiction
- Books › Teens › Literature & Fiction › Love & Romance
- Books › Teens › Social Issues › Being a Teen
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Links to Supplemental Material edit
- Rick Riordan: A cool website where you can learn about the author and play games. It has a few teacher guides to use as well.
- EdHelper: A "for pay" website with literature units for all of the Percy Jackson novels. Use at your own risk (in other words, make sure you look at the materials; much of it is just vocabulary, there are some great writing unit ideas. Some of the worksheets print badly.)
- Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Website that has a list of all the books in the series, pics of the characters, and more.
- Wikipedia: The free encyclopedia
- Wise Guys Teaching Resources: Here is a purchasable 60 page reading guide that is great to use in the classroom with the novel. Enjoy!
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