The Lost Hero or Why There is Only One Rick Riordan

I ran out of time in my last post to tell you about a truly terrific book that I read over spring break vacation. It was The Lost Hero by the one and only Rick Riordan. This book ROCKS, ROCKS, ROCKS AND ROLLS!!

Jason wakes up on a bus. He has no idea where he is, why here's there or even WHO he is! He learns that he's on a field trip to the Grand Canyon with a camp for troubled kids. Two campers, Leo and Piper, say they know him but before he can find out anything, the campers are attacked by venti, storm spirits who throw Piper into the canyon and shoot Jason with lightning.

And that's just the first two chapters!

There's a lot more. The war with Kronos and the Titans has awakened older, larger and more powerful foes. Not only that, these ancient enemies have captured Hera, queen of the Olympians. If she is not rescued, the result could be so terrible that even Chiron is afraid. Leo, Piper, and Jason must go on a quest to free Hera or else--or else--oh, man, it's too awful to think about! On top of that, one of the giants has captured Piper's father and promises to kill him if she doesn't sabotage the quest. On top of that, Percy Jackson is missing! Could things get any worse? You've got to read this one to find out what becomes of these three heroes!

Once again, Rick Riordan packs more adventure, danger and humor between two book covers than any author I know. There's enough action, fighting, mysterious goings-on, and, as always, funny stuff to grab the attention of the most reluctant or enthusiastic reader guy. This book is a worthy successor to the first five Percy Jackson books. It might be even better in some ways--the monsters are more fierce and the stakes are higher. The characters are every bit as interesting and heroic. A few of the old characters make brief appearances (Annabeth goes looking for Percy, for instance) but this book is about the new campers. And what characters they are!! Jason is a hero indeed and a gutsy fighter. So is Leo--and he's a true wise guy! And don't let Piper fool you--she becomes tougher than celestial bronze when her friends are threatened. Then there's Coach Gleeson Hedge, who's always ready to take on the world but can end up with his feet in the air! (and I've never seen any character look forward so much to a dinner of veggie enchiladas and cloth napkins!) If you enjoyed the Percy Jackson books, then you will definitely have a good time with this one. If you haven't read them, you could jump right into this one and not get confused. (But you'll get so much more out of it if you read the others first)

This book is the first in a new series. The next one will be The Son of Neptune and will come out this fall. Can't wait!! In the meantime, check out the Heroes of Olympus website.

A lot of you have probably already read The Lost Hero since it came out way back in October. What did you think? Did you like it? Were you as "wowed" as I was? Go to the Comment tab under this post and let us know!