Sea of Monsters

By Rick Riordan
Rating: 4 1/4 stars
Reviewed by Noelle

If you haven't started reading the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series yet, get started now! Readers will want to read the first book, The Lightning Thief (see review), to get a better grip on Percy Jackson's life, but in brief, Percy "Perseus" Jackson is the son of the sea god Poseidon and his human mother. The Greek gods of mythology aren't mythology at all--they are alive and well and still having kids! All of these "half-blood" kids are "heroes" like Hercules was and are able to see and fight the many monsters in the world. Percy survived a quest last summer with the help of his friends Grover and Annabeth. Now, a year later, Percy discovers that his summer haven, Camp Half-Blood, is under threat because someone has poisoned Thalia's protective tree. Percy is also having nightmares about Grover being captured by a Cyclopes. So Percy and Annabeth leave on a dual quest to rescue Grover and to retrieve the Golden Fleece--the only thing that might be able to cure Thalia's tree. They make new friends, run into enemies old and new, and face many challenges and battles on their quest. Anyone who likes nonstop action, a fun plot, and allusions to Greek mythology will thoroughly enjoy this story and look forward to more!