Mother Daughter Book Club Meeting #11

Summary: Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can’t seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse -- Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy’s mom finds out, she knows it’s time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he’ll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half-Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon, a mystery unfolds and together with his friends -- one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena -- Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods. -- Hyperion Books for Children

What a terrific book club meeting we had yesterday afternoon! We read THE LIGHTNING THIEF by Rick Riordan; and everyone absolutely loved it. I don't think we've ever had a book that all the girls liked -- there's always at least one or two who don't like it. The girls had a great time discussing THE LIGHTNING THIEF, and it was definitely the most excited I've ever seen the girls about any one book.

The girls weren't the only ones who enjoyed reading THE LIGHTNING THIEF -- the mothers liked it too. I read the book last week and I thought it was great. The story was exciting and I loved all the characters. I'm so glad that I bought a boxed set with the second and third books in the series because Booking Daughter and I both can't wait to read them. And, Booking Daughter doesn't know this yet, but I ordered signed copies of the fourth and fifth books in the series from Clinton Books for Buy Indie Day.

One thing that amazed me about this book was how the girls reacted to it. THE LIGHTNING THIEF is a pretty big book for third and fourth graders -- around 375 pages. A few of the mothers were concerned about the length and even hesitant for their daughters to attempt to read it. I think we were all surprised by just how much they enjoyed this book. They absolutely loved the story of Percy's quest and their excitement was infectious. It was evident that they all comprehended the book and spent a great deal of time thinking about Percy and his actions. A few of the girls immediately picked up the next book in the series after finishing this one, and one girl has even read through the fourth book already.

Another thing that I found especially cool about this book was that there were just tons of references to Greek mythology. I was somewhat familiar with the various god and goddesses and the associated stories, but these stories was entirely new to the girls. All of them were fascinated by these characters and the myths, and they wanted to learn more about them. I think that any book that makes kids want to read more and learn more is wonderful.

Next month, we will be reading a Nancy Drew book -- THE CLUE IN THE CRUMBLING WALL by Carolyn Keene. As a child, I was a huge Nancy Drew fan. So much so, that I bought my daughter the entire series for her ninth birthday. She's only read a few of them so far, so I'm hoping that she catches the Nancy Drew "bug" after reading this one. And since I haven't read one of these mysteries in ages, I'm really looking forward to it too.

Summary: While trying to locate a missing dancer who is about to gain a large inheritance, Nancy Drew finds a clue leading to the solution of yet another mystery. -- Barnes and Noble