Okay, okay. I get it now. I now see why people love Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

It’s not just that it’s a fast-paced story. It’s not just that you’re learning all about the Greek gods in a really accessible way. It’s not just that you drop into an alternate reality where the gods are among us and things aren’t really what they seem. For me, it was Percy. I love a character who has something huge and special to learn about himself (á la Harry Potter).

Percy Jackson has been seeing “weird” things his whole life, but on a field trip in sixth grade, things go a bit over the top and suddenly he begins questioning his sanity. His crazy teacher, Mrs. Dodds? Those knitting ladies on the side of the road? For a while, he has more answers than questions, until even his mother recognizes that it is time for Percy to learn the truth.

The truth that’s been kept from Percy will change his life and put him in the face of dangers he’s only read about in mythology books. And we’re lucky enough to be along for the ride.

The Lightning Thief is great, engaging middle-grade fiction, and while sometimes it felt a bit cheesy to me and my nine-year-old daughter to whom I read it aloud, we ate all that cheese right up, which I guess is just how it should be. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series.

Rated: None (it does use the word “hell” in a sentence, but it refers to the place and isn’t used as an expletive)