'Percy Jackson and the Greek Heroes' Summary of the book
Rick Riordan's "Percy Jackson's Greek Gods" and "Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes" should appeal to young fans of his popular "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" series. Riordan, a writer of adult mysteries before he started composing middle-grade fantasies, was exposed to the "voice" of middle school students as a teacher of English and history. His funny, sarcastic stories of Greek gods and heroes, well grounded in Greek mythology, are aimed at 9- to 12-year-olds with an interest in Greek myths.
The illustrations for both books were done by 2012 Caldecott honoree John Rocco, whose work here includes dozens of dramatic full-page and spot illustrations in each book. "Greek Heroes" also includes two large maps, "The World of Greek Heroes" and "Hercules’s 12 Stupid Tasks," that look like they were created by young Percy, a dyslexic middle-school student who was first featured in Riordan’s "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" and, of course, is himself a myth. The stories are told in his voice.
Riordan's previous "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" fantasy series has won numerous awards and honors. The first book in the series, The Lightning Thief, won 17 State Library Association Readers' Choice Awards and was an ALA Notable Children’s Book for 2005.